junkDriver

Obligatory disclaimer: long time lurker, very seldom poster.

Been flying for quite some time, and enjoy taking trips with my wife - whenever we can get away. I've been traveling with a carry-on Samsonite for a long time (and it is holding up ridiculously well), but our getaway luggage has always been throwaway Nautica. Well, recently Nautica experienced a bit more abuse than usual and started falling apart just after a few trips. So, I decided to get a great Mother's Day gift for my SO, and what could be better than a 26" Rimowa Topas, right?

But then, I checked it out at a local luggage dealer that actually carries them. They are H.E.A.V.Y! How can you travel with a suitcase that weighs as if it's packed from the start - before you even put anything in it? I like the sturdiness and the feel, but... how do you manage the weight? With airlines counting every pound, forget an extra pair of shoes - an extra pair of dresses becomes an issue. Then - when you start thinking about European travel - lugging this thing in and out of a train car - also becomes a daunting task. I honestly was extremely surprised by just how much it weighs.

So, why do people buy it? My theory right now is that if you are the person who buys luggage at this price level - you probably fly business, too, so weight is not of a concern. And foot/train travel probably does not happen frequently either...

If anyone's curious, I ended up getting Briggs & Riley Baseline medium spinner.

bulbmogul

Love my RIMOWA all 10 pieces of it..!

hornillas1

Bottom Line, for me: The RIMOWA Topas luggage items I use are the hard-sided, lighter alternative to the Pelican cases I use to travel with. So in my perspective, I'm still making progress cutting weight in packing.

If disucssing RIMOWA, I believe it is "apples and oranges" because hard-sided lugggage and soft-sided luggage are built for completely different uses.

I used to travel with a Pelican 1510, as my hard-sided luggage to carry-on aircraft, but at 11.99 lbs (5.4kg), it is a bulky piece to haul through an airport terminal. No four-wheel trolley option, either. The design is not airline friendly for overhead storage. However, their lifetime guarantee has always been excellent when I've had to use it on their products. Pelican has also endured through all the outdoor elements I have subjected them too.

Now when I need a lighter alternative, that is still hard-sided, I turn to RIMOWA for casual travel, to meet the same intent, if I'm not outdoors, as much. The RIMOWA Topas Cabin Multiwheel 32L, comes in at 10.1 lbs (4.58kg). Two pounds is miniscule, in my opinion, but lighter nonetheless, compared to Pelican.

Weight difference is even greater for check-in variants between the brands. The RIMOWA Topas 68L that I use comes in at 13.2 lbs, where the Pelican equivalent comes in at 19.5 lbs.

Regarding price, I would never pay US$ Retail on RIMOWA products, ever. All my RIMOWA purchases are from within Germany, less 19% VAT. I'm comfortable paying between 55%-60% off US$ MSRP at that price point. Otherwise, I'll default to Pelican at that point.

doubletissue

I think you might not be looking at the best line for your use case; the Salsa Airs are extremely lightweight. There will always be a trade off of weight for durability, with the Salsa Air and Topas at the two extremes. You need to decide where you are on that spectrum. Personally, I would not go for a metal suitcase. I'm too afraid of one bad drop denting it where plastic or fabric would have conformed.

TPACjv

I bought a cabin size salsa air and have loved every mile using it. Usually it's my cabin bag but lately it's been checked long haul (NA-SEA) for the past 3 or 4 round trips.

Clothing always comes out crisp and fragile items are well protected. The best value out of the luggage has been city walking with it through BKK, KUL, and NYC - kilometers at a time with ease!!

Especially, during the rainy season and peak heat the bag has saved me worry about getting things soaked and reduced greatly the sweat marks from walking between the train and home. Not to mention, I can forget to weigh it and still easily make the 8 kilo weight restriction.

tfred

i own a Limbo and can say that it absolutely glides even with full weight

to some extent, poly is poly. The wheels are the factor since they can and will break on 4 wheel construction. Cheap bags=cheap wheels

chipmaster

People choose luggage for a variety of reasons, what is important to you might be trivial for others, BTW I'm a B&R person too.

hornillas1

Bottom-Line, for me: The RIMOWA Topas line is my leisure hard-sided luggage, of choice, compared to the Pelican Cases that I use to travel for work and outdoor excursions.

Hard-sided luggage should be compared to other hard-sided luggage brands/lines. It is "apples and oranges" to compare hard-sided vs. soft-side luggage, IMO.

Compared to my Pelican cases, I travel with for work, I save two (2) lbs on my carry-on equivalent compared to RIMOWA (which is irrelevant at that weight difference, to me). On my check-in equivalents, I save 11 lbs with my Pelican weighing 24.03 lbs versus the RIMOWA 68L at 13.2 lbs.

I only buy RIMOWA in Germany, less VAT, since the savings, for me, has averaged 55% compared to US$ MSRP. Other than that, I would never purchase RIMOWA at full US$ MSRP, the value is not there compared to Pelican with their lifetime guarantee.

At the end of the day, all depends on what your specific buying preferences, patterns and budget are. Value is perspective.

JCYC5

Bought a 22" Bossa Nova when I was in Frankfurt for 50% off. I couldn't say no to that price. I bought it because it's gorgeous (British Racing Green and Tan trim... yum) and because it's very light. The polycarbonate series (Salsa, Salsa Air, Bolero etc) are all very light and I find they pack nicely when using cubes. I don't really need or care for outside access since I have a personal item anyways. Hence, the lack of internal organization, save for the compression straps, works very well for me.

bulbmogul

Only RIMOWA here..

chipmaster

The thing on top is best in class, it can really do things that Sony and Canon can't even come close. For what it is sitting on, not so much, could easily be a Costco or B&R or Pelican IMHO

hornillas1

I use RIMOWA Topas pieces of luggage as my lighter alternative to my Pelican travel cases I use for work.

I save about 30%, in weight, compared to my Pelican equivalents.

I only purchase RIMOWA pieces, in Germany, less 19% VAT, because the US$ MSRP is markedly overpriced, IMO. I have saved 45-55% on my RIMOWA Topas items purchasing them in this way.

At the end of the day, all depends on the preferences of the individual consumer. You like what you like.

kaka

i have been using muji lately, with the 2nd placement.

alphaod

The wheels and how they roll cannot be beat.

FlyingKansan

Gotta be honest, it's all about style for me. Everything else is an added bonus.