Rimowa luggage review: Luxury meets functionality

There’s a short list of things I trust implicitly: old Italian men for restaurant recommendations, German engineering, and myself, at least when it comes to travel. I’ve been a travel editor, a chronic overpacker, and a serial airport sprinter. I’ve packed for five-star hotels and humble farms in the same quarter. I’ve handled $40 luggage and tested the cream of the crop carry-ons. So, when I say Rimowa is it, I don’t mean “influencer-hyped, probably-just-fine” it. I mean “abandon your other bags” it.

I’ve personally tested two Rimowa suitcases over the past three years — the Original Aluminum Cabin and the Essential Sleeve Cabin — both as stylish as they are functional, and both to blame for Rimowa taking up multiple tabs of my personality. They’ve been dropped, dinged and dragged through security lines from Milan to Mexico City. And the fact that they still look and roll like new is reason enough to keep them close.

The Essential Sleeve Cabin, in particular, changed the game for me. It’s the softer, more tech-forward little sister to the Original Cabin, with an exterior laptop pocket I didn’t know I needed. Yes, whichever model you go for, it’s a splurge. But it’s also the smartest, sexiest, most satisfying piece of luggage you’ll ever own, I promise you.

What makes Rimowa different?

Rimowa is the luggage equivalent of someone who always gets upgraded — not because they ask, but because they are the upgrade. Founded in Cologne in 1898, Rimowa pioneered the use of aluminum for luggage in the ’30s and polycarbonate in the 2000s — the latter being the material of choice for the Essential line. It’s strong, matte, and beautifully resistant to the kind of abuse I routinely (and unintentionally) inflict during layovers.

Signature grooves? Iconic. Telescopic handle? Smoother than most men I’ve dated. Multi-wheel system? Rolls better than my joints on a stressful day. Every detail — from the silent wheels to the interior compression system — is engineered to perfection. And if you want aluminum, leather, or colorways that match your aura of “main character at the gate,” Rimowa has entire collections for that.

The Essential Sleeve Cabin is particularly genius: lightweight polycarbonate shell, TSA-approved combo lock, and a structured front zip pocket (“the sleeve”) that holds your laptop, passport, and other travel chaos like a Swiss vault in carry-on form. No more bending over in the aisle to dig through your tote mid-flight. No more balancing a laptop on top of your suitcase while sprinting to your gate. No more existential despair at baggage claim. It’s a lifestyle shift — one you feel immediately.

The Essential Sleeve Cabin is Rimowa’s first polycarbonate carry-on with a front-facing laptop pocket, which sounds minor until you realize it eliminates 90% of your travel chaos. The padded sleeve fits my 13-inch MacBook perfectly, and the zippered compartments hold my passport, AirPods, charger, and that sad little customs form pen I never remember to pack.

Inside, the flex divider system keeps everything compressed and compartmentalized, and the multi-wheel system glides like a dream — even when I’m running late and dragging it sideways through a terminal like an unhinged toddler on a leash. It’s light, minimalist, and functional in the kind of way that makes you feel like you’ve finally grown up.

Material: Grooved polycarbonate (matte finish) | Dimensions: 21.7 x 15.8 x 7.9 inches | Weight: 7.5 pounds | Volume: 37 Liters | Interior: Flex divider system with compression panels | Exterior sleeve: Padded front zip pocket with laptop compartment + organization slots | Handle: Multi-height telescopic | Wheels: Multi-directional, ball-bearing spinner wheels | Lock: TSA-approved combination lock

The Original Cabin is the alpha — the one you roll out when you want to feel like a rich divorcee heading to Cannes. Made from anodized grooved aluminum, it’s heavier than the Essential but feels almost indestructible. This thing has been thrown into trunks, checked under duress, and left in puddles (my fault, not the bag’s), and it still looks like a Bond prop.

The interior has that signature Rimowa compression system, which means I can overpack with abandon and still get the thing shut — no sit-on-and-zip required. The handles are solid, the locks are smooth, and the whole thing just feels like power. If the Essential Sleeve is my everyday carry-on, the Original Cabin is my “I’m coming for the inheritance” suitcase. Because who knows, maybe I will be.

Material: Anodized aluminum-magnesium alloy | Dimensions: 21.7 x 15.8 x 9.1 inches | Weight: 9.5 pounds | Capacity: 35 Liters | Interior: Dual-compartment layout with Flex Divider compression system | Exterior: Signature grooved aluminum with riveted corners and a high-gloss or matte finish | Handle: Multi-stage telescopic handle with ergonomic grip | Wheels: 4 double-spinner, ball-bearing wheels for 360° glide | Locks: Dual TSA-approved combination locks | Other features: Leather details on the handles, reinforced corners, fully lined interior

How It Compares

To other Rimowa models:

The Original Cabin feels more like a luxury tank — heavier, aluminum-bodied, visually arresting. The Essential Sleeve Cabin is the more agile, modern option, especially for digital nomads or business travel. I use the Original when I’m going somewhere longer or want to make a power move; the Essential when I need to move through terminals like a machine.

To other brands:

I’ve tested Away, Monos, Paravel, Samsonite, Tumi — and while some of them do individual things well (Tumi for structure, Away for USB ports), none nail everything quite like Rimowa. Nothing else has the same physical lightness and psychological confidence combo.

Who It’s Best For

Anyone who travels more than twice a year, packs with military precision, or simply wants their luggage to feel as intentional as their itinerary. It’s especially ideal for frequent flyers, business travelers, design lovers, or anyone planning a revenge-travel bender.

How I Tested

I haven’t tested Rimowa like a delicate PR sample, because it wasn’t one. I tested it like someone who tips her suitcase down a flight of pensione stairs in Paris because the elevator’s broken and her car’s been waiting. I owned the Essential Sleeve Cabin for over two years, and recently traded with my best friend for her Original Cabin (she does more traveling and gets more use from the exterior pocket).

Between the two, they’ve traveled with me to more than ten countries and across three continents, including long-haul hauls to Italy, Scotland, Iceland, Mexico, and countless stateside hops from JFK to LAX to Austin. They’ve been hoisted into overhead bins, dragged across cobblestones, stuffed into Smart Cars, and gate-checked by force.

I now use the Original Cabin when I want to feel strapped, like it’s my travel weapon. Yes, it’s the kind of suitcase that earns double takes in security and suggests you packed Sartre in the original French, but it also lets me overpack and doesn’t fight back.

The Essential Sleeve was ideal when I was on flights every week and needed function, easy access for documents and tech, and the lightest possible lift. And through it all — sprinting, sweating, swearing — Rimowa hasn’t just kept up, it’s made entire ordeals feel intentional.

Every zipper still zips, every wheel still rolls, every scuff tells a story, and my grandchildren will know all about them when they’re using their heirloom Rimowa in 40 years.

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