The famous grooved design is back. In this Rimowa Hybrid Cabin S review, we look at the design, features and more of this upmarket cabin luggage.
What a Rimowa ‘Hybrid’ Is
First up, let’s begin with understanding what Hybrid means in this sense. Rimowa currently has six lines of luggage in their collection: Original, Essential, Classic, Essential Lite, Essential Sleeve and Hybrid.
The Hybrid is made of polycarbonate material, which is flexible and lightweight. Some of the parts are also made of aluminium.
This gives the owner the best of both worlds: The strength and robustness of the aluminium on the corners and handle add to the (also lightweight) bendy polycarbonate body.
The polycarbonate body means that the Hybrid Cabin S is much lighter than a case made of all aluminium. It’s a great choice when considering a maximum weight allowance being eaten up by the case material itself.
Whereas aluminium can dent and be scratched pretty easily (see below), you shouldn’t have this issue with the Hybrid Cabin S’s polycarbonate.
Rimowa Hybrid Cabin S Dimensions
- Width: 40 centimetres
- Height: 55 centimetres
- Depth: 20 centimetres
Features of the Hybrid Cabin S
The four wheels move very easily together. In fact, when pulling this around, I don’t even think about the wheels at all thanks to their excellent design. It can be spun around 360 degrees without any issues.
The telescopic handle on the top of the bag has four height adjustment settings and this is operated using a button on the handle. Again, very well-designed and simple to use – as you might expect for this price tag, might I add.
There is also a side handle in case you wish to carry the Cabin S in a different way rather than wheel it around.
No zips! I really like the fact that there are not any zips to get stuck (or clothes caught in!) on the Hybrid Cabin S. Instead, there are two locks which are TSA-approved.
That just means the airport staff can easily open the case if needs be without causing damage.
Finally, inside the Cabin S, you will be able to use the height-adjustable Flex Divider system, which is a fancy Rimowa way of saying that you can separate both sides of the case. It keeps things where they should be!
There are some pockets inside should you need them. They also include some stickers and a leather luggage tag. You can find these in the Rimowa folder which also includes the owners’ manual.
They do think of just about everything, and again you should expect this from a premium, top-of-the-range luxury goods company.
Rimowa Triva: Did you know?
When Rimowa first started making luggage, most of its products were made of wood? A fire in its factory in the 1930s soon put paid to the wood-based designs as the aluminium ones survived. The polycarbonate designs came about in the mid-2000s.
Should You Buy the Rimowa Hybrid Cabin S?
Let’s not beat about the bush; You will need to fork out quite a lot to buy an item from (probably) Germany’s most prestigious luggage manufacturer.
If you can afford this case, consider the following: It’s made of the toughest, lightest and most flexible of materials from the Rimowa range.
If (like most people) you are going to want something to last a long time then it’s a positive. However, if you want something that stays as scratch and dent-free as possible, then this might not be for you.
Here is the condition of this case after a couple of weeks of travelling:
Most scuff marks on the polycarbonate can be wiped clean pretty easily. Still, nothing’s perfect, I suppose.
A five-year guarantee is available (make sure that you register it with Rimowa online to avail yourself of this – otherwise it’s only 2 years).
It must be said that throughout this Hybrid Cabin S review, it has been hard not to notice just what a stunning bit of luggage it is to look at, too. In short, if you can afford it, this is likely a purchase that will not be regretted – especially if you travel a lot.