elau1999

Thank you for your insightful reply. I think outsourced can mean better quality in some cases, for example if I was to manufacture a suitcase designed in say Japan, and I wanted to use special German alloys, I would outsource to Germany if their alloy demonstrated a higher strength than Japanese alloys. There can be a labour skill gap; I have observed in Japan that RIMOWA repairs seem to happen more often with the polycarbonate models, who happen to be outsourced. Of course this is my observation, and others may have had different experiences. Low price can be maintained if profit margins are lowered, rather than compromising on materials and structural integrity. Relying on word-of-mouth rather than overt advertising will reduce price as well. PROTECA luggage company, and ITO luggage (japan-ito.com/), not well known to foreigners, but highly regarded domestically, do this well in my opinion, and no outsourcing necessary.

RoyMan

I have had my aluminum carry on for two years now. I am a 1k on United and fly 8-10 flight segments per month usually. Most of these flights tend to be on small regional jets as well where I have to gate check my bag. We all know they dont handle bags nicely...I have had ZERO issues with my bag and its holding up great.

See my comment above. You assumptions of quality on the away bags are false. The durability of their aluminum bags have been very impressive with two years of heavy use.

Edit - if I have some time later today I will post some pics of the bag after two years of heavy use for those that are curious. It has some nice wear and tear similar to what you see with used rimowa bags. I believe I posted above a 6mo or one year extended review as well...but cant remember if I did any pics.

elau1999

Thank you Roy for your insight. There is no doubt that an Aluminium/Magnesium alloy is the superior material to 100% Aluminium, assuming thickness is the constant. Please post photos, I stand by my comment, the MSRP price is good but the choice of materials leaves something to be desired, and at that price point I would expect an alloy. Probably the company felt marketing was more important than a competitively crafted product. I would suggest getting a RIMOWA at a large discount like I did, and then comparing the wear and tear on both. Please provide your photos, as well as context of where your aluminium suitcase has been. Thank you again.

travelinmanS

Will Away survive Covid? They must be hurting big time right now.

RoyMan

Ok here are some 2 years 3 months of use photos with my Aluminum bag. As I stated before in multiple posts above this thing is holding up amazing and I think the construction is great...especially for the price. Similar to rimowas with alot of use they get dents and scratches. I personally like the used/worn look but its not for everyone. I have flown easily over 200 flight segments with this bag (I am a 1k with United). Mostly domestic US and probably 2-3 international trips a year as well. About a third or more of the domestic flights are on regional jets where I have had to gate check the bag. I only took exterior pics as the interior looks brand new. I am not easy on this bag by any means with how much I use it or where I go...frequently have to walk with it on city streets/etc to get to/from train stations...tossed into car trunks, train/bus overhead bins, and of course tons of planes. The back (where most of the stickers are) gets scratched more than the front as that is where it touches overhead bins and such...you can see some of that inbetween the sticker bombing I did.

The only issue I had with the bag was one of the locks wasn't functioning correctly right after I purchased it (likely a manufacturing issue) Their customer service was great and had it back to me super fast inbetween some work trips. I detailed this in an earlier post.






Here is a $20 off away refer a friend link if you want to pick one up - http://refer.awaytravel.com/v/roy_5

danielonn

I looked at Away and went with TravelPro.

Chris2013

I use a Tumi Alpha 3 and have never had an issue with the materials or construction. Not exactly sure where you get this from. Actually my Tumi bag has fared much better than my wife’s Away bag in the same circumstances. I know different material and price point but I think your statement is very misleading and untrue.

ToastedSi

just FYI, they're having a sale tomorrow (9/9). Never had a suitcase from them but their weekender bag has served me well. Think I'll be picking up a carry-on suitcase for ~120 USD.

jbandy10

A vote of confidence for this brand. My wife and I have taken our carry ons on nearly 100 flights in the past 3 years. The bags have held up very very well. No signs of serious wear.

Say what you want about the company. The product has been good for us. I could care less about the battery.

mikesflr

We bought 3 Away bags for the family. Two months in, one of them had its zippers jammed, a month later the second had a wheel ripped off on its first flight, and the third bag looked like hell after 4 trips. Yes Away replaced them - but i can't imagine having one of these on an international trip and something happens. They are CHEAPLY made but they have raised so much external investor money that they can use that money to constantly replace the bags. After reading the VERGE article about how Away mistreats their employees I decided to search for another brand.

I came across a brand called Arlo Skye on CN Traveler and The Wall Street Journal. Decided to buy their bags for the family and the quality level is outstanding. They are $100 more expensive than Away but as the old adage goes... you get what you pay for. Plus they actually look so much more elevated. We bought the new zipper carry-ons for the family which have a hard-shell front pocket. They are a game changer! Great to stow a book or laptop in the front pocket. There are no issues if you have to gate-check the bag since the front pocket is also made of a polycarbonate exterior and it has survived the baggage handlers. Their power banks come with USB A and C ports which is a lifesaver. These guys are the true Rimowa level but without the snootiness. Safe travels you all.

yyznomad

What made this luggage startup a saliva factory for investors?

eddieflyer

How well do the Arlo's wheels handle carpet? Looking to ditch my Tumi, but would be happy to avoid Rimowa

uastarflyer

Chase Sapphire Reserve is offering $200 off $500 at Away this month (in addition to 150% UR payback).

Any recent “long term use” reviews? I am interested in either 2 carryons or one checked and one carryon.

faboi0us

I've had my away aluminum Bigger Carry on for about 2 years now and the wheels and interior have held up very well. The exterior seems to show more wear than my Rimowa carry on. I suspect the design/grooves on the Rimowa give it an extra layer of protection. My Away has way more scratches and dents, feels like its a "softer" aluminum. Hope this helps.

Great deal from Sapphire Reserve, essentially 20-25k UR points for a $500 Away luggage. Would pull the trigger if I needed one.

sannmann

I have three of the AWAY amenity kits from flying in Polaris on United over the past couple months. Unfortunate that there's not a discount code in the kits to use to purchase new luggage. I'm in need of a new carry-on and checked suitcase.