[ You have to buy the case, go check in, check all your bags except for the one you want the VAT back on, take the case and paper work to customs and get them to stamp it, get your refund and then take your case back to the airline for checking it. ]

Thanks a lot for your advice. It is a hussle and that VAT claim that means I better arrive the Madrid Airport early to sort these out. The Salsa Air 29" is so light that I am hooked, but I agree with you that it's not sure whether it will hold the longest. I note that it is easy to bend and maybe more "bendable" than a soft luggage with hard frame. Still I gotta get 1 from Munich given the good price and the lightness. I will be taking 2 ugly old bags (which I am going to abandone) for the trip and the 1st thing I do after I arrive in Munich would be to get a Salsa.