Customer Reviews Rimowa Salsa Air – Ultralight Cabin Multiwheel®

LOVE this suitcase. Lightweight, expands to hold more when needed, indestructible.

I haven’t yet travelled with it, but it’s very light and seems very easy to push along in a straight line - over transoms and uneven floors. Only problem: no directions for how to open it the 1st Time! (Turn the TSA lock ¼ turn counterclockwise.). Rowena customer service was responsive & generally helpful. Assuming it holds up to airline treatment it’s great. NB The carry-on has just two mesh compartments, period. I like that. I dislike being forced into a suitcase’s idea of a “system” that may not work for me.

I have this in lime green, along with 29, 28 and 26" versions (the latter was my first Rimowa, suggested 6 yrs. ago by our river cruise concierge when we arrived in Cologne and needed one more bag). All of them are the Salsa Air line, which is the lightest hardside spinner luggage available (lighter than even nearly all softside too except Lipault). These have been all over the country and Europe and are by & large indestructible (but see below). EN ROUTE: They are insanely easy to move--all it takes is a finger's touch, and the Cabin acts like a rolling cane for me. (They do roll away on downslopes, so be careful). The lifetime warranty is no joke--I have had zipper pulls replaced and scuffs erased at no charge (they do scuff, but not irreparably). They're easy to spot on bag claim carousels (thanks to their price point, you won't see them everywhere). I have yet to be unable to find a normal-size plane with overheads it won't fit--just puddle-jumpers and (according to some arbitrary gate agents) some regional jets (but never had it not fit when I was allowed to try). And if you have to check any of them, you are far, far less likely to exceed airlines' weight limits--and thus can avoid the dreaded "overweight fee." And the mono-pole handles let you move two bags with one hand! AT DESTINATION: The simple zippered mesh dividers are deceptively practical--especially if you're limited to a single hotel luggage rack with no room to keep the bag opened flat--simply keep the vertical half's divider zipped and nothing will fall out. If you need to access the other half, the bag--even fully loaded--is so light that flipping it over is no problem. CONS: Why did I deduct a star overall? Two reasons, both involving the mono-pole handle, plus a third. First, the handle (especially on the largest one) has a nasty habit of collapsing while you're holding it if any part of your hand even brushes the release button. And second, stacking a smaller "personal item" (I prefer totes that hold my small purse so they count as a single item) is wildly impractical. There is no "add-a-bag" strap like on the heavier (and costlier) dual-pole Salsa & Salsa Deluxe, so slipping the handles of a tote over the mono-pole is likely to tip the bag over. And totes with a "pass-through" sleeve on the back tend to flop around once the mono-pole has passed through the sleeve--again, unbalancing the stacked rig. (I realize that the mono-pole does make the bag lighter and takes up less interior space). The third reason is that the zipper pull tabs do fall off too often (I then have to resort to twist-ties), and sometimes even the pulls themselves break. Of course, authorized vendors with repair shops do replace the pulls for free--but you have to deliver the bag to the appropriate branch of the vendor in order to avoid shipping charges. Still, it's the best luggage I've ever owned, holds a lot more than you'd think, and the case itself is deceptively strong & sturdy. Plus, it looks WAY COOL.