I am notoriously bad at packing. I always tell myself I’ll start a week out from my trip, only to not follow through because it makes me so incredibly nervous. I procrastinate until I’m operating in complete chaos, throwing one too many handbags, shoes I probably can’t walk in, and at least one full outfit I won’t wear into an Away suitcase at maximum speed—all within a couple of hours of having to leave for the airport.
It is a strange quirk to have as someone with an otherwise fairly type-A personality, but I love clothes so much that it becomes hard to choose which pieces get to go away with me and which have to be left behind.
The shorter the trip, the harder it is. I am a fashion editor who's bad at editing down her wardrobe for a weekend away. And so maybe—almost comically so—it should come as no surprise that it took a great bag to inspire me to be better.
Away’s recently launched Featherlight Weekender bag has the classic shape of all the hot, oversized It bags right now. It has the heft and silhouette of The Row’s $5,000 Margaux but is under $150 and made with easy-to-clean, machine-washable fabric. It’s the only weekender I’ve ever used that I was actually excited to pack. And that’s probably the shopaholic in me talking, but I don’t care. It inspired me to be better.
When I was packing for a short trip upstate to the Hudson Valley’s Auberge Resorts’ Wildflower Farms, I used my Away Weekender for the first time. It made packing easier because it had all these compartments with really organized interiors, all of which hold up to 44 pounds of things. I didn’t have to do much guesswork on what to pack because it helped me keep track of what I had room to bring. The bottom zip-around compartment was great for three pairs of shoes: a walking pair, a cutesy pair, and a wildcard option. The side pocket on the inside was perfect for slipping in my laptop. The zip-around sides were great for my jewelry and makeup bag.
Maybe it’s because the bag is so simply chic that I feel more encouraged to really get it together. I wanted to look as featherlight as the bag itself—to embody that effortless air that seems to follow the coolest, most mysterious people at airports. And I’ve learned that actually having all of your belongings in an organized, stylish bag will do just that.
The bag is also part of a family of Featherlight bags: the Featherlight Tote, the Featherlight Cargo Pack, the Featherlight Backpack, the Featherlight Crossbody, and the Featherlight Sling Bag. Together, they are like the simple, subtle, and stylish avengers of travel bags. They’re easy to wear and even easier to pack, and they don’t feel like a hassle to wear. You just throw them over your shoulder. And there’s an ease to knowing that you have everything you could need, for a weekend away or a longer trip, tucked away nicely in a way that combats unnecessary pre-vacation chaos. It may even encourage you to become a better packer—I would know.
