Luggage Review: Away vs. Monos Comparison

Monos vs. Away

Monos Compression Straps vs. Away Compression Straps (interior)

Edited to add: Someone let me know that Away has a referral program where if I invite you, with this link you can get $20 off your purchase! 

I am updating this post as it is 2 years old now. Many of you are off on fun travels this summer and are interested in this review. Now that we have traveled with these carry-on suitcases for over 2 years, I think my review stays the same, but it's worth reporting back that both suitcases are still good as new, save for a few scratches here and there. 

I got my husband this Monos carry-on for Christmas and bought myself an Away carry-on as both of our old carry-ons had seen better days. 

I ended up buying the two different brands because I really wanted to compare them. The Quick Spark Notes version may let you down because I'm a bit torn about which is better. I feel that there is really no clear winner or loser here, which I guess is good because then you really can't go wrong. 

There is not a big enough difference to really sway me to choose one over the other. If Monos is a significant price saving compared to Away (because it goes on sale more often than Away), I'd choose Monos and if they are priced, I would choose Away because of the ever so slightly higher quality feel to it. 

Here are the exact two items I purchased:

Monos Carry On Plus in Olive Green Full Price $272 (often goes on sale, I paid $240)

Exterior measurements: 23" × 15" × 9.5"

Interior measurements: 21" × 14.5"

Weight: 7.38 lb

Volume: 48 L

Away Bigger Carry On With Pocket in Navy Full Price $345 (sadly, no longer made)

Exterior measurements 22.7" x 14.7" x 9.6" 

Interior measurements 21" x 14.5"

Weight: 8.0 lbs

Volume: 46L

Away Bigger Carry On Full Price $295 rarely goes on sale; this is the exact same as the one with the pocket, just without the pocket. 

*without* the outer pocket and *without the charger* 

Exterior measurements 22.7” x 14.7” x 9.6”

Interior measurements 21” x 14.5”

Weight 7.4 lbs

Capacity 47.9L

**To make sure we are comparing apples to apples (I don't have this one, but this would directly compare to the Monos)

The Comparison + Review

When you compare apples to apples, they are almost identical in size, capacity, and weight. Since I have the Away with the pocket and the charger, it's harder to compare exactly. 

Both have:

- Spinner Wheels

- Telescopic Handle

- Polycarbonate Shell 

- TSA-approved lock

- Compression systems 

- Laundry Bag 

- These are the bigger sizes, but both brands also offer a smaller carry-on. I have not had trouble fitting either the Monos or Away up in the overhead bin on airlines like Delta and American, but often, I have had to gate check it just because there was no room left in the overhead bins or the bins were just too small and everyone has to check their roller luggage. But basically, I have never had an issue with the size. Some people say they may not fit in European overhead bins like on Ryanair. 

Differences:

- $23 price difference in that Monos is less costly. Monos goes on sale more often than Away. 

- Away has leather details whereas Monos has faux leather details. Because of this, stylistically speaking, the Away looks higher end. I'm wondering if the use of faux leather on Monos's part has less to do with the cost to produce and more to do with weight. Leather is heavier than faux leather. 

- I think the telescopic handle feels sturdier on the Away vs. Monos but maybe not enough to really sway me one way or the other. 

- The lining of the Monos suitcase is 'antimicrobial'. I am not sure if that truly is something that works to keep germs and ick away or if it is just more of a gimmicky thing but it's worth noting. 

- The lining of the Monos interior is a light gray fabric vs. with the Away, it is a dark gray. I feel like the light gray will show dirt more but I do think I like the lighter interior as it's easier to see everything inside/not as dark. 

- Monos comes with two shoe bags which I thought was a nice touch- Away's doesn't come with it. 

- Monos has an extra zipped pouch section on one of the compression sides which is nice. 

- The Monos compression side has much more substantial ties with the clips so you can really compress everything, the Away ones are more flimsy. 

- Overall, the interior to the Monos carry-on interior feels more thoughtfully designed, but again, not enough to sway me one way or the other. 

I think my biggest thing to note with my Away suitcase is that I thought I would use that outer pocket more since I am always traveling with my laptop and I just really never use it. I should have gotten the regular Away Bigger Carry-On. Same with the battery pack. I got it with the battery pack and two years later, I still have never used it. It is easy to pop out. First, the battery is so heavy and really adds a lot of weight; second, I am always in and out of airports where I can always find a place to charge my devices if needed; and third, if you are required to gate check, you have to pop that charger out anyway and carry it on. Everything about that charger, in theory, sounds amazing, but in reality, at least for me, it's pretty much useless. 

The biggest noticeable difference, in my opinion: The weight of the suitcase. There is about a .62lb difference between the Monos and Away suitcases that we own (honestly, it feels like a bigger difference than that). Again, to compare apples to apples, they are the same weight, so I am curious to compare the two of the exact same because the away polycarbonate shell just feels more substantial. We have traveled with both and both have gotten as equally banged up and held up equally. 

And stylistically speaking, I do think that the Away, overall, looks slightly more high-end. 

Someone asked me about scuffing. My thing is that all suitcases are going to get banged up. I am someone who is just very accepting of that. They both come with a little Magic Eraser-type foam thing to get the scuffs off, but at the end of the day, a suitcase is being tossed around without care by other people (most times) so I am not precious about a suitcase. A worn suitcase is just a sign of a well-traveled person! I think if you give it a good wipe-down when you get home from your travels, that's just the best you can do! Now, denting and cracking and all of that is a different story. If that happens, that's an issue! But I haven't had a single issue in this sense with either of the brands! 

All in all, as I mentioned at the start of this post, it's hard to really decide if one is better than the other. They both have pros and cons, but both are nice suitcases. Price aside, I'm ever so slightly leaning towards Away, but when you factor in the price, Monos (especially when on sale) is plenty good enough for me!