Away’s New Bag Is Basically a “Portable Closet” — Perfect for Wedding Season

Try as I might to avoid having a suitcase filled with wrinkled garments, by flat packing and rolling clothes in my luggage, I’ve come to accept it as an inevitability of traveling. But with wedding season right around the corner, I could really use a solution that’ll keep me from looking like a crumpled-up cocktail napkin at the reception. I think I found it in Away’s new Softside Garment Roller. But before I RSVP yes, I put the roller to the test on a recent weekend away. Here’s how it went. 

Designed to be a “wardrobe on wheels,” the Softside Garment Roller is a checked bag that opens flat to reveal a suite of handy compartments for outfits, shoes, and accessories, and keeps it all organized and wrinkle-free. Everything has its place: There’s a detachable garment sleeve that can hold up to eight outfits (perfect for a wedding weekend!), a separate panel to store shoes, two detachable packing cubes, and an entire zip-out section with a small, medium, and large pocket. It also features a massive, portfolio-style exterior pocket for last-minute additions. 

What’s more, the Softside Garment Roller is equipped with sewn-in handles on three sides that make it easy to grab from baggage claim at any angle. And the telescoping trolley handle and 360-degree spinner wheels will have you gliding out of the airport in style. 

Let’s face it: Packing dresses in a garment bag separate from the rest of my luggage was never an option, but Away’s all-in-one design means I don’t have to choose. It combines the capacity of a suitcase and the utility of a garment bag in one streamlined piece. The origami-like design is seriously impressive, and chock-full of pockets that make packing refreshingly painless. I can pull pieces from my closet (hanger and all!) and slide them into the garment sleeve without any fuss. The built-in hanger hooks keep items from shifting in transit, and its ample pockets give me plenty of space to pack casual items, undergarments, accessories, and the like. I was able to fit a weekend’s worth of outfits in it and still had plenty of room to spare. 

While I don’t think there’s anything that could keep my clothes 100% wrinkle-free while traveling, the Garment Roller comes pretty close! We’ve all seen how airlines throw luggage around, but the roller’s interior strap, zips, and paneled design kept my clothes flat and securely in place through it all. The bifold did cause a slight crease on the items in the garment bag, but on the whole the pieces looked way smoother than they would’ve in a regular suitcase. Everything was ready-to-wear straight from the bag. 

I also loved how easy the roller was to unpack. When I got to my destination, I detached the garment sleeve and immediately hung it in the closet — it’s that simple. The triangular packing cubes snap out of the bag, too, which made my items easy to access during my stay. And as someone who’s finicky about how shoes are packed (I don’t want their dirty soles touching my clean clothes!), I love that the roller has a flap with dedicated shoe pockets. The other side of the flap is completely flat, too, so you can lay it atop the garment sleeve and keep long dresses from poking out of the bottom. 

The only real downside is that the Softside Garment Roller isn’t a carry-on size. But while I’m usually a carry-on-only traveler, I’ll say that the bag’s thoughtful storage and surprisingly large capacity is so worth it. My personal item can finally be just that — a personal item — and not a frantic extension of the items that I couldn’t cram into my carry-on. Plus, it’s a small price to pay to ensure my wedding weekend looks are ready to wear upon arrival. 

Buy: Away Softside Garment Roller, $495