We're fans of wire crates and that's what we have in the car and house. We do have one vari kennel but have only ever used it for flying our guys.
Plumcrazy's idea is good to cover the crate up. However, that might not be good for Flip if he gets frenzied in the crate, as he might just rip the blanket to shreds. My concern about a soft sided crate would be that he could rip through if he gets as upset as you have said. And I sometimes think the plastic crates don't allow enough air flow through for long periods of time.