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.
