I’ve taken my Quince carry-on everywhere with me, from Boston to London, and it’s my favorite travel companion. For a long winter weekend in Rhode Island, I put two pairs of jeans, two button-down shirts, a hoodie, four T-shirts, a nightshirt and pants, a pair of glasses, a scarf and four days’ worth of underwear and socks in one compartment. In the other, I packed toiletries, plus a night guard, contact lens solution, an umbrella, sunglasses, and some snacks, with plenty of room to spare. For a 10-day trip to Sicily last May, I packed almost the same things, but increased the number of clothes (three pairs of jeans, four button-downs, five shirts, etc.), and everything still fit without a problem.
I’ve talked so much about how much I love my carry-on case that I’ve even convinced others to buy their own. My niece recently took her new Quince carry-on on her first trip to DC, and she loved how light it was and how smoothly it moved across floors and streets. Our deputy editor, Alicia, took Quince’s 27-inch expandable hard-shell check-in suitcase home for the holidays and was blown away by how roomy it was. “All the Christmas presents, two weeks’ worth of clothes, a few books, one pair of shoes and four bags of cosmetics fit easily in one side,” she says. “I just had to put my sneakers on the other empty side, but I literally left half the suitcase empty. I was so amazed.”
Unlike some of Away’s older carry-ons, Quince’s doesn’t include a battery for charging smartphones and laptops, but it does have a removable laundry bag, an internal compression system, a TSA-approved combination lock and, more importantly, rolling wheels which make it easy to maneuver. It glides smoothly across polished airport floors and effortlessly navigates bumpy sidewalks and cobblestone streets, taking the pounding of curbs like a champ. Although the outer shell of my suitcase has picked up some black scratches along the way, they are easily wiped off with a magic eraser.
If you’re looking for a premium bag on a budget, Quince is the right choice. But these cases are selling fast, so you better get yours while they’re still in stock.