When Away launched the Carry On suitcase in 2016, it created the must-have travel accessory. It went viral for its sleek, simple polycarbonate design (plus a dash of smart social marketing). Its pioneering ejectable portable battery earned it the “smart luggage” moniker, and other bag makers quickly copied the concept.
A decade later, Away is launching the Series 3—its third generation. The battery is gone, but the features that attracted and retained a loyal following remain, with a heavy focus on invisible tech.
“We didn’t like to be called ‘smart luggage’,” Sarah Amidi, Away’s senior vice president of Brand, tells WIRED at the company’s design studio in New York City’s SoHo district. When the first Carry On was conceived, charging solutions weren’t as ubiquitous as they are today, Amidi says, which created a unique travel pain point for Away to tackle. It may have seemed gimmicky, but a quickly accessible USB port to charge a phone made sense. The ejectable design was forward-thinking, given evolving regulations around traveling with batteries.
While the battery hasn’t been available in Away luggage since 2023, Amidi says tech isn’t entirely gone; the company is looking at how technology can play the right role in luggage design. Instead, with the Series 3, Away has become more of a traditional luggage maker than a disruptor. “We design it to last the next 10 years,” Amidi says.
On the surface, every piece from the Series 3 Classic and Flex (expandable) series will look familiar to Away fans, and that’s intentional. Instead of a new design, Amidi says the company strengthened its carry-on by putting it through rigorous testing. In fact, the Series 3 launch was delayed because it didn’t fully meet expectations.
“We asked, what features solve friction and earn their place,” Amidi says. “We didn’t want to add things just to add things that take away from capacity or add weight, and we couldn’t make polycarbonate any better.”
Reinventing the Wheel, Sort Of
Amidi says the shell design still works today (with the battery option gone, it also shaved off weight and added more room), so Away looked at two areas that could use some work: the wheels and telescoping trolley handle—what travelers often complain about in luggage.
For the WhisperGlide 360 spinning wheel design, Away added an extra ball bearing and improved the threading to make them glide smoothly and quietly. Away also brought its StopLock Brakes system, first introduced in its top-opening TopSide luggage, to the Series 3. As the name suggests, flipping a switch quickly locks the wheels, effective even on slight inclines.
When I asked why quiet wheels would even matter in, say, a busy airport, Amidi refers to a time when she needed to quietly sneak out of the house for a trip without waking her family. She says these are the kinds of new travel pain points Away is looking to solve with tech.
Then there’s the Infinite Height Trolley handle, which offers five times more stopping points than before—a more personalized experience for travelers of varying heights. Hooks in the trolley handle might seem like a simple design touch, but they’re handy for holding a jacket, purse, or bag of airport fast food (up to 40 pounds).
Other improvements include redesigned interior covers that open outward to give better access, more pockets for small items, a pouch for a Bluetooth tracker, and accessories to help keep the luggage looking clean. The compression system, a signature Away feature, remains the same.
Personalization is a key selling feature. In addition to the standard colors, the Series 3 comes in purple (Electric Iris), chocolate, and chartreuse. The handles and wheels are removable and can be customized in different styles (also handy for repairs). There’s also a D-ring to attach accessories like luggage tags and charms, if that’s your thing. For many people, it will be.
The Series 3 Classic style is available in carry-on, bigger carry-on, medium, large, and trunk sizes. The expandable Flex style is available in the same sizes except trunk.
Away also unveiled the Signature series, which includes a tote, weekender, commuter backpack, duffle, and underseat bags. An evolution of Away’s Everywhere series, the durable nylon is now lighter and softer, Amidi says, with updated hardware like zippers—including a reverse coil zipper in the laptop compartment for better protection—hidden pockets for easy access to often-used items, and a water bottle pocket. The laptop compartment has moved to the outside of the bag, allowing quick access during airport security checks, for example.
Overall, Away’s new luggage doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking. Many of these features are available in bags from other companies, and in some ways, it feels like Away is playing catch-up. But Away is leveraging its strength with a well-regarded product that already works, with a few tweaks to make it better. It’s this, not batteries, that has made it a cult favorite among travelers.
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