Away Large Featherlight Backpack Review

We’ve tested many products in Away’s Featherlight line, from a crossbody to a sling to a hanging toiletry bag, along with the original Away Featherlight Backpack. On the whole, we like the design, from the lightweight materials to the color-matching hardware and useful organization. So, we were intrigued to get our hands on the Away Large Featherlight Backpack. Putting it on felt like welcoming an old friend, but is it someone we want to hang out with long-term, or a guest who outstays their welcome? Mixed metaphors aside, let’s dive into the details and find out.

External Components

Like the 15L Away Featherlight Backpack and other products in the Featherlight line, the 18L Away Large Featherlight Backpack is made of polyester twill with a polyester lining. That’s right, it’s 3 liters larger than the original, and 0.2 pounds heavier. The most noticeable other differences are its lack of tote handles at the top and the addition of a separate laptop compartment. Away also added a few other features to the large backpack that we’ll cover when we dive into the organization.

We’ve got the Camel Brown colorway, and at the time of this review, it’s also available in Jet Black, Amaro Brown, Blush Pink, and Glacial Pink. No matter which color you opt for, the YKK zippers and Away-branded pulls are the same hue for a minimalist, understated look that we like. Everything matches on this daypack, and the only branding is on a small, rubbery patch at the bottom of the right bottle pocket. This isn’t the type of bag to shout about its pedigree, and we’re good with that.

There’s a webbing carry handle at the top, and it’s small and simple; just right for hanging on a hook or carrying for short distances.

You can also slide the Away Large Featherlight Backpack onto the handle of rolling carry-on luggage as you walk through the airport, a feature that comes in handy when you’re already exhausted from a day of travel. The backpack is light and comfortable to wear, but it’s always nice to take some weight off your back when you can.

The harness system is simple, with lightly padded shoulder straps and a slightly more padded back panel. There isn’t any breathable mesh. Things might get a little sweaty after a while, but we haven’t really run into that issue on our daily commute and didn’t experience it when we took the smaller bag to Jamaica, either, so we don’t think it’s a big problem. You’re probably not taking the Away Large Featherlight Backpack on a hike, and that’s about the only time we think it could start to bother you. Otherwise, its size and weight will do enough to keep it comfortable.

Fit Notes

The monochrome design keeps the Away Large Featherlight Backpack looking clean and minimalist. It’s a casual bag, yet it doesn’t look out of place with everyday dresses or nice travel pants, so we find it good for travel and the daily commute. It’s light enough to carry to the beach, pool, or around a resort or theme park, too, so you can take it as your personal-item bag on the plane and still carry it around on your trip.

The adjustment slides on the straps are unbranded, but they stay where you place them. They’re easy enough to adjust when switching users, too. This bag has a slightly larger footprint, but we still find it comfortable to carry. The only thing to mention is that you can feel your laptop through the bag, especially at the bottom. While the compartment is padded, it doesn’t have much cushion or a false bottom, so our shorter tester felt it just below her waist.

Inside The Backpack

The Away Large Featherlight Backpack has multiple places to stow your gear. There are pockets on each side, with stretchy material against the back to accommodate wider bottles while still holding standard-width ones tightly. We have no issues with them and think they work well.

On the front, there’s a quick-access pocket to hold various items, like a comb, a phone, cords, or anything else you want to stash inside. It turned into a small dump pocket that held our tester’s small toiletry bag of lip balm and lipstick, a comb, and hand sanitizer.

Behind that is a second front compartment with organization inside. It has two passport-sized slip pockets—we used one for a passport and one for a wallet—along with a larger zippered pocket to accommodate more small gear. It’s just as easy to access as the front pocket, so you can mix and match what you want to carry where. Both pockets are easy to access, though all of the access points on this bag are covered with fabric welts for weather resistance. That’s helpful, but occasionally the zipper gets stuck in the fabric, especially in the main and laptop compartments.

That’s right, this bag has a separate compartment for up to a 16-inch laptop. It’s quite simple, opening against the back panel with a zipper that runs between the bottle pockets. Our only issue with it is that there’s only one zipper pull, so you have to open it from left to right no matter what. We’re used to other bags that let you open large compartments like this from either side or anywhere along the track, and our primary tester never seemed to remember which side the zipper was hiding on when we went to use it. Small potatoes, but worth mentioning. There’s no other organization inside and no false bottom, so don’t drop your computer inside. Still, it is lightly padded, so we haven’t had any issues carrying a laptop on our daily commute.

The main compartment does have two zipper pulls, so you can open it from any direction. It also runs between the bottle pockets, providing wide access to your gear. There’s quite a lot of space inside, along with a bit more organization.

There’s a large zippered pocket against the back panel and two deep slip pockets against the front panel. We used one of those slip pockets for our glasses and the other for our AirPods, though it’s really way too big for them. There are so many pockets scattered around this bag that we couldn’t fill them all, since we also carry a sling or purse daily, but you won’t lack spots to put your phone, wallet, and other travel accessories. One thing we didn’t find was a key leash, and we actually missed it, but you might not if you’re not used to having one.

The remaining space is big enough to hold our small cooler with lunch inside, an extra layer, and a tech pouch, with room to spare. The bag is comfortable to carry, even fully packed, and it’s nice to have all that space when you need it. While there aren’t any compression straps, the bag doesn’t protrude hugely from your back if you’re carrying less, either. Maybe it’s a trick of the monochromatic design, or maybe gravity helps; either way, it’s a bag we don’t mind taking just about anywhere, since it adapts to whatever we need. Another win for the Away Featherlight line.