Rimowa Salsa Air - Anyone Have Any Experience/Know Anything about This?

[KA1555]

I'm going to be doing considerable traveling over the next year, and I need to get a new suitcase.

I'm looking for something large (32", preferably), given the fact that some of my trips will be quite long, and I'm not a light packer to begin with.

I decided on the Rimowa given it's lightweight properties and relatively (imo) stylish exterior.

However, while searching, I came across two types of their polycarbonate suitcase in 32" - the Salsa Air and the Salsa Deluxe.

Salsa Air: http://www.luggageonline.com/product...oduct_ID=14620

Salsa Deluxe: http://www.luggageonline.com/product...oduct_ID=13818

As you can see, the Deluxe is $110 more, but also about 4 lbs heavier.

The principle difference that I can gather is the difference in the handle, but it also appears as though there's a difference in the wheels (I may just be imagining that).

I don't want to get the Salsa Air if it's lighter weight and lower price are due to a less sturdy handle/wheels.

Does anyone have any experience with the Salsa Air? Thoughts? Is the Salsa Deluxe worth the extra $110?

 

[em36]

Those are updated models. I have a salsa trolley, six years old. Like new. Never been checked.

 

[Milkcansan]

I have a brown salsa deluxe (bought in Germany one year ago). It is very light. I think the Salsa Air is a new model - very basic like Salsa with a new look (see the extended one piece handle).
Salsa Deluxe like the name suggest have better finishing and body parts - that is all. If you only need to buy a basic light weight luggage - Salsa Air is fine.
For your information, I bought my 26 in multi-wheel deluxe for 350 US dollars. You might want to try going to Europe with an old bag and come home with a new one.

 

[Mr. Pink]

Look at post # 34 in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...-prices-3.html Incidentally, flyertalk is probably a better site to get answers to luggage questions. Also, I would be hesistant about getting a 32". Most airlines have now reduced allowable baggage weight to 50lbs. It's very easy to go over that with anything larger than a 26".

 

[Dragon]

I travel with 4 Salsa 32" and they have been working great for us so far.

Personally, I think you should get the cheapest Salsa you can find (forget the deluxe). The reason is because you are going to check in the luggage anyway, so you really don't need the slightly better handles, and interior lining of the deluxe version (that's about all that is different). The deluxe version has a built in luggage hook on the end, but you don't need that either, because you will just check in your luggage as soon as your arrive at the airport.

I would not get the aluminum version either, as they are heavier than the Salsa (especially if you travel with 32"). I frequently go over the weight limit, but have never been charged. If you pack heavy each luggage will weigh about 25~30kg in a 32" Salsa from my experience. If you pack light (just clothes) it will be around 20kg or less.

 

[Drydis Greis]

Originally Posted by KA1555

...The principle difference that I can gather is the difference in the handle, but it also appears as though there's a difference in the wheels (I may just be imagining that).

I don't want to get the Salsa Air if it's lighter weight and lower price are due to a less sturdy handle/wheels.

Does anyone have any experience with the Salsa Air? Thoughts? Is the Salsa Deluxe worth the extra $110?

I have a couple Rimowa Limbo cases. What turned me against buying any Salsa Air cases was their freakish ability to bend. It broke my heart to have to pay more but I just had bad feelings about what I was seeing. Now, knowing my luck, they are probably the best thing since sliced bread for air travel, for that very reason...who knows. Bought myself a consiliatory beer and called it a day. Whatever you end up getting, Rimowa is fantastic!

 

[LeatherSOUL]

I would suggest getting the Salsa Deluxe over the Salsa Air. Although I don't have personal experience using it (I prefer the Topaz line), it seems less sturdy and more cheaply made compared to Salsa Deluxe.

 

[Xericx]

I was at the Rimowa store in Beverly Hills last week considering both as well (in the IATA carry-on sized)....they had a really nice shiny black color there. I was wondering what the +/- of these versus an aluminum Topas are. Its quite a large difference in price, but I kind of fell in love with the Topas when I saw it.


