Hey gents, today we are going to talk about Away luggage. I have one of each of the sizes. I also have one of their standard polycarbonate, which is plastic, and their aluminum luggage. I’ve used all of them all over the world, so I wanted to share my experiences with Away luggage.

If you’re shopping for a luggage bag, this post will be a helpful guide for you to pick the right bag because I still get a lot of questions about Away. I’ve been traveling with these bags since they launched four years ago so let’s go over my experience traveling with each of them.

As of early 2020, their collection consists of the Carry-On, the Bigger Carry-On, the Medium, and the Large. Products start at:

The Carry-On: $225
The Bigger Carry-On: $245
The Medium: $275
The Large: $295

They also have other variations such as the luggage bags with pockets, expandable bags, and even aluminum options.

Your decision-making is pretty simple here. Do you want a carry-on bag or a check-in bag? The carry-ons have batteries built on while the check-in bags do not because you cannot put a Lithium battery underneath the plane.

For me, there have been zero issues traveling with the regular carry-on and the bigger carry-on. All of the places I’ve gone, whether it’s the States, Canada, or Europe, the bigger carry-on has been absolutely fine for on-plane luggage.

I love the interior design of the Away bags. They have a compression compartment which does help squeeze things down. However, if you’re trying to decide between the bigger and the standard carry-on, I see very little benefit going with the standard carry-on other than the fact that the standard carry-on will be lighter than the bigger carry-on.

If you’re looking between the polycarbonate and the aluminum luggage, I really like the aluminum luggage. I did a video specifically on the aluminum variation and it’s a really sweet bag.

Yes, there’s a big price jump between the two--from around $200 to $400--but if you look at Away’s bags in the context of aluminum luggage, it’s a very good deal. Furthermore, their water-resistant seal around the aluminum casing is a really nice design touch and something I really prefer.

So, if you’re looking between the polycarbonate and the aluminum luggage and you travel a lot, then I think that aluminum luggage would do a good job of protecting your stuff from the elements.

You also have to be aware that no matter if you get the polycarbonate or aluminum luggage, both will get their blemishes, scuffs, and scratches. In fact, you can see the effects of travel on my normal-sized aluminum carry-on. Nevertheless, the bag does a great job of protecting everything inside.

Furthermore, instead of having a mesh zipper like the plastic luggage carry-ons, the aluminum bag uses a clasp mechanism. It’s a little bit more premium, adding to the overall premium nature of the aluminum bag which is what you’re paying for.

If I had to choose between all the luggage options, I would definitely get the aluminum bag in medium or carry-on sizing. It’s higher priced, it’s going to last a long time, and it has that really great construction and contrast.

Now, let’s talk about the bigger carry-on sizing versus the regular carry-on sizing. So, either way, if you have either one of the sizes and you go onto a small regional jet, you’re going to check in either one of those sizes because even the smallest size doesn’t properly fit into the overhead compartment.

However, the exception to this is the Daily Carry-On With Pocket. Now, I haven’t traveled with this luggage bag, but based on what I’ve seen, this is the type of bag that a lot of flight attendants use.

Credit: Away | Daily Carry-On With Pocket

So if you’re worried about always having that bag with you, the daily carry-on could be the one you want to go with and it’s definitely worth checking out for $245. For most people, though, I think the Bigger Carry-On is the best option. It has the battery, the compression compartment, and the four-wheel spinners.

Then, you look at the checked bags. I have both variations of checked bags and I’ve traveled with both. The bigger one is massive. I’ve fit two-and-a-half weeks of clothes in that bag. It gets extremely heavy. You have to check it in and you can end up over-stuffing it so that it’s higher than the weight limit at most airlines.

What I found after traveling with that one a lot is that I wanted something between the bigger carry-on and the large checked bag. Going back, I probably would just go with the Medium luggage because of how truly massive the bigger carry-on is.

If you’re looking between the bigger carry-on and the checked bag, unless you have a really good excuse of why you want the biggest one, then I think you should go with the medium bag, especially with the polycarbonate.

Now, keep in mind with the checked bag that there is no battery in these bags compared to the carry-ons. Also, as a novelty, we picked up the kid bags and it’s super interesting because it’s super small and tiny and that’s where I think it would be really cool to have that daily carry-on with a pocket.

I also have used the other accessories Away has built around their luggage whether it’s their weekender bags, their garments, or their packing cubes. All of this stuff is really well-made and I love the thoughtful design of Away stuff.

Regardless of what luggage bag you’re looking at, their four-way spinners and their Hinomoto wheels are really great. They have great compression compartments and their 10,000mA battery for some of their luggage bags is a really awesome bonus.

Clearly, I and my family are big fans of Away. If you’re trying to decide between all the sizes, I wanted to have a nice way to show you with the links I’ve attached in this post. This is not a sponsored post, but if you do buy through them, I do get a commission. It supports the channel and allows me to make more videos like this because all I want to do is give you the best information out there.

I’ve also looked at other luggage bags and I’ll link to those as well because I don’t think that Away is the end all be all best one. It does give incredible value, but if you’re looking for something more specific, I try to cover as much as I can on here.

If you have any questions, I’ll be down in the comments. You can also reach me on Instagram and Twitter!

Away Luggage | Their Sizing, Options, and What's Best For You