r/LuggageComparisons

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Hi r/awayluggage! Hannah here 👋

I joined Away as Head of Design last year, and I'm doing my first Reddit AMA on Thursday, May 7 at 12pm ET to talk about the design and engineering behind our suitcases—specifically the process behind our newest innovation, Topside.

A bit about me: I've spent my career designing across categories, continents, and teams, and I've held onto one belief through all of it: great design improves the human experience. At Away, that means thinking hard about how people actually move through the world. Topside is a product of a lot of those conversations.

About Topside: You heard it here first. We’re introducing our first non-clamshell hardside suitcase! Topside features top-loading access, deeper packing, and our first-ever StopLock^(TM) wheel brake. It's truly our most innovative suitcase yet, engineered for tight spaces and easy unpacking.

I’m happy to answer questions about:

• Why we chose a top-opening format
• The design and engineering process behind our new features
• How we make new product decisions more generally
• My approach to design leadership
• What else you’d like to see from Away

A few ground rules:

• Please keep your comments on topic for this AMA. The more specific, the better! I'll prioritize questions about Topside, its design, and our process.
• Please respect the Subreddit rules. For specific order questions, send u/away_official a DM.

I'll be live answering questions from 12–1pm ET on May 7, and I'll come back the next day to catch any I missed. Drop your questions below in advance if you can't make it live.

Looking forward to it!
– Hannah

If you want a company that clearly does not value their customers, then I present to you: Away Travel. If you want an experience with a shitty customer service team, again I present to you: Away Travel.

For context, I was a loyal customer at Away for years. I purchased a carry on from them at full price in February of 2024 and the Large checked bag last October when they emailed me a coupon 20% off. Despite the high price tag, I liked the product. It did the job and I liked the look of it. I always gave it good reviews and suggested the brand when I asked about luggage.

Last week, my sister mentioned she was in the market for a new carry-on for a trip she is going on soon, so I recommended Away and sent her a referral code for $40 off from my account. She used my referral link and created an account, but she instead of receiving the code, she saw the message "We are processing your request. You will receive an email if you qualify for this offer."

She reached out to them via their chat function to see why they weren't able to generate a code for her. There wasn't anyone available, so she was told she would receive an email. After a full week of back and forth via email, she received an email today that said: "After a careful review of your referral, we found that it was unfortunately not able to be approved. Our system flagged that both accounts may be operating from the same device or network."

This was confusing to me because yes, my sister and I do live in the same household, but why would that be an issue? I reached out to customer service myself via chat and had a similar experience. I just wanted to get to the bottom of why this referral was flagged. I waisted over an hour of time just trying to figure out why there was an issue, but all they could tell me was that they flagged it as a "self-referral" so they could not approve it.

The implication that I was somehow trying to cheat their system (all for $40 off mind you) was downright offensive. It is not like I have given them any reason to suspect that I may be trying to pull one over on them. There has only ever been 2 deliveries made to my house from them and this is also the first time I have ever contacted their customer service team. The whole situation was just supremely frustrating and their mistreatment of me, a loyal customer, has lost them a customer in me and now also my sister. At the end of the day they probably couldn't care less about losing the couple of thousand dollars we would've spent with them over the years, but I am just disappointed that I was mistreated by a brand I loved so much.

This review has less to do with the quality of their products and more to do with the quality of their customer service. They made me out to feel like a criminal trying to rob them of $40 off of what would have been a $400+ purchase made by my sister. Also, why would I, as one person even need so much luggage??? Make it make sense.

For a luxury priced brand that places a premium on the integrity of their product and services, I really expected more.

It is so sad that we live in a time where companies like Away do not seem to value their customers or do anything about issues raised unless they face backlash on social media. Too bad I'm not TikTok famous or something, because that is what it takes nowadays for companies to give you the time of day. Interesting that a $40 referral code is the hill they are willing to die on, but I guess the rich get richer and the big guys win again, or some other cliche like that. So here I am waisting even more of my time writing this post. I am, after all, just petty like that.

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Hello everybody !

I'm planning a camping trip in Japan soon and I would like to bring this bag as a checked-in luggage (From Canada to Japan, WestJet.) The thing is, since it's camping gear, it's quite stained. Those stains are very old and do not dirty fingers to the touch, but it's still very dirty ugly and I'm worried I could get in trouble with TSA. I can't for the life of me find information about stained luggage on planes, so could you help me out ?

Is anyone here used to carrying dirty luggage on planes ?

Thanks !

I'm in need of a under-seat bag, preferably a backpack, for my upcoming trips to London from US.

I have a trusty over head carry-on, but I could use a decent sized bag for under the seat.

It seems BA has a thinner bag allowance. 40cm x 30cm x 15cm (16in 12in 6in)

I can't afford anything over 100usd, at least I don't want to. But finding any options this thin has been such a hard find.

Suggestions?

I’m trying to streamline my setup so I can travel lighter but still carry my laptop and essentials. Thinking of investing in a proper backpack and carry-on combo instead of mixing random bags.  Curious what setups people here are using and what’s worked long-term.

The wheel fell off my (non-NOBL) bag on my latest trip through Azjerbaijan and Georgia, and this being my second replacement in less than 5 years for my first trusty bag (no idea where I bought it... wish I remember) that lasted 10 years and all 7 continents, I decided to look into more premium luggage and bought NOBL due to a consumer report instead of the Away bags all my friends recommended (although if anyone has any suggestions please let me know - I love easy to spot bags that are super durable and surprisingly spacious).

Mistake.

Ordered two bundles (which I get my bad) but caught IMMEDIATELY and emailed. 3 weeks later I am still waiting on a response for that one. But they had to contact me because their 3-day shipping was held up by something from customs I guess. They gave me 3 options one of which was they would process the refund and send one bundle with a 10% discount... which awesome except they sent all 4 suitcases... none of which even arrived within 3 days of each other let alone overall.

Nope - so guess who gets to return two super large suitcases (no car as I am in a city) to the nearest post office? Well jokes on them... I am returning all 4 (going to see how spacious Waymos really are!) and going with another company.

So guys... what do we think of Away?