Largest capacity Carry On (Away vs Travelpro)
 

I'm in the market for a new carry on bag. I've been traveling with a Travelpro Crew 7 for nearly a decade and it has been great. I could update it for a newer Crew 22". I've also been seeing Away everywhere (as I think everyone has). The Away Bigger carry on is technically smaller than the Crew in terms of capacity (47.9l vs 53.5l), but Away really advertises their compression straps, and organization. Do they really help pack more? Has anyone had an experience with both? Any other ones worth looking at? My goal is to stay under $300, and have the most packing space available because sometimes my business trips extend long periods. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Take a look at the many youtube reviews about the Away Bigger Carryon. Do you want a hardside bag? Do you want the Away built-in battery pack, removable by pressing on it and it pops out. Do you want the 50-50 opening the Away has, I would find that hard to place on hotel luggage racks.

I like the Travelpro brand with the larger main compartment and small lid compartment. I also prefer soft-side luggage, but you might have a totally different opinion.

Thanks for that feedback. Do you know which travelpro model you are referring to that has both of those compartments?

Honestly, I think the concept of a built in battery is about the most useless new travel luggage innovation I've seen in years. It adds unnecessary weight. It marries you to a piece of consumable technology. And it makes it impossible to check to bag without juggling everything around.

I agree with you. I don't care one bit about the 'smart luggage' concept. The only reason the Away appeals to me is that 1) it has 4 wheel spinners which my current Travelpro does not and 2) They say that their compression straps really help pack things down. If you have any other recommendations, would def appreciate it.

I agree with you, I could care less about the battery or the "smart luggage" concept. The reason that Away interests me is 1) They have 4 wheel spinners, which my current travelpro does not (from what I can see, only their 21" ones have that) and 2) Away claims that their compression strap really compresses things down to hold more stuff.

If you have any other suggestions, would greatly appreciate it.

Away has a 100 day no questions asked return policy. So get it take it on a few trips and check it out. You can also order most of the luggage without the battery.

Sorry, I was off-the-grid for the last week and am just checking FlyerTalk today. All the Travelpro lines (ASFAIK) have the larger main compartment and a smaller compartment in the lid. I just completed a week-long trip to Texas using my Maxlite 4 21-inch spinner. I was really pleased with performance and (even full) the bag was very easy to hoist into Southwest's overhead bins (4 aircraft). As a spinner, it's also very easy to roll down the aisle in any aircraft. I'm five feet tall and over age 70, so anyone taller and younger would have an even easier time with a light bag in and out of overhead bins. I also had to lift the bag in and out of my rental car 4 times (2 hotels, 2 homes of family members), piece of cake.

I saw quite a few Away bigger carryons in the airports (ABQ, DAL, AUS, PHX) but didn't question anyone about their experiences with their bags. IMO, it comes down to whether you want hardside luggage.

I have a 22 four double wheeled expandable carry on that I often check in too ! I have found that I don't need the "compartment " style appendages...takes up room and adds weight. On international trips when we carry four stuffed to the gills large suitcases, I use the space saver plastic bags ( use a vacuum / pump) to make room for bulkier items. Hard sided, has lasted five years so far, bought for under $ 50 !

I actually just went through a similar search-- I tested the Away Bigger Carry-On, the Travelpro Platinum Elite 21" Spinner, and the B&R Baseline Spinner.

TL;DR: it's hard to beat the Travelpro Platinum Spinner. It has the best wheels and handle of the three, besting the Briggs in my opinion!

My thoughts on each:

- Travelpro: this was the first bag I tested, over a 4-day domestic trip. If it had come after the Away bag, I would have not looked any further. The build quality feels excellent! The handle is the firmest (the grip is chunky, but if you have smaller hands you may not be into it?), and it rolled well even on the extra-thicc carpeting of the hotel. I can't decide if the magnetic feature that locks the wheels in one direction is a gimmick or not. I honestly think the bag rolls and tracks more straight than even the Briggs, but since I did not test them side-by-side, I can't really be sure.
Where quality falls short is on the zipper of the included removable suiter. It can get stuck and feels just average. However, the zippers on the bag itself feel as good as the Briggs. This is also the only bag with three solid and easy-to-reach handles (top, side, AND bottom-- super handy when lifting the bag up to the overhead storage).
Style is subjective but I really liked the gray with brown leather accents as well. The warranty of the new Platinum Elite bags is equivalent (at least on paper) to B&R's lifetime warranty and includes airline damage!

