This review has been a long time coming. Today I want to talk about some of my favorite things that I own: my Away luggage. I'll specifically be reviewing The Bigger Carry-On and The Medium sized bags. If you want to see all the emotions that these babies give me keep reading.
 |
| Away Luggage The Bigger Carry-On ($245) vs. The Medium ($275) |
I first discovered Away on Pinterest back in 2016. I usually don't click the spammy advertised links, but for some reason these caught my eye. I had luggage that I received for a high school graduation gift back in 2008, but was interested in getting some hard shell suitcases to replace them. I pined after these for SO long- since I already had luggage they weren't a necessity, but I knew I had to have them eventually.
I finally bit the bullet in August of 2017. Rashida Jones launched a limited edition collaboration with Away that seriously caught my eye. I was originally going to get these suitcases in the color Sand, but fell in love with the limited edition color Cactus. I figured that this color would be great not only because it's lovely, but because it makes it so easy to spot my bag on the belt.
Away offers luggage in five sizes: The Kid's Carry-On, The Carry-On, The Bigger Carry-On, The Medium, and The Large. They also offer a discount if you buy in a set with multiple sizes. Picking out the sizes that I wanted was definitely one of the biggest dilemmas I faced (I mean aside from color, which is VERY important).
I knew that I wanted one of the carry-on sized bags, but wasn't sure if I wanted The Bigger Carry-On or the smaller sized classic Carry-On. I ended up going with The Bigger Carry-On since I've only needed to fly on larger domestic flights at this point. Away explains on their website that they created The Bigger Carry-On to fully utilize all of the space that most domestic airlines allow in their bins which you can check your bag size in. These bins list size requirements which are typically smaller than the actual maximum size. My husband and I definitely have plans to go out of the country at some point which will mean flying on airlines with stricter and smaller size limits. I love these bags so much that I will buy the classic Carry-On without hesitation when that time comes. For the time being though, The Bigger Carry-On is great. I can fit 3 days worth of outfits for both of us in it, as well as toiletries. Of course everyone packs differently so your mileage may vary.
I knew that we would also need a larger bag for longer trips or those times where we just didn't mind checking a bag. This also gave me a major anxiety attack deciding between The Medium and The Large. I was so conflicted that I ordered both so that I could get a better idea of their sizes. In the end I kept The Medium and sent back The Large. The Medium can easily hold at least a weeks worth of items for the both of us. The Large was just too big and had way more room than we needed.
 |
| Away Luggage The Bigger Carry-On Removable Battery |
Now that we've talked about size, let's go over the features of these suitcases. The Kid's Carry-On, The Carry-On and The Bigger Carry-On are each equipped with a USB charger, which is probably one of the biggest selling points of these two sizes. There have been articles in the news recently talking about airlines not accepting bags with batteries in them, and this is common on flights out of Asia as well. The great thing about these is that the battery is removable! Also these restrictions should only apply if you need to check the bag for some reason (unless you're flying Delta- I believe the battery has to be removed whether or not the bag is checked). You can just pop it out and throw it in your purse/backpack if you need to, or leave it at home if you're worried. The battery itself is great. It holds a charge and has enough juice to charge your phone 5 times!
 |
| Away Luggage TSA Approved Lock |
The rest of the features mentioned apply to all bag sizes. Another fantastic detail that these bags are equipped with is this TSA approved lock. I am a paranoid person and having a lock on my luggage really helps curb that. When the bag arrives it comes with instructions on how to set whatever three digit combination you would like, so that it's easy for you to remember. That little hole to the left of the numbers allows the TSA to open your bag even if it's locked, so you can rest assured that no problems will arise from keeping your things secured. Setting up the combination was quick and simple.
 |
| Away Luggage Wheels |
The wheels on this luggage are wonderful as well. They are Hinomoto if that means anything to you, all I know is that they roll smoothly in any direction and seem really durable. The photo above is the wheels on my bag after a few trips out, and you can barely tell that they have touched pavement.
 |
| Away Luggage Laid Open |
Now, are there any other people out there who salivate over organization? I see you! This luggage is your wet dream. The suitcase opens like a clamshell, so both sides have an equal amount of room. This set up is fantastic. I find that it really allows me to maximize space potential.
 |
| Away Luggage Zippered Compartment |
In the photo above you can see that on the left side, there is a zippered compartment. This is perfect for hard items such as shoes, or things like toiletry bags. I find that this set up also makes transporting fragile things in your carry-on a lot less nerve racking.
 |
| Away Luggage Compression Compartment |
On the right side you can see there are straps that cross over- these are compression straps. You can put all of your soft items such as clothing on this side and compress it down to save space. By using packing cubes along with these straps, everything is SO organized and compact that packing is a breeze. If you don't use packing cubes, evaluate everything you know about your life. These are hands down one of the greatest travel items I've picked up. These are the ones that I have, but there are a ton of options out there.
 |
| Away Luggage Laundry Bag |
This luggage also comes with a super convenient laundry bag, as pictured above. It folds up perfectly into that little zippered pouch there when not in use, but when rolled out provides a nice roomy bag for your dirty clothes (or whatever else you want to put in it). I am a bit of a germaphobe so I love that I have one more bag to separate dirty things from my nice clean clothes.
 |
| Away Luggage Bigger Carry-On nesting in The Medium |
If you can't tell I am obsessed with these. Not only is the product amazing, but Away as a company is as well. Remember how I excessively ordered both The Medium and The Large to see which size I liked better? No big deal with their 100 day return policy! Even if you use the suitcase and just don't like it for whatever reason you can return it within 100 days of your purchase. The exception to this would be if you get your luggage monogrammed. Away offers hand-painted monogramming, which looks beautiful, but makes returns a no-go. This is understandable since the lettering is customizable with different colors and fonts and wouldn't be easy to resell if it were returned.
The luggage also comes with an impressive lifetime warranty. If anything goes wrong with your wheels, zippers, etc, Away will repair or replace your luggage. The electronic components are a bit different and fall under a two year warranty, but that still seems generous to me. I haven't noticed any issues with my luggage, but one thing that a lot of other reviews I looked before purchasing mentioned was that the luggage scuffed easily. I haven't had any marks on either my checked bag or carry-on that haven't come off with a washcloth, so I can't really relate to this. The shell of the bag is made of a durable polycarbonate that is supposed to be pretty resistant to wear and tear. Color may come into play or of course just how roughly your bag is being handled. With any luggage this is a potential issue.
I really can't express how much I fucking love these suitcases or why they bring me so much joy, they just do. Every time I open my closet and see them sitting there they make me happy. I don't travel a ton, but enough to make them worth every penny.
If you're as sold on this luggage that I was, I have a referral link that will get you $20 off your first purchase. I purchased the luggage on my own and everyone gets one of these codes when they buy something so that you can hook your friends up with a discount, and get a kickback of $20 to spend at Away for yourself as well. If you're interested, my referral link is below. There are others out there on the internet if you're not comfortable using mine. Once you pick what you want and go to your online cart, the discount is applied at check out.
i love that color!!! ugh wish they still had it thoooo
ReplyDelete