The Carry-On measures 21.7 by 14.4 by 9 inches. The Bigger Carry-On adds a full inch of depth at 22.7 by 15.4 by 9.6 inches. That single inch is most of the decision.
Away luggage comes in exactly two hardside carry-on shapes. Picking the wrong one means a gate agent measuring your bag against a sizer box while your flight boards. This guide covers the dimensions, the removable battery history, the warranty as it stands today, and what owners report.
Away launched in 2015 with one product: a polycarbonate hardside carry-on with a phone charger built in. It sold direct to consumers online rather than through department stores. The company has since added a softside line, checked sizes, totes and packing accessories.
The two carry-on shapes remain the core of the catalog. Away luggage sells only through its own site and its retail stores. There is no listing to check on Amazon.
Every claim below is measured or stated on awaytravel.com itself.
The Carry-On vs the Bigger Carry-On
The Carry-On is the original size. It clears the roughly 22 x 14 x 9 inch box that most US domestic carriers use. With wheels and handles included, it sits inside that box with a small margin.
The Bigger Carry-On is the same shell, stretched taller and deeper. Away luggage markets it as fitting most major US airline bins, but the extra size can push past a strict international sizer. A traveler who flies mostly domestic and wants more packing volume gains it here.
A traveler who connects through European or Asian budget carriers, with tighter cabin boxes, should default to the smaller size instead.
| Model | Exterior size | Capacity | Weight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Carry-On | 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 in | 41 L | 7.5 lbs | US domestic and most international carry-on boxes |
| The Bigger Carry-On | 22.7 x 15.4 x 9.6 in | 49 L | 7.9 lbs | Domestic US flying where the extra depth pays off |
Neither figure is a guarantee. Regional jets and some European low cost carriers run their own boxes. Measuring your specific bag against the airline’s stated limit beats trusting a product page.
Our carry-on size checker compares any bag’s dimensions against a given airline in seconds. The guide to measuring carry-on luggage covers where wheels and handles count against you.
The removable battery story
Away luggage launched with a battery pack tucked in the front pocket. The pack made headlines and drove early sales. It was designed to be removable, which turned out to matter more than most buyers realized at the time.
Airlines and the FAA treat a loose lithium battery differently from one sealed inside a case. In late 2017 and through 2018, several major airlines said they would ban smart luggage with a battery that could not be taken out. A battery trapped in the cargo hold cannot be pulled if it starts to overheat.
Away’s battery was removable from the start, so the bag kept flying through that period. The episode still pushed the whole smart luggage category toward caution. Away luggage has since dropped the charging feature from its current Carry-On and Bigger Carry-On lineup entirely.
The spec pages for both bags list no battery and no USB port today. That is a quiet reversal of the feature that built the brand’s early reputation.
An older Away bag with a battery pack should have that pack confirmed removable first. Never check a bag with a battery that cannot come out.
The warranty in plain words
Away’s current policy covers luggage bought from April 2026 onward, called Away LifetimeCare. It promises repairs for the life of the suitcase. For the first five years those repairs are free for manufacturing defects or ordinary rough handling damage.
A bag that cannot be repaired in that five year window gets one free replacement. After five years, repairs are still available but carry a service fee instead. Shipping and in-store repairs cost nothing either way.
Bags bought before the April 2026 change fall under an older limited lifetime warranty with separate terms. An owner of an older bag should check Away’s current policy page rather than assume the newer terms apply.
This is a stronger paper promise than most hardside brands make. It is still worth comparing against a bag like Samsonite, whose warranty terms vary by line. Some competitors offer an unconditional lifetime guarantee with no five year cutoff at all.
What owners report
The review pattern for Away luggage is fairly consistent across independent coverage and owner comments. Praise centers on the finish and the wheels. Reviewers describe both as smoother and quieter than a budget hardside spinner, and they like the interior compression pad and the zip pouch included with each case.
Complaints cluster in a smaller set of places. Owners report scuffing and small cracks on the polycarbonate shell after rough handling by baggage crews. That complaint is common to hardside luggage generally, but it stands out given the price.
Some note that lighter exterior colors show wear and fading faster than a plain black shell.
A recurring theme is price relative to what is inside the shell. Away luggage costs meaningfully more than a Samsonite or American Tourister hardside of similar size. The case for paying that premium rests on the warranty and the finish, not on any dramatic difference in durability testing.
Alternatives to compare, listed on Amazon
Away sells direct only, so there is nothing to link on Amazon for the brand itself. If you want the hardside shape and spinner wheels at a fraction of the price, the Samsonite Omni PC 20 inch hardside spinner is the closest widely reviewed match in the US domestic size class. Its tens of thousands of reviews give a far larger data set to judge long term durability against.
For a lighter hardside closer to the Bigger Carry-On’s capacity, the Samsonite Freeform 21 inch hardside carry-on trims weight in a way that matters on airlines that weigh cabin bags. Travelers who prefer a softside case, and who want a lifetime guarantee comparable in spirit to Away’s promise, should look at the Briggs and Riley Baseline Essential 22 inch carry-on spinner. It carries an unconditional lifetime guarantee with no five year cutoff, at a price closer to Away’s own than to a budget hardside.
The bottom line
Away luggage earns its reputation on finish, wheel quality and a warranty that now promises lifetime repairs. The two carry-on sizes cover most US domestic flying without much guesswork. Buyers flying tight international routes should default to the smaller Carry-On rather than the Bigger Carry-On.
Measure against the specific airline rather than trust fits most language on any product page. Buyers who are price sensitive, or who want a much larger review history to judge a bag against, are better served by the Samsonite or Briggs and Riley alternatives above.
For general packing strategy once the case is chosen, see our guide to packing cubes versus compression bags. For other carriers and bags, browse luggage buying by category or the full list of luggage brands we cover.
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