Rimowa Classic Flight 32″- FirstLook

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Nobody denies that leisure travel was severely impacted this past year and a half because of COVID. But with the virus being better understood, folks getting vaccinated, and travel restrictions loosening, we are hopeful things will pick up in 2022.

To that end, we went in search of travel accessories that we think our readers will want when that happens. For the Fall and Winter of 2021, we’ve been planning a series on travel luggage.

As luck would have it and to get the series started, we were recently “gifted” a well-traveled Rimowa 32″ Classic Flight aluminum suitcase.

Rimowa is a brand of high-end luggage, like Rolex is for watches, and Porsche is for cars. And like Rolexes and Porsches, used ones are often well worth repairing, restoring, and giving new opportunities for adventure.

That is exactly our plan for this Rimowa Classic Flight, but before all that, let’s take a closer FirstLook at this new-to-us beauty.

Specs

• Size: 33.07″ x 22.05″ x 10.24″ (84cm x 56cm x 26cm)
• Weight: 13.2 lbs
• Volume: 22.5 gal

The body is made with an anodized aluminum-magnesium alloy. There are two handles for grabbing and maneuvering the case. On the bottom are four ball-bearing-mounted multi-wheels on cushioned axles. Integrated into the body is a 3-stage telescopic handle.

Details

• Riveted protective aluminum corners
• Piano hinge spine
• Luggage tag
• Hand-made leather handles
• TSA-approved locks
• Engraved serial number

The true sign that a company that cares about its brand is their attention to detail (check out the lengths which Apple goes to just on the shrink-wrapping of their laptops and you will see what we mean). Rimowa is no different with their engravings and rivets. We love the passion expressed in the details of this case! This piece of luggage was made by people who were proud of their work.

Interior

The Classic Flight has nylon straps in an X-pattern on both sides to keep things in place. These straps are meant to “softly secure” the contents in each half of the case. They are obviously too thin to do much else 🙂

In order to keep things organized inside a big case such as the Classic Flight, packing cubes and bags are absolutely the way to go. We are looking at various possibilities and will have recommendations in a future article.

We noticed two details about the Rimowa tie-down straps. First, the clips are easy to hook and unhook. Second, the anchor are shaped so the straps are properly angled for use.

On the side of the bottom of the case are two additional pockets for smaller “soft” items (socks, underwear, etc.). While the pocket does have elastic, it will not keep things like keys, change, and such from falling out.

The lining inside the Classic Flight case unzips along the length of the case and is foam lined. There are as many uses for the “liner space” as there are travellers. Some use it to store photocopies of their travel documents and mad money. Others use it as a separator between the clean and dirty clothes. We like it because it makes cleaning the case easier in the event of a spill or a leak.

What needs fixing

This Classic Flight came to us well-used but still in great condition. There are a few dings and dents from it’s years of travel. Maybe we will tap out the dents on the body or maybe we will leave them as well-earned badges of adventures experienced. We haven’t yet decided.

What we do know is that we’ll replace the broken multi-wheel and try to remove the stain on the lining. We’ll have more on the repairs in a future article, along with some other ideas of our plans for the case (ie: maybe for quadcopter, photo gear, or telescope transport ???). After all, a case this nice shouldn’t just be for when we go on vacation 🙂

Links to items mentioned:

• Rimowa Classic Flight 32″ Luggage