- Away: I tested this second, on a shorter 2-day trip.
I really REALLY wanted to like this bag. I love the look of it, and how well it pairs with their other accessory bags (backpack, daypack, and everywhere bag). In fact, I purchased the leather everywhere bag with it and they looked awesome together. Unfortunately nothing about it *feels* as good as the bag looks. The zippers are supposed to be YKK, but the pulls are small and feel far less solid (on par with a Samsonite/Tourister/everything else that costs around $100). The zippers on the inside (on the left-hand compartment liner) is way crappier. This one got stuck anytime I used it. The lining itself is thin and doesn't look like it'll hold up. The handle was even more underwhelming. You should have seen this mentioned in other reviews. It's flimsy and has way too much side-to-side play. The wheels are fine but let down by the handle. When walking through the airport I had to actively "steer" to keep it in line-- something I did not ever think about with the Travelpro. As with most hardsides, the bag doesnt have a bottom handle for ease of lifting or lowering it from the overhead storage. As luck would have it, the bag was gate-checked on the return flight and it was enough to scuff it on two corners. Some people say they like this- akin to aged/worn leather goods, but I disagree. To me, the bag loses it's good looks with scuffs and scratches.

What made this all worse was the quality of the $325 leather everywhere bag. The zippers were awful and stuck, but the biggest issue was how easily I accidentally ripped the stitching on the lining of the front pocket.

With all of that said, I do think the Customer Service from Away is great. I bought (and returned) the bags at the Chicago location, and they were a pleasure to work with. They acted surprised that I did not like the zippers ("since they are YKK") and completely shocked at how the lining of the leather bag had ripped. I also witnessed folks coming in to drop off/pick up luggage repairs and they seem to really take good care of everyone. I liked that.

- Briggs & Riley Baseline: this is the bag I'm using now, for the first time on a 3-day trip. I was familiar with it from having borrowed a friend's once and knew they're great quality. The handle feels good (great, compared to the Away's), the wheels and walking with it is great, and the overall quality feels solid and substantial. I also like the built-in suiter better than the removable suiter of the Travelpro, but this is not needed by everyone. The bag has these sleek fabric handles on the side and on the bottom. They are functional and feel super solid, but they're hard to find if you're not used to the bag. The Travelpro has normal handles on the side and bottom and it was just more intuitive.
Considering the going sale price for the Baseline and the Travelpro, the Travelpro is easily the one to have. I happened to score the Briggs for $300 off (it was a return!) and in perfect condition with all tags still on. Probably the biggest advantage this bag has over the Travelpro is the compression system. It may seem gimmicky, but it works super well! If you are not a good and careful packer, this feature may make this a better fit for you.

I also played with Tumi's Alpha 2 (Continental and International) spinners in stores. The handles and wheels were no better than Away's, but the zippers and lining felt decent. I honestly wanted to like them more as I like the look. However, I could not convince myself to pay more than B&R money for a bag that was only better than the Away in feel and quality (but cost 2-3x more).

Let me know if there is anything I can clarify or expand on. Good luck with your search!

Away Bigger Carry-on
 

I have the Away "Bigger" carry-on and I have to say I am overall not happy with it. I have used it on many trips now, and alas, I am back in the market looking for something bigger.

My issues with the Away "Bigger" carry-on:

* it just doesn't hold enough stuff. I feel like it is much smaller than other bags I see people bringing on the planes. I am usually on Delta's 737's (500's, 800's, and 900's), and those overheads will fit a bigger bag than this "Bigger Carry-on" bag from Away
* it just feels a little "cheap" in materials and construction
* the "smart bag" aspect (the removable battery) ended up being more hassle than good since on Delta, you have to remove it even if you are carrying the bag on the plane. I am ending up just leaving the battery at home so I don't have to keep taking it out and putting it back in all the time.

It isn't all bad though, as the Away bag has really great wheels and it does wheel through airports very nicely, and it is a nice lightweight. And their customer service is very responsive.

My other carry-on's are a Briggs and Riley international widebody one, but that bag holds even less than the Away bag does. I end up using this old cheap Samsonite spinner bag I have that still holds more than either of the newer bags I have.

Any suggestions on what the biggest bag that fits in the 737 Delta configuration overheads would be nice. Thanks.

It does not exceed the sizer by the gate for UA flights and I have read it applies to most North American airlines.

I'm also looking to move up in size.

I carry a lot of electronics gear so I can't check it. My current one is a no-name brand but has outside pocket for 15-inch laptop. Dimensions-wise, it's well under the 46 linear inches. But I stuff it so zippers are kind of tough to close and it bulges.

Pretty sure I regularly go over the 8 kg limit but nobody has checked or measured the size with it bulging.

So I'm kind of curious about these "large" carryons which are being marketed. For instance, this one is around 50 linear inches:



Leery about trying it because I travel to Europe and Asia and have seen accounts that they will check carryon sizes at the gate. I'm not sure if this large carryon would even fit those sizers empty.

Anyone using carryons which are technically over the limit in intra-Europe or intra-Asia flights?


As for spinner wheels, I have them on my check-in large suitcase but I end up dragging them by rear wheels like rollerboards. And I'm often going to places with uneven pavements like cobblestone surfaces so it would seem like larger wheels would be better than small ones.

Largest capacity carry-on that I've seen/used would be the B&R Widebody Uprights at 22x15x9, and expandable via CX compression system. The spinner wheels take away about 1.5 inches from the bottom, whereas the upright 2-wheel set up goes all the way down. I also find the 2-wheel version to roll better on a variety of surfaces vs. the spinner set up but that's personal preference.