Best Carry On Luggage · head-to-head

Away The Carry-On vs Monos Carry-On

A sourced, side-by-side comparison. Away The Carry-On is cheaper at $275. Every spec and price links to its source.

Which is better: the Away The Carry-On or Monos Carry-On?

The Monos Carry-On wins 1 of the 1 specs we compare head to head; the other wins 0.

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Full spec sheet

marks the stronger figure where "more" — or "less", for price and weight — is unambiguously better.

Spec Away The Carry-On Monos Carry-On
US price $275 $275
BrandAwayMonos
Released
Exterior dimensions (in) 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 22 x 14 x 9
Weight (lb) 7.5 7.01
Capacity liters 41 39.9
Shell type hardside hardside
Shell material polycarbonate polycarbonate
Wheel type spinner-4 spinner-4
Expandable No No
Tsa lock Yes Yes
USB port No No
Laptop sleeve No No
Warranty limited-lifetime limited-lifetime

Sources — Away The Carry-On: awaytravel.com (verified 2026-07-11). Monos Carry-On: monos.com (verified 2026-07-11).

What's the difference between the Away The Carry-On and Monos Carry-On?

Where the two actually differ on the specs we track (3 of 11). Matching specs are omitted.

  • Exterior dimensions (in): Away The Carry-On 21.7 x 14.4 x 9 vs Monos Carry-On 22 x 14 x 9
  • Weight (lb): Away The Carry-On 7.5 vs Monos Carry-On 7.01
  • Capacity liters: Away The Carry-On 41 vs Monos Carry-On 39.9

What reviewers say

Sourced tester consensus for each — the "what people who used it think" layer, not just specs.

Away The Carry-On

Only one whitelisted tester with a fetchable review body survived verification: Good Housekeeping's Institute Textiles Lab, whose associate director hands-on lab-tested the standard Away Carry-On (polycarbonate) — dropping it from multiple angles, scratch-testing the shell, and running it through a maneuverability obstacle course. She rated it durable, impressively lightweight, scratch-resistant and easy to maneuver, but faulted the wobbly, unpadded handles, which earned her lowest comfort scores. The review reached us via AOL's verbatim syndication of the Good Housekeeping original. OutdoorGearLab's page was unreachable; Consumer Reports and CNN are non-whitelisted and excluded. (1 sourced review, 1 lab-tested.)

Praised: Aced lab durability testing: no dents after multi-angle drop tests and only minimal scuffs in scratch-resistance testing; Impressively lightweight and easy to maneuver; 360-degree wheels rolled smoothly through the obstacle course and airport surfaces (linoleum, tile, carpet); Roomy 39.8L interior with equal packing space on both sides, compression straps and zippered pockets.

Flagged: Handles felt wobbly and less sturdy than rivals, with no grip padding (lowest comfort scores in her test); Not cheap: standard Carry-On starts at $275.

Monos Carry-On

No sourced tester review yet.

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