Is Rimowa Worth It?
Updated June 2026
Short answer: Worth It for Some
Honestly? For most people, no — and we say that as fans of the bag. The Rimowa Original Check-In L is a gorgeous, durable, status-carrying aluminum icon, but at ~$1,800 it’s functionally outclassed by suitcases costing a fifth as much: it holds less, weighs more, organizes worse, and dents permanently. It’s worth it only for a specific buyer — someone who genuinely wants the aluminum design and cachet, travels often enough to amortize it over years, and treats the inevitable dents as character. If you’re buying a suitcase to travel well rather than to own a Rimowa, your money goes further almost anywhere else.
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Price breakdown
The aluminum Original Check-In L runs about $1,800; Rimowa’s polycarbonate Essential Check-In L gets you the brand and similar capacity for ~$1,200 (roughly $600 less). For context, that $1,800 is nearly five times the Away The Large ($375), almost four times the Travelpro Platinum Elite ($485), and about double the buy-it-for-life Briggs & Riley ($929). None of that premium buys more capacity or better organization — the Rimowa actually trails those bags on both. You’re paying for anodized aluminum, German manufacture, and the logo.
Performance benefits
What Rimowa genuinely delivers: a stunning, instantly recognizable design; a Multiwheel system that’s among the smoothest-rolling anywhere; a secure zipperless aluminum clamshell; and a real status signal. What it doesn’t deliver for the money is function — the 82–86 L capacity is smaller than cheaper rivals, the interior is a bare Flex Divider with little organization, and at 13.7 lb empty it eats into your weight allowance. As a piece of design and engineering it’s a joy; as a tool for moving clothes, it’s beaten by bags that cost far less.
Longevity
Longevity is the strongest part of the case. The aluminum-magnesium shell is genuinely built to last decades — it bends rather than cracks, and owners report 10+ years of functional use with wheels, latches, and handle intact, backed by a lifetime functional guarantee (no registration) and a global repair network. The catch is cosmetic and unavoidable: aluminum dents and scratches permanently from normal checked-bag handling, and that damage is explicitly excluded from the warranty. Rimowa calls it “patina”; whether that’s charm or a $1,800 disappointment is exactly the question only you can answer.
Alternatives to consider
- Rimowa Original Check-In L
If you want it, buy the aluminum Original for the look — or save ~$600 with Rimowa’s polycarbonate Essential.
7.6 - Away The Large
The $375 bag that outperforms it on capacity, organization, and value — the rational alternative.
8.1 - Briggs & Riley Baseline Large
If you’ll spend big, spend it here — a better-warrantied, buy-it-for-life bag for less than the Rimowa.
8.6
The verdict
Rimowa is worth it only for the buyer who specifically wants the aluminum icon and the status, travels enough to spread the cost over years, and accepts permanent dents as patina. For everyone else, it’s a want dressed up as a purchase: the Away The Large outperforms it for a quarter of the price, and the Briggs & Riley is a better luxury buy for less. Buy a Rimowa with your heart, eyes open — not because you think it’s the best suitcase, because it isn’t.