Away Suitcase Review – Honest Thoughts

There’s a lot of hype and talk about the Away suitcases. Me being me, I had to try them out for myself. As usual, I don’t like to bring you reviews until I’ve been able to test them out for myself. These suitcases have visited Alaska, Mexico, Barbados, cruises, and resorts. They’ve done a great job at holding up although we’ll get more into things that I do and don’t love about the set a little later. 

Prefer video reviews? Click here to watch.

Quick overview:

Build your set

If you’re like me and love it when your things match, you may want to build a set of suitcases to fit you. I decided to go all in and get the set of three: The Carry-On, The Medium, and The Large. You get the option of customizing what type of carry-on you would prefer. I chose The Carry-On with the battery pack and it is big enough to be my only suitcase for a weekend visit to see family. 

If you decide to get the set of two you can choose if you want the medium or large size but if you choose the set of three you’ll get one of each. 

Outside of the suitcase

Let’s look at some of the similarities of the different sizes. These suitcases feature a four-wheel setup known as spinner wheels. They rotate 360 degrees allowing you to push your suitcase in any direction. Because their handles reach the same height, it makes it easy to maneuver two suitcases with one hand. 

If you’re like me and always forgetting something at home like your comb, chapstick, and headphones. *cough* I’m on a trip now and completely forgot all of those. Each suitcase features a built-in locking zipper system that requires a three-number combination. This is nice to have because it means you won’t forget your key at home. The left side of the suitcase has four little feet to provide a stable place for the suitcase to rest while it’s on its side. The grab handles remind me of those kitchen cabinets that easily glide back into place when you’re done using them. These handles rise, move in from the sides, and then slide back to be as flush to the suitcase as they can. 

Having a hard shell doesn’t mean the suitcases are indestructible. The Large has a cut and a dent from one of my trips.

Inside the suitcase

There are a few challenges with suitcases that open from the middle. It’s almost impossible to get something out of the suitcase without completely unzipping the suitcase and laying it open on the floor.

Inside the luggage, the minimal branding from the outside disappears and you are hit with the Away logo everywhere from the fabric to the zippers.

On the left side, there’s a large mesh zippered section. When packing I like to put things that may be smaller or might fall out of the suitcase when it’s being opened and closed. 

On the right side, is a removable panel. This panel features a long mesh sleeve that can be used with the compression straps to hold everything down.

At the foot of the suitcase is a little zippered pouch that holds a laundry bag. This makes it easy and convenient to have your water-resistant laundry bag close and ready.  

Differences between the sizes

The Carry-On has to option to include a battery pack to charge your electronics. The battery pack rests right underneath the handle of the suitcase. Yay for no more crowding outlets with strangers. Or having your phone die on you mid-flight because your airplane doesn’t have any charge ports by your seat. With the built-in optional battery pack, I’ve been able to make sure everything stays full. One thing that I absolutely love about it is that it is easily able to pop out of the suitcase and travel with you separately. This feature is great when you have to store your suitcase in the overhead compartment but will need to charge devices. When I went backpacking in Alaska I was able to use it to charge my GoPro and my phone so that I could make you videos of the experiences.

1. FAQ
   1. Packing Cubes – Yes, I had to get the matching pink packing cube set. However, their packing cubes are missing a very important feature. Read this post to find out what that is. 
   2. Are sets worth it? – I like having the option to choose what size I get when I’m traveling. Although I haven’t used The Medium I do think that I’ll use it in the future. If you know that you won’t need one of the sizes sticking to the set of two might be your best option.
   3. Backpack/purse – Because it’s hard to access the suitcases without opening them up completely I’d suggest traveling with a backpack or a purse. This will make things easier in the airplane and airport because it will make it easier to access your important documents and snacks from the backpack.