Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack vs. Away The Backpack
Two carry-on travel backpacks, compared spec for spec.
Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack
| Capacity | 27.3 L |
| Weight | 1.2 kg |
| Dimensions | 45.5×34.5×20.5 cm |
| Airline fit | 74% |
| Price | $329 |
Feature by feature
| Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack | Feature | Away The Backpack |
|---|---|---|
| Storage | ||
| N | Compression | N |
| None | Expanded Capacity | None |
| 4 | Opening | 4 |
| Y | Passport | Y |
| Y | Passthrough | Y |
| Carry | ||
| Y | Backpack | Y |
| N | Hip Belt | N |
| N | Sternum Strap | N |
| Inside | ||
| 15in | Laptop | 15in |
| 1 | Main Compartments | 3 |
| Y | Organizer | N |
| Outside | ||
| × | Hard Shell | × |
| N | Rain-fly | N |
| 1 | Water Bottle Holder | 1 |
| Y | Water Resistant | Y |
| Material | |
| 1600D ballistic nylon outer fabric | Nylon, leather |
Away The Backpack
| Capacity | 25.5 L |
| Weight | 1.3 kg |
| Dimensions | 44.5×31.5×18.2 cm |
| Airline fit | 95% |
| Price | $206 |
Key differences between the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack and Away The Backpack
- Main compartments: 1 on the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack; 3 on the Away The Backpack.
- Built-in organizer: Yes on the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack; No on the Away The Backpack.
Both have: passport pocket, luggage passthrough, backpack straps, laptop sleeve, water bottle pockets, water resistant.
Which airlines take each bag as a carry-on
We checked both bags against the carry-on size limits of 189 airlines. 139 accept both. 0 accept only the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack, and 40 accept only the Away The Backpack.
Only the Away The Backpack fits
Air Baltic, Air China, Air Malta, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Air Tahiti, Asiana Airlines, ATA Airlines, Belavia, Blue Air, Bulgaria Air, Cayman Airways, China Eastern, easyJet, Emirates Airlines, Enter Air, flybe, Gulf Air, Icelandair, InselAir, Juneyao Airlines, Luxair, Meridiana Fly, Nordwind Airlines, Regional Express, Royal Brunei Airlines, Ryanair, S7, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Sun Express, TAP Air Portugal, TAROM, Tianjin Airlines (A320 & E190), TUI, Ukraine International, VIM Airlines (Closed), Virgin Australia, Volotea, Xiamen.
Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack vs. Away The Backpack: which should you pack?
The Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack carries 1.8000000000000007L more than the Away The Backpack (27.3L vs. 25.5L), while the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack is the lighter pack at 1.2kg (vs. 1.3kg). For carry-on flexibility, the Away The Backpack fits 95% of the airlines we track — the higher of the two. If you prioritise packing volume, choose the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack; if you want to travel lighter, the Briggs & Riley Medium Cargo Backpack is the better call.