If you have ever ridden the New York City subway with a dog, you know the rule by heart, because someone has probably lectured you about it. Back in 2016, the MTA formalized a policy barring dogs from trains unless they are enclosed in a container and carried so they do not bother other riders. Enforcement is spotty, but the rule is real, and it launched one of the city’s stranger folk traditions: cramming a perfectly happy dog into a tote, or slicing leg holes in a tote bag or, famously, a garbage bag, so the animal is technically “contained.” It works about as well and looks about as dignified as it sounds.
A dog backpack carrier is the obvious upgrade, and the one that keeps coming up is the Little Chonk Maxine One. It is worth understanding why it works, because a bad backpack carrier is worse than no carrier at all.
What the Maxine One actually gets right
The Maxine One was designed by a Brooklyn company and named for Maxine the Fluffy Corgi, whose owners’ hectic schedule inspired the whole thing. The engineering choices are all aimed at the two people the carrier has to protect: your dog and your spine.
The body is built from high-density fabric with enough rigidity to hold its shape rather than sagging into a slouchy sack, which keeps both your back and your dog’s back straighter on a long carry. If you have ever worried about your dog launching themselves off your shoulders and down the block, the reinforced wrap-around padded neck collar is there to keep that from happening, and there are grab handles on all four sides so you can hoist the whole rig onto a train, into a car, or up a flight of stairs in one motion. It collapses flat for easy loading, the exterior is waterproof for the city’s slush-and-sewer-rain seasons, and the interior is reinforced against rips. There is even a “tail port,” an opening that lets the tail hang free to cut pressure and keep circulation flowing back there.
On sizing, the Maxine One handles dogs up to 50 pounds and fits best on pups with a chest girth of 19 to 30 inches and a back length of 14 to 19 inches. A smaller Maxine One S has been in the works for slighter builds. It runs about $120.
Buy a backpack carrier by the specs, not the cute photo
The Maxine One is a strong pick, but the more useful skill is knowing how to judge any dog backpack before you trust it with your dog on a moving train. Three numbers matter more than the marketing.
First, measure your dog before you look at a single product page. Get a chest girth (the widest part behind the front legs) and a back length (base of neck to base of tail), then match those to the carrier’s stated range. A carrier rated to 50 pounds still won’t work if your dog’s dimensions fall outside its fit window.
Second, look for structure and a real safety tether. You want a carrier that holds its shape and has an internal clip or collar that stops a startled dog from bailing out the top. A floppy bag with no anchor is how dogs end up loose in a crowd.
Third, think about where you’re actually going. If your trips involve air travel, a backpack that satisfies the subway will not automatically satisfy an airline, since carriers have to fit under the seat in front of you and each airline sets its own dimensions. Check those before you fly, not at the gate.
Get those three right and the “no loose dogs” rule stops being a hassle and becomes what it was meant to be: a reason to keep your dog close, contained, and comfortable while the city rushes by outside the mesh.
Where to buy
The Maxine One is sold directly through Little Chonk for around $120. It is not currently carried on Amazon, so the brand’s own site is the place to get it.