+/- with weight/durability/aesthetics/etc?

thanks!

 

[Get Smart]

the missus and I have 29" Salsa Airs...VERY light, weighs like 7 or 8 lbs. As mentioned, if you get the 32 it will be easy to overpack and exceed the 50lb allowance (and pay overage fine). The 29 can be overpacked as well, but a bit less likely than the 32. Nowadays with the 50lb weight limit it makes a lot of suitcases hard to travel with unless you are a real light packer and don't bring much back in terms of shopping/souvenirs.

 

[Hobbs]

Can anyone point me in the direction of a proper Rimowa brochure? I'm undecided on whether to get a Salsa or Topas Aluminium.

 

[Francisco]

I am thinking of getting one of cabin size too but don't know which to pick up.

 

[ville_e]

I have a Rimowa Salsa in black with 4 wheels. Great suitcase!! Strongly recommend it.

 

[Sandy Andina]

I have two Salsa Airs--a 26" bought on a river cruise at the Rimowa store in Cologne in 2012 and a 29" at Kaehler Luggage in Chicago, for an upcoming Paris trip, in early 2014. They are both unbelievably lightweight (6.4 and 7.1 lb respectively) and I've never come close to overpacking them. They spin and roll effortlessly and are (mostly) a joy to use--much better than the heavier knockoffs like Heys or London Fog. And only the Salsa Air offers the dual zippered mesh dividers--a godsend if you need to live out of the case but have no space on the luggage rack in your room to safely open it flat; with only one half covered by the zippered mesh (as on the cases with one mesh and one elastic strap or tiedown), if you have to prop it up in an L shape stuff will constantly be falling out.

Unfortunately, the handle on my 29" has never locked in place (a PITA when rolling two bags at once) and one of the zippers on the interior mesh dividers usually comes apart (one even lost its pull). Fortunately, each divider has two pulls so it's no major deal. I have a long business trip to Spain coming up, requiring enough nice clothes and shoes to get me through 10 days without doing laundry (and no, I do not wash my clothing in the sink at nice hotels!). I would dearly love to get the 32" Salsa Air, but it's an inch over the "oversize" cumulative limit of 62". Yet it weighs only 7.8 lb.! I will be flying Business Class across the ocean--and Iberia allows three free bags of less than 23kg ea. I find it utterly ridiculous that they'll let me check 3 30-inchers for a total weight of over 140 lbs., but not a 32 and a smaller bag that together, fully packed with anything short of bricks, wouldn't even come close to 100! And to add insult to injury, no matter what size and weight, within Spain Iberia offers only steerage....uh, Economy...with ONE free bag, period! Only Southwest lets the size thing slide, so long as the bag is underweight.

So I would highly recommend the Salsa Air over the Salsa or Salsa Deluxe--it's less expensive, no less durable (they'll fix my handle and zippers for free under warranty), and way, way lighter. In my experience, the fripperies that come with the more expensive models--e.g., add-a-bag strap (never used it on any suitcases I've owned--strap a bag onto any suitcase and it'll be unstable and tippy unless you pull the bag on only one set of wheels--tiring and defeats the purpose of a spinner), detachable suiter (adds weight and never holds enough hangers), H-shaped handles, tie-down interior straps--have been unnecessary at best and a disadvantage at worst.

So to be safe I plan to get the 30" model (holds 10 L more than the 29" but weighs only 7.4 lb.) to replace the heavier cheapo Heys from Target. And when the handle on my Swissgear soft side carry-on spinner (a freebie) finally bites the dust (likely at the end of the domestic trip I'm currently on), I'll probably get the equivalent dimension Salsa Air carry-on--lighter and holds more. (The Swissgear's only advantage is a laptop compartment accessible from the outside, but I'm TSA Pre-Check anyway so I don't need to remove my notebook at security).