When it comes to premium luggage, few brands command attention like Rimowa. In the world of check-in suitcases, the Rimowa Trunk and Trunk Plus have become iconic choices for travelers who need capacity without compromising on style. But between the standard Trunk and the larger Trunk Plus, which one is the right investment for your next journey?
This review dives deep into the features, durability, and real-world performance of these unique suitcases. We will explore the pros and cons of owning a Rimowa Trunk, compare the polycarbonate and aluminum options, and help you decide if these luxury pieces are worth the splurge or if you should look for alternatives.
Why Choose the Rimowa Trunk Design?
The Rimowa Trunk series is distinct because of its shape. Unlike traditional suitcases, the Trunk is deeper and narrower, inspired by the original travel trunks of the past.
The Shape Advantage
What I like so much about this suitcase is first of all the size. It has a huge capacity, even more than my check-in large, that feels way nicer to move around. It is not that bulky like a standard size and it is easier to load in cars, pull around in areas with gates, and it also stands very stable on its wheels.
Due to the stable stand in the square top part, it is very nice and reliable to stack additional bags on it. So you will never have this weird feeling that maybe your bag will fall down. I really like that the top of it is very wide so you can set a duffel bag or your purse or even if you’re carrying a box or a bin, something like that, it’s very easy to set on top.
Packing Bulky Items
The next cool thing about it, and especially the size and dimension, is that you can pack bulky stuff like helmets, boots, cases, everything that’s more in the square size better into the suitcase. For example, I usually travel with my safety boots and my safety helmets as I need to take them for my work. These items are very inconvenient to pack into a normal-sized suitcase but with the trunk size, there is no problem for me.
My fiancé was the one packing this and he said he much preferred it for thicker items say like knitwear, heavy jackets, especially now that it’s like fall-winter weather. Definitely, the suitcase is better too because it’s a lot deeper. So if you’re purchasing something that maybe comes in a box, which we did stock up on some stuff in the states, so I just much preferred this I think so far.
Rimowa Essential Trunk Plus: The Polycarbonate Option
We decided to purchase the Rimowa Trunk, the polycarbonate one, just because insurance was covering it so we didn’t pay out of pocket for this. This is the Rimowa Essential Trunk Plus in polycarbonate and we got it in the Matte Black. The man at the store told my fiancé that he would recommend the matte over the glossy just because the chips and scratches don’t show quite as much. I kind of maybe disagree now that I see how it looks just after a small amount of light.
Durability Concerns
This has been on four or five flights and it is looking pretty beat up. So that’s why I wouldn’t really recommend any of the Rimowa check-in luggage just because no matter what it is it’s going to get beat up. I just think I would go with a more affordable brand like away or honestly anything really. Yes, is it nice to have the Rimowa luggage? Of course, but I don’t think you really need the check-in.
I tried to wipe it down but these are kind of permanent indents. So yeah, it’s already not really looking the nicest but it is what it is. It’s going to get pretty mashed up but you just have to know if you get this you have to be okay with that. You can’t be a perfectionist. Not that I am, but I do like to take care of my stuff especially expensive stuff.
Features of the Essential Trunk Plus
It has the five little feet stoppers rolling away on me and then it just has the one little code there instead of two like the other ones it has. These handles are actually really good. The rubber that it’s made out of on the underside is very grippy so it really makes it easy to lift up. So there’s a handle there on the side, on the top of it up here, and yeah that’s it. And then you can see it has the leather a little bit there and it definitely has some give. It’s a tag there you can get it personalized.
So I feel like the handle comes up really high on this so this suitcase I feel like is a bit better if you’re a very tall person. And then the top of this is great because if you have a big um like a duffel bag or a big tote bag it easily sits up there or even if you know you happen to be carrying like a package or something like that um that you might be shipping it easily fits up there as well.
Interior and Capacity
I just opened it for you guys so you can see this side is really quite deep. It’s a lot deeper than the bigger silver suitcase that I have. So this is great if you have winter coats or knitwear puffy sweaters or even if you have to bring home something that’s in a box and you don’t want to open it up I find that this was a lot better. And then just like the other Rimowas it has this it’s like a zipper mesh pouch you could take it out if you really had to um but those are great.
This side is not as deep and it’s just that like silky lining. This is better for more delicate things but definitely when you close it it has a lot more flexibility and it definitely has more give so we were able to put a lot more in here. You can definitely overpack this a bit more. When we were leaving we went on a month-long trip when we were leaving he was like about to close a suitcase I’m like there’s no way that’s going to close it actually closed pretty easily.
Rimowa Original Trunk: The Aluminum Option
If I can only have two pieces I would stick with my aluminum the silver colored carry-on with the black leather handles. Definitely go with the silver because the black scratches really badly and it just doesn’t look as nice. And then if I had to pick a check-in piece of luggage I would go with the trunk the polycarbonate one.
However, let’s look at the aluminum options. I will say I think I definitely prefer this trunk as opposed to the silver check-in that we have that aluminum one. The aluminum trunk (often referred to as the Rimowa Sport or Original Trunk) has its own pros and cons.
Aluminum Durability vs Polycarbonate
Comparing the two carry-ons: Look how nice the silver one still looks. This is around 6 or so 7 years old almost. Look at this black one. This I think we got in 2021 so it’s only a few years old and it’s already pretty beat up. So what happens with the black is the metal starts showing through. Some people might not mind it I don’t like how it looks I think it looks really cheap. This silver one is still nice and shiny I just even like the plate there a little bit better this doesn’t stand out as much.
But if you want something a little bit more like inconspicuous you can go with the black. Definitely if I only had to pick one I would pick the silver carryon with the black leather handles. If I could pick two I would pick this one and then the black trunk just because you can fit more in it.
