At 1.4kg this is the pen you can actually be bothered to take somewhere. Metal pens are sturdier and they also weigh seven or eight kilos and need two hands and a car boot — this one folds to 8cm, drops into its own bag, and goes under a pushchair or in hand luggage for a caravan.

Soft sides change what it is for. There is nothing rigid to catch a small animal against, mesh on three windows keeps air moving and lets them see out, and the whole top opens so you lift straight in and out rather than posting an animal through a side door. Three doors mean access from wherever you happen to be sitting. Four ground stakes come with it for grass, and two small storage pockets on the windows take treats, bags or a water bottle.

• Opens to 74cm long x 60cm wide x 45cm high
• Folds to 35 x 35 x 8cm; 1.4kg
• Oxford fabric with nylon mesh over a fibreglass frame
• Three mesh doors plus a 50 x 37cm top opening
• Four ground stakes and a carry bag included
• Two storage pockets; suits pets under 4kg

Know what soft sides can and cannot do. This is a comfortable, portable enclosure for a calm small animal — a rabbit having garden time under supervision, a puppy at a campsite, a cat in a caravan. It is fabric, so a determined chewer will get through it and a jumper will get over 45cm. It is not secure containment and should not be used unsupervised outdoors, where it is no protection at all against a fox.

Who it's for: Travel, holidays and gardens, for owners of small calm animals who want somewhere safe to put them for an hour without carrying a steel pen around.