Away’s New Series 3 Luggage Plays It Safe—That’s the Point
Away’s New Series 3 Luggage Plays It Safe—That’s the Point
Away 全新 Series 3 行李箱主打稳健路线——这正是其核心所在
When Away launched the Carry On suitcase in 2016, it created the must-have travel accessory. It went viral for its sleek, simple polycarbonate design (plus a dash of smart social marketing). Its pioneering ejectable portable battery earned it the “smart luggage” moniker, and other bag makers quickly copied the concept. 2016 年，当 Away 推出 Carry On 行李箱时，它迅速成为了旅行必备单品。凭借其时尚、简约的聚碳酸酯设计（以及巧妙的社交媒体营销），该产品迅速走红。其首创的可拆卸移动电源让它获得了“智能行李箱”的称号，其他箱包制造商也纷纷效仿这一概念。
A decade later, Away is launching the Series 3—its third generation. The battery is gone, but the features that attracted and retained a loyal following remain, with a heavy focus on invisible tech. 十年后的今天，Away 推出了第三代产品 Series 3。虽然电池功能已被移除，但那些吸引并留住忠实粉丝的核心功能依然保留，并重点关注了“隐形科技”。
“We didn’t like to be called ‘smart luggage’,” Sarah Amidi, Away’s senior vice president of Brand, tells WIRED at the company’s design studio in New York City’s SoHo district. When the first Carry On was conceived, charging solutions weren’t as ubiquitous as they are today, Amidi says, which created a unique travel pain point for Away to tackle. It may have seemed gimmicky, but a quickly accessible USB port to charge a phone made sense. The ejectable design was forward-thinking, given evolving regulations around traveling with batteries. “我们并不喜欢被称为‘智能行李箱’，”Away 品牌高级副总裁 Sarah Amidi 在位于纽约苏豪区（SoHo）的公司设计工作室接受《连线》（WIRED）采访时表示。Amidi 说，当第一款 Carry On 设计时，充电方案并不像今天这样普及，这为 Away 提供了一个独特的旅行痛点去解决。虽然这看起来像个噱头，但一个方便快捷的手机充电 USB 接口确实很有意义。考虑到航空业对携带电池的规定不断演变，这种可拆卸设计在当时极具前瞻性。
While the battery hasn’t been available in Away luggage since 2023, Amidi says tech isn’t entirely gone; the company is looking at how technology can play the right role in luggage design. Instead, with the Series 3, Away has become more of a traditional luggage maker than a disruptor. “We design it to last the next 10 years,” Amidi says. 虽然自 2023 年起 Away 行李箱就不再配备电池，但 Amidi 表示科技并未完全消失；公司正在探索科技如何在行李箱设计中发挥恰当的作用。相反，通过 Series 3，Away 变得更像是一家传统的行李箱制造商，而非颠覆者。Amidi 说：“我们的设计目标是让它能使用未来十年。”
On the surface, every piece from the Series 3 Classic and Flex (expandable) series will look familiar to Away fans, and that’s intentional. Instead of a new design, Amidi says the company strengthened its carry-on by putting it through rigorous testing. In fact, the Series 3 launch was delayed because it didn’t fully meet expectations. 从外观上看，Series 3 Classic 和 Flex（可扩展）系列的每一款产品对 Away 的粉丝来说都很眼熟，这是刻意为之的。Amidi 表示，公司没有追求全新的设计，而是通过严格的测试来强化其登机箱。事实上，Series 3 的发布曾因未完全达到预期标准而推迟。
“We asked, what features solve friction and earn their place,” Amidi says. “We didn’t want to add things just to add things that take away from capacity or add weight, and we couldn’t make polycarbonate any better.” “我们一直在问，哪些功能能够解决旅行中的阻碍并值得保留，”Amidi 说。“我们不想为了增加功能而增加功能，从而牺牲容量或增加重量，而且我们已经无法让聚碳酸酯材质变得更好了。”
Reinventing the Wheel, Sort Of
重新发明轮子（某种程度上）
Amidi says the shell design still works today (with the battery option gone, it also shaved off weight and added more room), so Away looked at two areas that could use some work: the wheels and telescoping trolley handle—what travelers often complain about in luggage. Amidi 表示，外壳设计在今天依然适用（去掉了电池选项后，重量减轻且空间更大），因此 Away 将目光投向了两个需要改进的领域：轮子和伸缩拉杆——这也是旅行者对行李箱最常抱怨的地方。
