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It was 2016. I was working as an editor in New York City, and a carry-on from a new travel brand had just landed at my desk. A cardboard box held inside a black Away carry-on. Sleek, with a ridged design, it featured technology that was groundbreaking at the time—a built-in USB battery to charge your phone, a compression panel to press down clothing for even more room, and a removable laundry bag. Not only that, but as it was made from durable polycarbonate hardshell, it became my first hard-sided bag—at that time, hard shell luggage was still a small percentage of luggage bought and used, though it was gaining popularity every year. (According to the Travel Goods Association and first reported by The Washington Post, hard shell luggage accounted for almost 8 percent of the US luggage market by volume in 2010; by 2015, that number was just over 16 percent.)
I previously had a soft-sided carry-on my parents had graciously given me as a graduation gift (and as someone who didn’t have a passport until I was 22, I used that sucker a lot in my 20s), but it had been six years since then and this, well, this new Away carry-on was different. The first time I used it, I flew through the airport—the bag basically drove itself on the 360-degree wheels that were found at each corner. It made me feel like a full-blown adult.
“From the beginning, we set out to expand the conversation around travel, solving real world travel pain points by keeping an incredibly close pulse on our customer’s needs,” says Luigi Auricchio, Away’s VP of design.
Later that same year, Away launched The Bigger Carry-On, which was, obviously, bigger than the original carry-on, but still fit in most US airline’s overhead compartments. (It’s the brand’s best-selling product to date.) But I loved my little black bag—it was the perfect size for both US and international airlines, and fit so much in such a compact space (thanks in large part to the compression panel). I can fit at least a week’s worth of outfits, plus shoes, makeup, and accessories inside. In 2017, I got an email from the Away team—as did all those who had purchased its bag prior to that. Due to airline restrictions put in place by the UN, they were changing the built-in battery to be ejectable rather than built into the bag (with no way of getting it out).
You had three options: You could mail in your bag (with the help of the Away team to coordinate), you could take it to Away's NYC store, or you could be sent the materials needed to install at home (they assured it was easy). I chose the last option, and it only took me a few minutes to change the battery case. From then on, I had an ejectable, portable battery (which, coincidentally, was my first portable battery in general, and one I would often use outside of travel days). Later in 2018, they got rid of the battery altogether as a feature, “as power outlets became more widely accessible throughout air travel,” says Auricchio. (In 2019, the UN rule was codified for US airlines, but many airlines had already been making passengers remove batteries from bags.) That’s how you know an Away is truly old school—do you have a battery on the top near the handle? I was an early adopter, one might say.
The bag later made the schlep to Brooklyn as I moved into my first big girl apartment at the end of 2017. While I was a full-time staffer at the time, I later went freelance, and was traveling at least once a month, if not more. Mexico City, Paris, Lisbon, Monaco, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas—this bag has traveled hundreds of thousands of miles over the years. (I’m currently at 405,000 lifetime miles on Delta, and I’ve flown many other carriers with this bag as well.) Rain, snow, sleet, sun, gravel, grass, cobblestone, cement—it’s been through the ringer. It’s been checked internationally (when I wanted to be hands-free on the way home), it’s been gate-checked against my will, it’s been lugged upstairs after a 18+ hour travel day only to get refilled and moved out the next day for the airport, and primarily, it’s been my constant companion for nearly nine years.
In 2021, it made its way to my new city of Los Angeles, where I lived out of it (and the larger checked size Away bag) for two months before signing for an apartment and unpacking all my stuff that made the cross-country move. (FYI, even though it’s been scuffed in the past, these have been easy to get out with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, and now the new version comes with a melamine sponge to get the scuffs out as well. Nine years later, it still looks pretty damn good with only one minor stubborn scuff-mark at the corner—and I do think the dark color helped keep it looking good.)
Only recently did I get another carry-on—this time in an olive green color. I thought about maybe getting rid of my old bag once I had the new version, but found that it’s actually helpful to have more than one carry-on option since I travel so much. Besides, it’s not that I needed to get rid of my old bag for another, it’s just that Away’s newest updates offer things my old one doesn’t: A compression panel with two pockets (as opposed to one large one) and stronger straps, a side handle (for easy handling and grabbing from both overhead bins and luggage carousels), and a smoother roll overall, thanks to better ergonomics on the handle and reworked wheels.
According to Auricchio, these user experience changes were “informed by tens of thousands of interviews, reviews, and direct customer feedback.” While I love my new bag (and use it often), my original bag always comes through for me, and is awaiting its next journey. Oftentimes, since I travel so frequently, I’ll pack both for a quick exchange at home before heading back to the airport. I’ve traveled to two different climates, filling only my carry-on and making it through days on end with what I packed. At my longest, I was gone 21 days (and traveling through three different climates—tropical, snow-laden, and desert). My black Away carry-on fit it all.
Things have certainly changed over the years, but one thing that has remained a constant in my life is, somewhat oddly, a piece of polycarbonate luggage. There’s something comforting about that. And, if nothing else, there’s always Away’s lifetime limited warranty.
This article is part of Condé Nast Traveler’s second annual Luggage Week, for which dozens of suitcases, backpacks, and weekender bags were road-tested by our editors.
