I just checked and I've had my Away Bigger Carry-on for right at one year. In that year it has seen ~45 segments/80k miles and been across the US, to Europe, and to Brazil.

Honestly, for what if cost, it's been a really good bag. I’ve had to check it a number of times, and other than getting dirty, it’s remained in great shape. It’s been dragged across the snow in NYC, the rain in Seattle, the various conditions of Southern Brazil, the general filth of San Francisco, across London, through convention centers, hotels, and countless Brooklyn walkups, and it’s basically good as new.

For background, I got the bag right as I took a job that increased my travel from 4-5x a year to 20x a year or more. When I got the bag, I didn’t realize it would see so much usage — which has been a nice real world test.

I have a light light blue color and as a result, it tends to pick up marks and colors from taxi/Uber or from under the plane if checked. With enough elbow grease and a Magic Eraser, this can be cleaned - but if I’d known about the tendency do pick up paint/dirt/whatever, I may have chosen to get a darker color.

I tend to overpack, and the built-in compression thingie is very useful. It can fit my garment bag when I’m packing dresses as well as any other carry-on bag of this size, which is to say, it works but I still need to get the garment bag out of my suitcase as fast as possible once I arrive at a hotel.

The zippers have held up really well. TSA broke the zipper on the front pocket of my Tumi carry-on that I used for 8 years before I got the Away (and that I still use as a secondary bag), but I don’t fear that as much with this bag because of the design.

The wheels have been remarkably good, especially in the number or locations/conditions I’ve dragged it in (and I’m 5'5 and weigh 105lbs so I most certainly drag the bag — often abusively so). I think I prefer the two wheels on my Tumi to the four wheels on the Away, but I haven’t had any problems maneuvering the bag — even up/down flights of stairs.

The battery compaetment was a big selling feature for me but is honestly one I don’t use much. Some airlines (Delta) will ask about making sure the barrery is removed before boarding (varies flight to flight) and I’ve become so used to taking the barrery out (which is super simple), I often just leave it in my backpack. That said, the two USB ports are really useful and having it on-hand is certainly nice, especially since I often have my battery packs out of easy reach, burried at the bottom of my backpack. Of course, if I forget to grab it before I’m in the airport I have to dig through the bag anyway. It’s a nice feature for sure but it’s uktimately not why I like the bag.

I'm about to do a ridiculous final trip of the year for work that will take me through AMS, HEL, BER, CDG, GRU, and DTW before I arrive back in Seattle, and though the Away can’t be my only bag (two week trip that goes from Finland to Germany to Brazil means I have to literally pack for summer and winter), I’m going to designate it as my primary for whatever part of the equator I’m on, and use my Tumi for the other clothes. I’ve actually been so pleased with the bag, I almost opted for a medium or another bigger carry-on for this trip, but the timing didn’t work out for me to get it in time. I already have five international trips planned for the first half of 2019, so I may end up doing it in January anyway.

My only other critique on the bag is that since every other person I see at the airport seems to have it (maybe I just notice it more), having a standout color can be important. That said, the lighter, more fashionable colors do tend to pick up marks more easily. Not a huge deal, but worth pointing out.

I also do miss having a front pocket on occasion and am interested in the newer model with that option (though I wish it didn’t look like a neoprene laptop holder was glued to the front of the suitcase. I’m sure that’s what happened but I would prefer a new design rather than bolt-on), especially for those times you realize you forgot to stuff something in the bag af the last minute like an iPhone cable or charging brick.

Honestly, for the price, I didn’t expect it to hold up this well/be this good. I’ve turned colleagues who fly more than me onto it and they are all really pleased too.

Hi

Does anyone know if the Bigger Carry-On is suitable for use on BA - one of the dimensions is slightly bigger but the other two are under - don’t want to get this and get told every time that it’s too big and needs to be checked-in.

Ignore - found answer on Away site.

It does feel flimsy yes but I’ll see how mine fares. Is there another brand that does a similar size ‘larger’ carry-on like the aforementioned Away one?

My John Lewis Linea own brand smaller carry-on is polycarbonate but a thicker variant - it just squeaks like a bit and the wheels went a bit wobbly :(