We Tested Away Suitcases Against Baseball Bats and Obstacles: Are the Sale Prices Truly Worth It?
Shell integrity matters, but wheel failures ruin trips faster than cracked plastic. Away equips its suitcases with 360-degree spinner wheels sourced from premium component makers. We dragged the Away Bigger Carry-On across four miles of mixed surfaces, including rough asphalt, shattered cobblestone mockups, and crushed gravel.
The sealed bearing assemblies held out debris effectively. Rolling resistance increased slightly on loose gravel, yet the polyurethane tires showed minimal flat-spotting. Cheaper luggage wheels often melt or snap their caster mountings under rapid friction heat; these housings remained rigid.
The telescoping handle, however, exhibits clear play. While designed with slight tolerance slack to absorb vibration, extended testers noted lateral wiggle when pulling the bag over uneven brickwork. It never jammed, but it lacks the ultra-stiff, machined feel found on heavy aluminum alternatives.
Security hardware passed inspection without drama. The integrated TSA combination lock withstood pry bars under moderate torque, holding the dual zipper pulls firmly inside their retention slots.
