Revisiting the Roller | Away Softside Carry-On Review

For years, I’ve looked down on rolling bags, boasting the holy grail of one-bag minimalist backpack travel. But for most travel, a simple carry-on is all you need and your back will thank you for it. 

Enter the Softside Carry-On roller from Away. Available in Carry-On, Bigger Carry-On, Medium, and Large (for checking or a trunk) this is a back to basics of the rolling bag you might have grown up with, but with all the wise touches and integrated accessories of an experienced traveler put together with the quality of a bag you will have (and use) for years.

Away became “Instagram-famous” (or product of envy) for their hard-sided roller synonymous with the Covid-era desire to travel when you had no reason to. The sleek approach to a piece of luggage became a type of status symbol for the freedom and minimalist ease of walking down a flight corridor or city streets. 

Here, Away takes their lessons learned and applies them to a slightly more economical, soft-sided, four-wheel roller that looks more at home with business casual (or casual casual). It’s almost as if the company moved to the ‘burbs along with their clientele after getting priced out of the city. 

I took this roller for a spin when traveling from car to commuter trains into New York City from two states over packing just my personal luggage.

Who It Suits

The Softside series by Away is a solid piece of luggage for anyone traveling by plane and/or car for a work to casual trip.

The simple construction with quality materials, practical organization, smart functionality, and a hint at style make it a no fuss go-to suitable for business to casual uses. 

The Carry-On size is perfect for peace of mind when traveling with international or budget airlines and you don’t even have to own any packing cubes to get away for a week.

For those of us obsessive about our packing strategies, the expanded compartments and organization are seamlessly integrated and give you additional storage options, so no need to overthink your packing game. Just stack the things you regularly use and get out the door with minimal effort. 

If you are looking for a middle-of-the-road option for luggage and want a bag that feels more modern and elevated than your traditional department store find, this is for you. 

Who It Doesn’t

The Softside Carry-On is not the best if you need more than a large backpack’s worth of items. I found that I was packing it tight even though I’m used to traveling in and out of a 35-45L travel backpack. When I read the storage capacity I realized why it felt so small – it is! Additional sizes are available if interested.

This bag is not the best for cracked sidewalks, old roads, or if you will be navigating cities with lots of stairs.

This is also not the bag for business travelers who are looking to “dress to impress” with their luggage showing a sign of status.

If you need to pack more than a week’s worth of clothes and mostly travel by car or flights with generous overhead bins, or even want to have a family bag you can check and forget (included lock that matches is a nice touch for that) then I recommend the larger versions of this bag.

Design

The Softside has a bit of a retro-modern approach to a classic roller, introducing the cloth-like feel and the familiar squish of comfort like a cozy pair of sweats, but with durable nylon and a water-repellent coating. This results in a feel that is surprisingly “hard” to the touch compared to the images on their website. The bag holds up, it doesn’t cave in, and the water-resistant protection helps keep it looking clean. While intellectually I know that this means you can opt for the light Stone color, my instincts forced me to avoid the look of wear and tear with a darker color. 

This bag is deceivingly simple, and has just enough of the bells and whistles that you need in a dependable piece of luggage without trying to over-incentivize you to its usefulness.

The soft colorways available are all about coming home and the comforts of home while on the road. This isn’t your sleekest bag for business travel but a feeling of keeping it casual yet with the elevated touches of modern functionality and athleisure. 

Organization

The exterior of the bag features a ribbed design hiding two no-show slim exterior pockets giving you a convenient place to stash your passport and your laptop or tablet. The lower laptop (or document) sleeve is always in reach, though it’s a tight fit so it takes a little wiggling to extract out. This provides a bit of padding though not guaranteed laptop protection if you checked this bag for whatever reason. This design is not only aesthetically pleasing but it may hide your items from grabby hands or sneaky fingers when you aren’t looking.

When you open the bag you will see a large open cavity. On the backside of the cover is one big mesh organizer with a zipper. Covering the open cavity is a patented interior compression pad system that doubles as small item (cables, chargers, odds and ends) storage with mesh zip pockets, with what could even be used as a shirt sleeve compartment on the backside. This organization sleeve is bound to the bag with two compression straps, holding down the contents behind it. How much it actually compresses your items is questionable, since it’s not going to give the amount of compressing into every nook and cranny that additional packing cubes provide. Away does sell their own proprietary cubes that may fit the bag’s dimensions successfully. At the very least, this compression sleeve ensures that TSA won’t deal with a mess of stuff falling out when they go see what oddly shaped item you packed in your bag that set off their concern.

Expansion

When the built-in compression isn’t doing it, there is some built-in expansion. Away took the expansion (or compression) of the main section from their previous roller and put it to work in this bag. Being a frequent traveler I try to only buy packing cubes or bags that expand so this was a real win for me, especially considering that this bag is meeting international budget airline restrictions in size and it’s easy to run out of room quickly. 

Bonus Items

One of the great things with this bag is that it comes with all the accessories you need for regular travel. 

There is a hanging zippered pouch sewn onto the top of the main compartment. This is just about the size of a toiletry bag, so you can skip the bulk of a designated toiletry bag if you choose and still have your items quickly accessible.

Lockable zippers are nothing new but Away takes the extra effort to help you stay coordinated by including a TSA approved combination lock that matches your bag color exactly. Either they really want to make sure that you can secure your items, look put together, or a bit of both. 

The bag even comes with a tidy laundry bag which you didn’t know you needed, but once you have it you will not go back.

The last included accessory is a black leather luggage tag. Here is one area of the market where there seems to be no innovation to traditional luggage but in lieu of a remarkable approach to something as simple as an identification label, Away has provided a quality leather luggage tag in a traditional design.

Performance

When taking this bag for a spin (or a trip back home) I was getting used to the four-wheel design. Rollers are great for flights and car rides but on my first test drive I took this bag for a ride on commuter rails heading into New York City. The wheels are indeed smooth, but while Away professes that they work over cobblestone, I can say they did not fare incredibly well on the sidewalk on my block in Brooklyn. There also isn’t a locking mechanism so be sure to hold on when the subway rattles back and forth.

The handle extends smoothly and slides back into itself with ease. No complaints there.

The Softside Carry-On size is compatible with budget airlines’ carry-on size requirements. If you rarely ever find yourself on a budget airline you may opt for the Bigger Carry-On as the Carry-On can feel a bit small even with the optional expansion.

Verdict

Overall, I can safely say that this is the every-person bag that will get you from point A to B for a 3-5 day work or personal trip (for this size) while feeling a bit cozy all at the same time.

You can purchase Away’s bag on their website for $225.

Many thanks to Elke Sudin for the above review.