The Downsides of the Trunk Design
It is important to discuss the shortcomings. So what’s the downside of it?
- Stability When Packing: Due to its shape, the suitcase will always fall to one side when you pack it. It is not laying flat on the ground and has a very more wobbly feeling while packing it. This is not a big deal but can feel very annoying.
- Price and Availability: The suitcase is more expensive than a normal Rimowa check-in and you usually will not find these at suitcase dealers besides the Rimowa stores. So a discount on one of these trunks is very difficult to get.
- Finish Quality: I have the feeling the quality and finishing is not on the same level like the level of finishing my other Rimowas have. When I bought the suitcase it had a broken lock already it was bent a little bit and I saw some other trunks in the same store that already had some bumps. Also from my feeling after six months of traveling with it it feels like the stability is not on the same level of the normal check-in and it gets bent easier.
Since the first service Rimowa did I already had a second one for proper alignment of both sides of the suitcase. The shell of it received quite a few heavy bumps and of course a lot of scratches. You can see that especially the edges of the suitcase get a lot of hits.
Trunk vs. Trunk Plus vs. Check-In L
Here is a comparison to help visualize the size differences.
So here is the silver the check-in. So essentially the trunk the bottom half of it is the width of this whole suitcase. So you essentially just get this extra bit on the front and like I said because this can expand a little bit too and then this has a little bit of give you get even a little bit extra space.
These are almost the same height. The trunk is a little bit taller. I’ll show you with all the handles up too just in case you want to compare. So this is with all the handles fully extended so you can see the trunk and this check-in it’s essentially the same height.
I will say you have to be careful not to overload the Trunk Plus too too much otherwise you might go overweight whereas with the standard Check-In there’s not really a possibility of overloading it it really has no give so we’ve never went overweight with this. This one we did have to take some stuff out and rearrange it just because it does fit quite a bit more when you look up here.
Comparing Rimowa Models
| Feature | Essential Trunk Plus (Polycarbonate) | Original Trunk (Aluminum) | Check-In L (Aluminum) |
| Shape | Deep & Narrow (Boxy) | Deep & Narrow (Boxy) | Standard Flat & Wide |
| Material | Polycarbonate | Anodized Aluminum | Anodized Aluminum |
| Packing Style | 70/30 Split (Deep side + Shallow side) | 70/30 Split | 50/50 Split (Equal halves) |
| Weight | Lighter, flexible | Heavier, rigid | Heavy, rigid |
| Durability | Scratches show on matte black; flexible | Dents add character; sturdy | Dents add character; sturdy |
| Best For | Bulky items (Helmets, boots, boxes) | Bulky items | Standard clothes packing |
| Risk | Can be overpacked (weight limit) | Harder to overpack | Harder to overpack |
Maneuverability and Daily Use
If you and a partner like to travel together even if you don’t get Rimowa brand suitcases if you get the same brand so they all wheel the same it will really really make a big difference. If you’re running in the airport running to get to a train these Rimowa they wheel so beautifully. Both of us have had each wheel every sort of combination so sometimes you know one of us is taking both the big ones another time you’re taking both the small ones or one big one small and I just find that they wheel seamlessly. I’ve never had an issue even if they’re fully packed I don’t find them that hard.
The only time is sometimes the very big ones if they’re really packed and you’re on really plush carpet at a hotel like in the hallway sometimes it is a little bit hard to wheel but probably most suitcases are like that. Other than that I mean these are just a dream.
Height Considerations
I brought all the luggage over to the mirror just in case you want to see how high it comes up on me I’m 5’9 for reference. So here is the trunk. I find that these are great if you’re a little bit taller like me because you don’t have to bend down too low. Like I said you can put your tote bag here and you can have easy access to it. Obviously you know you can slide your backpack on it if it has that little strap at the back and even just your purse. This is great actually both of these are pretty good for most purses.
Here’s the trunk one it just kind of comes up to your mid or upper thigh if you’re around my height like I said this one is about the same height. If you want to see the carry-on it comes down quite a bit lower but I really like it.
Is it Worth the Price?
This retails for in Swiss Franks it’s 122260 right now we paid a little bit less than that just because he got it somewhere else. If you happen to be traveling you know maybe somewhere in Europe you could always purchase something like that there and get the VAT back to save a little bit of money.
However, for around half a year I am now using the Rimowa trunk for around six flights per month. The flights I used it for are normally flights starting at three hours but can go up to nine hours and sometimes with an airplane exchange and the stop at half the distance. So I would say the suitcase is under quite some extensive usage. In addition to that this suitcase became my favorite Rimowa of all three that I own so I usually prefer taking this one instead of the check in large that I also own.
I hope I gave you a good overview how your luxury suitcase will suffer while you’re traveling with it but still of course I love the Rimowa and enjoy every flight with it.
If you are unsure about spending this much on a suitcase, you might want to consider looking into is myrtle beach trashy to save money on a destination instead, or check out our comparison of beis vs away for more affordable luggage alternatives that still offer great style.
Final Verdict
If I had to pick a check-in piece of luggage I would go with the trunk the polycarbonate one. I really like that the top of it is very wide so you can set a duffel bag or your purse. My fiancé was the one packing this and he said he much preferred it for thicker items say like knitwear heavy jackets.
But be warned: The shell of it received quite a few heavy bumps and of course a lot of scratches. You can see that especially the edges of the suitcase get a lot of hits. If you get this you have to be okay with that you can’t be a perfectionist.
For those who need to pack specific, bulky items like helmets or boxes, the Trunk shape is superior. For general travel, the deep design offers flexibility that the standard clamshell check-in does not. While the price is high and the finish may show wear, the functionality of the Rimowa Trunk series is undeniable for the frequent traveler.