Is Away's Luggage Really Worth the Price? Get a closer look at the DTC luggage brand seen throughout airports.
By Entrepreneur Deals Edited by Jason Fell
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Within just a few years, Away has turned the perception of luggage from something you hide in your closet until your next vacation to a product worthy of being placed front and center in your Instagram feed. And while Away's ubiquitous designs can be found all over social media, its starting price of $225 still begs us to ask the question: Is this luggage really worth the price?
In short, our answer is yes. While Away is by no means the perfect suitcase, it does check off a number of important boxes on our list. And when compared to other luxury models on the market, Away's direct-to-consumer offering also helps ensure customers are getting all of its luggage's functionality and cool-factor without unnecessarily overpaying.
The direct-to-consumer company, which was launched back in 2015 by former Warby Parker execs Jen Rubio and Stephanie Korey, aimed to design a piece of luggage that suited the modern traveler, someone who needed quality luggage without the premium price tag. Since its inception, the brand's Carry-On bag, a TSA-approved size roller, has become its bread and butter.
Its exterior design features a hard, polycarbonate shell, a TSA-approved combination lock, four 360-degree spinner wheels, and an ejectable battery that can charge smart devices. When you zip open the case, you'll also find a water-resistant laundry bag and an interior compression system that can free up more space in the luggage's design.
All of these design details have proven themselves to be life-savers when using the suitcase. For instance, the 360-degree spinner wheels glide seamlessly throughout the airport and have held up to the challenge even when we've dragged them on surfaces that aren't very suitcase-friendly, such as gravel or cobblestone streets. Its spacious interior has provided ample room for long-haul travel (through our testing, we did nearly 12, long-haul international trips on the suitcase packing with just the Carry-On alone), enabling us to enjoy more basic and more affordable carry-on only plane tickets. Weighing in a little over seven pounds, the Carry-On is by no means the lightest luggage option out there, but it still gives travelers plenty of opportunities to stuff their suitcase full of clothing and other packing essentials before they hit the standard 22-pound weight limit.
Arguably the saving grace of the suitcase is the portable charger. Considering how important our devices are during the travel process (it now doubles as our boarding pass and source of entertainment), and how limited outlets are in airports, jet setters will likely get the most use out of this unique feature. And for flights where portable battery packs are not allowed or if you're checking in your Carry-On bag, travelers can simply pop the external battery out of the case.
The biggest downside we've noticed during our testing was its polycarbonate shell, which while durable, is prone to scuffing and visible signs of wear and tear.
After a year of traveling with the Away's Carry-On ($225), which includes toting it along over 16 flights and a handful of road trips, here's the final verdict: We think Away's luggage is well worth the price. While the polycarbonate shell could be a bit tougher and more resistant to scratches, it hasn't detracted from the luggage's spacious design, seamless rolling, and handy ejectable battery. Considering that other premium luggage of this caliber would be worth nearly twice (if not three times) as much, as well as how much use you'll get out of your Away Carry-On for years to come, we think it's money well spent.
