Away Luggage Sale

Frank II, I know you're an expert on luggage. What exactly is the attraction to the Away brand? Are they significantly innovative, to be worth the high cost? I am suspicious of brands of anything that are suddenly popular due to social media.

One of the things about Away that appealed to me was compression straps in the bag. However, I decided against the bag because of its weight.

For new folks on these Forums, or for those who may have forgotten, there was quite a debate about the ethics of the company, and their boss, here on this Forum back in January.

Maybe they have resolved their issues, or maybe Covid played a part, or perhaps they are overstocked....

The thread was at https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/away-luggage-definitely-off-my-list

Thanks for the news Frank II

I'm no expert but I do have the carry on version. I used it for about a year and a half but have decided to switch to a new bag.

On the positive side, the bag is well made and durable. Except for a few scurff marks, which they are known to get, it has been checked, gate checked and carried on without any damage. The internal compression system works very well.

On the negative side, the wheels don't roll well on pavement where other spinners do fine. The telescoping handle is loose. It's heavy.

I bought it with the battery but if I did it again, it wouldn't. I had trouble with the battery and Away replaced it. The second wasn't much better. The housing holding the battery can't be removed. By not getting the battery or its housing you save a pound in weight. The cost of the bag is the same with or without the battery.

They are really not that expensive when compared to other mid level bags or higher.

The bags are marketed to 20 and 30 somethings and the popularity hasmore to do with the hype than anything else. They are giving the impression that if you have the bag you will be seen and hip and stylish.

I may still use it occassionally on domestic trips where weight doesn't matter but for international ones I'm switching to a spinner that weighs 4 lbs. (It's the Samsonite Uplite 55 that has been discontinued. There is a newer model but it's not available in the U.S.A)

I'm guessing the sale has more to do with trying to deplete inventory than anything else.

Frank, a 4 lb bag???? Are there other options still available ???

The replacement model is not available in the USA. It's only available in Europe and they don't ship to the U.S.

However, once Amazon.co.uk starts carrying it, Amazon US may make it deliverable to the U.S. That's how I got the previous model.

Are there any newbies on the forums these days? The topic of luggage is wide and deep. We have dozens (hundred?) of sub-topics and related discussions packed full of great information. AWAY is just one of dozens of manufacturers in the travel goods business and their products slot into just one of several particular styles.

If you are looking for a bag that will get you to Europe someday soon, and you don’t have a lot of experience shopping for bags, give yourself a few hours to look back through a year or two of posts here in the Packing Forum .

Here’s wishing we get an effective vaccine soon and reliable herd immunity statistics soon after. I’m not traveling till at least 2022 (umm, actually my dear wife is not LETTING me travel till 2022).

My husband and I were given a set of AWAY luggage as a wedding gift... and I don't love it.
My biggest gripe is that you need to fully unzip the suitcase to add or remove anything. No opening up the zipper a tiny bit to shove in a sweater. You would be surprised at how often this comes up!
I prefer a small suitcase with an upper flap (like my Travelpro) which I can easily open and close.
There is no "lid" on AWAY luggage - the suitcase is divided into two equal halves. So when I arrive at my destination, it takes up twice the floor space to sit open. As someone who typically doesn't unpack - I just live out of the suitcase- this is an annoyance.
I don't use the battery so I cannot comment on that.
I do like how the different sizes nest inside one another for storage.
Otherwise, the luggage is lightweight and looks nice - just not enough to warrant the high cost, I feel.
I agree that much of it's popularity was marketing hype.

That's great feedback rebekah. Details are good.