Get Away! That Is, Get 25% off Away Suitcases for Black Friday Right Now

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Remember the bad old days when every suitcase was black or navy blue, except for the one old lady near the baggage carousel who had a floral-print rollaboard that looked like somebody had skinned a couch like a sick, suburban trophy?

Nobody could tell their bags apart from each other (except for that one old lady). Nowadays you can get awfully fancy and individualistic with your luggage, and few suitcases stand out in the airport as an Away Carry-On Aluminum Edition ($468; 25% off) gleaming under the lights.

Can’t wait to get Away? Away suitcases, that is, or maybe just away from this page? Fly on over to our coverage of Away’s Black Friday Sale for more deals.

so hardcore, so metal

I’ve had one of these aluminum Away Carry-Ons for several years now, and there’s a reason it’s stayed in my rotation while so many other suitcases have come and gone.

Yes, that’s real aluminum. Honest-to-goodness aluminum. I’ve handled that fake, plastic “aluminum” look-alike luggage, and from 10 feet or closer it looks as fake as you think it’d look. There’s no shortcut to the metal look that doesn’t involve getting yourself a metal suitcase.

Running my hand over the case for the first time, I was impressed with how solid the suitcase felt. The aluminum was fairly thick, not flimsy at all. The latches, with their built-in combination locks, operated smoothly as buttered glass, just like the telescoping handle and four caster wheels.

It was Rimowa that popularized the aluminum suitcase. So sleek, so Golden Age of jet travel. And so, so expensive. That Cabin carry-on costs $1,525. If your eyes popped out of your head, well, try not to do that near security. The TSA frowns upon Tom & Jerry-style antics.

As a double-clamshell design, as opposed to the lid-on-a-basket design of most soft-side luggage, I found myself less often having to dig underneath all my belongings to get at a shirt packed at the very bottom.

Organization is a strong suit of the Away bag, too, with two fabric panels that use plastic latches on elastic bands to secure folded clothes in each half of the case. Zippered pockets hold toiletries, books, shavers, cables, and any other manner of small stuff.

If you want to keep your Away Aluminum, or any aluminum suitcase, looking new then you should carry it on the plane always and pray it doesn’t get gate checked on a fully booked flight. But a weathered, dented suitcase isn’t damaged. It’s broken in, like good denim.

So suit yourself with a new suitcase, and use that (checks math) $157 in savings on this Black Friday deal to buy yourself an airline ticket. You might not be able to afford a round trip back to the United States but (checks country) that might be just all right.