For the WhisperGlide 360 spinning wheel design, Away added an extra ball bearing and improved the threading to make them glide smoothly and quietly. Away also brought its StopLock Brakes system, first introduced in its top-opening TopSide luggage, to the Series 3. As the name suggests, flipping a switch quickly locks the wheels, effective even on slight inclines. 对于 WhisperGlide 360 万向轮设计，Away 增加了一个额外的滚珠轴承并改进了螺纹，使其滑动更加顺滑且安静。Away 还将其首次应用于 TopSide 顶部开口行李箱的 StopLock 刹车系统引入了 Series 3。顾名思义，拨动开关即可快速锁定轮子，即使在轻微坡度上也能有效固定。
When I asked why quiet wheels would even matter in, say, a busy airport, Amidi refers to a time when she needed to quietly sneak out of the house for a trip without waking her family. She says these are the kinds of new travel pain points Away is looking to solve with tech. 当我问及在繁忙的机场，静音轮子到底有什么意义时，Amidi 提到了她有一次需要悄悄溜出家门去旅行，又不想吵醒家人的经历。她说，这正是 Away 希望通过科技解决的新型旅行痛点。
Then there’s the Infinite Height Trolley handle, which offers five times more stopping points than before—a more personalized experience for travelers of varying heights. Hooks in the trolley handle might seem like a simple design touch, but they’re handy for holding a jacket, purse, or bag of airport fast food (each hook can hold up to 11 pounds). 此外还有“无限高度”拉杆（Infinite Height Trolley），它比以前提供了多出五倍的停顿点，为不同身高的旅行者提供了更个性化的体验。拉杆上的挂钩看似简单的设计，却非常实用，可以挂外套、钱包或机场买的快餐袋（每个挂钩最多可承重 11 磅）。
Other improvements include redesigned interior covers that open outward to give better access, more pockets for small items, a pouch for a Bluetooth tracker, and accessories to help keep the luggage looking clean. The compression system, a signature Away feature, remains the same. 其他改进包括重新设计的内衬盖，向外打开以便于取物；增加了更多小物件口袋；配备了蓝牙追踪器收纳袋；以及有助于保持行李箱整洁的配件。Away 的标志性功能——压缩系统则保持不变。
Personalization is a key selling feature. In addition to the standard colors, the Series 3 comes in purple (Electric Iris), chocolate, and chartreuse. The handles and wheels are removable and can be customized in different styles (also handy for repairs). There’s also a D-ring to attach accessories like luggage tags and charms, if that’s your thing. For many people, it will be. 个性化是其核心卖点。除了标准颜色外，Series 3 还提供紫色（Electric Iris）、巧克力色和黄绿色。把手和轮子均可拆卸，并可定制不同款式（也便于维修）。此外还有一个 D 型环，可以挂上行李牌或装饰挂件。对于许多人来说，这会很有吸引力。
The Series 3 Classic style is available in carry-on, bigger carry-on, medium, large, and trunk sizes. The expandable Flex style is available in the same sizes except trunk. Series 3 Classic 款式提供登机箱、大号登机箱、中号、大号和行李箱（Trunk）尺寸。可扩展的 Flex 款式提供除行李箱（Trunk）以外的所有相同尺寸。
Away also unveiled the Signature Bags collection, which includes a tote, weekender, commuter backpack, duffle, and underseat bags. An evolution of Away’s Everywhere series, the durable nylon is now lighter and softer, Amidi says, with updated hardware like zippers—including a reverse coil zipper in the laptop compartment for better protection—hidden pockets for easy access to often-used items, and a water bottle pocket. The laptop compartment has moved to the outside of the bag, allowing quick access during airport security checks, for example. Away 还发布了 Signature Bags 系列，包括托特包、周末旅行包、通勤双肩包、行李袋和登机底座包。Amidi 表示，作为 Away Everywhere 系列的升级版，新款采用了更轻、更柔软的耐用尼龙材质，并更新了五金件（如拉链——包括笔记本电脑隔层中用于更好保护的反向线圈拉链）、增加了便于存取常用物品的隐藏口袋，以及水瓶袋。笔记本电脑隔层移到了包袋外侧，例如在机场安检时可以快速取用。
Overall, Away’s new luggage doesn’t offer anything groundbreaking. Many of these features are available in bags from other companies, and in some ways, it feels like Away is playing catch-up. But Away is leveraging its strength with a well-regarded product that already works, with a few tweaks to make it better. It’s this, not batteries, that has made it a cult favorite among travelers. 总的来说，Away 的新款行李箱并没有提供什么开创性的东西。许多功能在其他公司的产品中也能见到，在某种程度上，感觉 Away 正在追赶潮流。但 Away 正在利用其优势，通过一款备受好评且已经成熟的产品，进行了一些微调使其变得更好。正是这一点，而不是电池，使其成为了旅行者心目中的宠儿。