When travel was an integral part of my lifestyle, I was always searching for the most convenient and secure ways to pack my comfort with me. As for suitcases, Away is one of my favorite brands. I discovered Away before the pandemic and have been a happy customer ever since. To my delight, luggage and carry-on suitcases are not the only products that Away makes. Today, I’ll share with you my review of The Mini – Away’s smallest suitcase, designed for toiletries, small travel essentials and hand-free life on the go.
Away Mini was first introduced in November 2019 as a limited-edition product and went viral, selling out quickly. The brand brought it back the following year and even partnered with United Airlines to include it on board long-haul international flights as a premium cabin amenity case. After a few years of being sold out, Away brought the redesigned Mini as a Crossbody bag back in stock.
As a happy owner of both the 2019 and 2024 Away The Mini bags, I will compare these two models and share all the details about these cute bags in this post.
Away The Mini Shade selections
The original Mini came in 15 shades, with 9 original shades made of polycarbonate, 1 in aluminum, and 5 more limited-edition shimmering shades, also made of polycarbonate.
The New Mini Crossbody, on the other hand, is available in 11 shades, with two of them featuring a semi-opaque finish.The brand also offers same bags in translucent finish named as Stadium Bag, which is an excellent option for Clear Bag policy events. For myself, I picked the opaque one in shade Tango Red.
The Mini features and details
Away The Mini looks almost identical to her bigger sister suitcase. In fact, it is made with the same durable and lightweight polycarbonate shell as the full-size Away suitcases. It is designed to carry and protect your small travel belongings, such as precious beauty gems that you plan to take with you on a trip. The addition of the strap makes them exceptionally versatile for hands-free on-the-go use.
All Away The Minis in polycarbonate shells come with a wrap-around zipper closure. The old model featured two-tone detailing, while the redesigned Mini Crossbody has a monochrome look, with the zipper, zipper pull, and strap dyed to match the outer shell. The old design featured just one flexible Exterior D-ring on a strap for attaching a key clip or keychain, or for attaching it to a bag with an internal strap and clip. The new version bag has two silver-toned rings embedded into a shell to attach the crossbody strap. The nylon detailing on the exterior of the old model was replaced with leather.
The Original Mini was designed to open almost flat, featuring two interior elements: a stretch ribbon on one side and a mesh pocket on the other to separate and secure items inside. The Mini Crossbody, on the other hand, is designed for on-the-go use. Although it features a wrap-around closure, it opens as wide as the original design and has a sturdier lining on the side to prevent items from falling out. Also, it features two compartments and one pocket for smaller items.
Unlike their big sister, the Away suitcase, the Original Mini didn’t have spinning wheels or an ejectable battery, which made it extremely lightweight, weighing around 0.37lbs (168 g) in a polycarbonate shell and 0.5lbs (227 g) in aluminum. The size is the same, 6.8” x 5” x 3” (17.2 x12.7 x 7.6 cm) in both materials.
The Mini Crossbody has a capacity of 1.5L, is slightly bigger than the original in length 7″x5″ x 3″, weighing 233 g without the strap and 359 g (12.7 oz)with the strap. The size of the shoulder strap is fully extended to 53″.
Visually comparing both models, the suitcase indent design on the 2019 design is positioned across the shorter side, while those on the crossbody version are positioned across the longer side. Due to the D-ring placement, the new Mini cannot be placed upright on a short side; hence, the Away logo placement has also changed.
Similar to all Away bags, the Mini, both old and new, comes with a canvas dust pouch for storage.
My experience with Away The Mini
In pre-COVID times, when I used to travel, I enjoyed packing it with me. It’s a very lightweight and sturdy case for my beauty essentials, keeping them safe on the go. I love that the Mini Original opens all the way, so I have no problem packing my goodies nicely. I was a little disappointed to find out that the brand changed this part of it.
However, the new design is more useful as a carry-on personal bag, as it is small enough to keep your travel essentials close at hand during the flight. If you live in a city with public transportation, having this internal slit for cards is useful as well as you can keep you metro passes and tickets separately from other items. The lighter choice for the lining makes it easier to find small items.
The Mini Crossbody easily fits iPhone Pro 17, glasses, lipgloss, wallet, keys, earpods, a charger, a passport and you still have a big more room to put something else. It is also a good and safe option to carry hard-drives, mics, and the compartment can also fit a point-and-shoot camera.
The price
The original Mini came for $45 for a polycarbonate shell. The redesigned version retails for $65.
How to Clean Away The Mini
Away The Mini is easy to clean. I use a Magic Eraser to clean the outer shell of my Away suitcases, and it works just as well with the Mini.
Warranty
Away used to have a 100-day love it or return it policy, that has recently changed and covers unused products only. Same applies even this small bag. All Away products come with a limited one-year warranty which means that if anything breaks in your first year, they’ll fix or replace it for you.
Final thoughts
Despite my failed expectation for the rewamped Away The Mini to be the same as the original, I still like this new version as it is more convenient to be used on the go. Also, as now mom, having hands-free storage options makes travel with my child easier.
I only wish Away could have two different types of The Mini, the Crossbody and the Original, for those who were looking for a minified suitcase version that opens almost flat with less restrictive interior.