Gunner G1 Kennel Review

The certification, size by size

Everything that makes the G1 worth its price comes down to one claim, so it is worth being exact about what the claim covers. The Center for Pet Safety is the only independent body issuing crash certification for pet travel crates in the US, it publishes a list of what it has certified, and that list is per product and per size.

On the CPS certified list, the Gunner G1 appears in three sizes:

• Small— certified, 30 lb test dog
• Medium— certified, 45 lb test dog
• Intermediate— certified, 75 lb test dog. This is the record with the most detail attached to it: a 5-star result under test protocol CPS-002-016.01, test number V15572, dated June 2015.

The Large is not on the list. Gunner does not claim it is — its own page attaches the 5-star language to Small, Medium and Intermediate — but the distinction disappears fast in search results, in retailer copy and in the way people talk about the brand. “Gunner crates are 5-star crash tested” is true of three sizes and not of the fourth, and the fourth is the one sold for the dogs most likely to hurt someone in a crash.

We go through the whole certified list, across every maker, on crash-tested dog crates, and what the rating does and does not test is explained in CPS crash testing explained. The short version worth having here: a 5-star result means the crate contained the test dog and did not come apart or launch. It is not a statement about the crate’s strength in general, and it is not transferable to a bigger crate of the same design.

The straps are part of the certification

This is the second detail that gets dropped. The G1 was certified with Gunner’s strength-rated tie-down straps, which Gunner describes as the only straps it recommends for 5-star certified safety, and which use integrated stainless steel pins Gunner says were tested not to rip from the kennel on impact.

A certified crate sitting loose in a cargo area is not the configuration that was tested. In a collision, an unsecured 48 lb crate with a 70 lb dog in it is a projectile regardless of how well built it is. If you buy the crate and not the straps, you have bought the shell of the safety claim. That is not a criticism of Gunner — it publishes the requirement plainly — it is a cost line most buyers do not budget for.

The published sizes, and how to read them

Gunner publishes interior and exterior dimensions separately, which is better practice than most of the category manages and is the only way to size a crate honestly. Note how much shell sits between the two numbers — that is the double wall, and it is also the reason a G1 takes up more cargo space than its interior suggests.

• Small— interior 21.75 x 14.5 x 15.5 in; exterior 24.5 x 18.625 x 19 in (20.5 in with the carry handles); kennel weight 27 lb; dogs up to 30 lb
• Medium— interior 25 x 18 x 19.75 in; exterior 29.5 x 20.5 x 23.5 in (25 in with handles); 38 lb; dogs up to 45 lb
• Intermediate— interior 30 x 18 x 25 in; exterior 34 x 23 x 28.5 in (30 in with handles); 48 lb; dogs up to 70 lb
• Large— interior 33.25 x 21 x 29 in; exterior 40.25 x 28 x 33.25 in (34.5 in with handles); 72 lb; dogs 71+ lb. Not CPS certified.

One small coherence point in Gunner’s favor: CPS tested the Intermediate with a 75 lb test dog, and Gunner rates the same crate for dogs up to 70 lb. The company’s own capacity is slightly more conservative than the test, which is the right direction for that gap to run.

The exterior-versus-interior gap is where buyers get caught. A 40 in exterior that holds a 33 in interior is normal for a double-walled crate and ruinous if you measured your cargo area to the inch. Measure the vehicle first, then the dog, then shop. Our guide to what size crate a dog needs covers the dog side of that, and travel crates covers the vehicle side.

The build

Gunner describes the G1 as the only double-walled kennel on the market: a rotomolded shell with a second wall inside it, on a custom welded, powder-coated, reinforced aluminum frame. The door is reversible so it can open from either side — genuinely useful in a cargo area where the tailgate dictates the geometry — and it closes on a paddle latch with a key-in-the-hole lock. The floor is recessed to a removable oversized drain plug, and the whole crate sits on elevated feet.

Every one of those is a durability feature rather than a convenience feature, and the two that matter most over years of use are the least glamorous. A drain plug and a recessed floor mean the crate can be hosed out properly after a wet dog, a sick dog or a long drive. Elevated feet keep the floor off standing water in a truck bed. Those details are why the G1 shows up in the working-dog and hunting market rather than only the safety market.

Gunner also publishes two thermal claims: that the G1 stays consistently cooler than leading aluminum and single-wall rotomolded crates, and that dogs in freezing conditions expend 20% less energy staying warm. Both are plausible from the double-wall construction and both are Gunner’s own figures. We have not found an independent test of either, so treat them as manufacturer claims rather than verified performance. The honest version of the insulation argument is the construction itself: two walls with air between them will always beat one wall of the same material.

The warranty, and the kit that contradicts it

Gunner’s lifetime manufacturer’s warranty covers the crate against defects. In its own words, it “does not cover destruction caused to the crate by its inhabitant and extends to the original purchaser only.”

That is the category norm rather than a Gunner failing — we went looking, and almost every heavy-duty crate maker excludes the dog. The one real exception is Impact’s Dog Damage Guarantee, which applies to its High Anxiety line only and which we cover in are Impact dog crates crash tested and in our heavy-duty crate roundup. Two consequences for a G1 buyer: the exclusion means a chewing problem is your problem, and “original purchaser only” means a secondhand G1 — and plenty change hands — carries no warranty at all.

Gunner sells a separate Chew Kit: lasercut, powder-coated steel covers for the kennel windows and door, described as an additional layer of protection for high-drive dogs. It is a well-made accessory and it is also an admission. A company that sells you steel plating for the windows is telling you the base kennel is chewable, while its warranty declines to cover exactly that. Both facts are true and a buyer should hold them together: for a determined chewer, budget the kit at the same time as the crate.

Where you can actually buy it

One practical note. When we checked availability for this review, Amazon carried the G1 in Small only— the Medium, Intermediate and Large are sold direct by Gunner. So if the size you need is the Intermediate, the buy link on this page will not get you there, and we would rather say that than send you to a listing for the wrong crate. Stock on the Small was also thin at the time of checking; the price block above reflects whatever the live listing says now rather than a number we typed in.