Travel Accessories Review: Samsonite RED Robo II Range

Stylish, durable and packed with essential features, this new hard-shell spinner range of luggage from Samsonite RED is not only practical but will have you travelling in style.

• What Is It: A range of luxury hard-shell cases.

• Why buy: They boast good looks, great features and will last for years.

• The Details: Samsonite RED Robo II range costs rrp $379 for the 55cm spinner, $499 for the 66cm spinner, and $549 for the 77cm spinner, and it comes in red and silver colours. Available from www.samsonite.com.au and various stockists nationally.

Road Test

As a frequent traveller for many years, I’ve been through many pieces of luggage from carry on bags to backpacks and cases, and from soft-sided and leather to hard-sided. Samsonite RED is one of the luggage brands I often return to for a variety of reasons. For one, its luggage always has innovative design and striking good looks, but one of the main perks on top of this is terrific durability. Every luggage set I’ve ever owned has given many years of heavy duty, frequent travelling service; one set in particular went around the world multiple times, and was loaded on to large and small aircraft, cruise ships, rental cars, and even the odd helicopter. New to Samsonite RED current ranges, and likely to excite travel fans with a love of top notch luggage, is the RED Robo II. This hard-sided, spinner range comes in two colours, red and silver, and there are three sizes of case to choose from, or you can splurge on all three; a generous 77cm spinner, a mid-sized 66cm spinner and a petite 55m spinner.

First the good looks. All three cases are identical and have lovely design features including a split-corrugated exterior shell and soft, curved corners. The top section of the shell is silver with vertical stripes and the larger bottom section is a richer grey with horizontal stripes; both are separated by a stripe featuring a two-tone herringbone pattern. The shell is made from a polycarbonate material, where durability meets a lightweight design, and all three cases have soft, lime green styling adding a touch of colour, including the brand name on the front, and a trim following the lines of the main compartment zip. When it comes to practical details, however, some of the key ones include four 360 degree multi-directional spinner wheels delivering effortless movement, top mounted and integrated TSA locks to keep your possessions safe and secure, a lightweight, retractable aluminium tube handle, and a top handle for convenience. 

Moving onto the main compartment of each case, they are almost identical and feature some lime green styling along with various pockets for practical storage. The bottom half of the compartment has functional, adjustable elastic cross ribbons - trimmed with lime green - which can secure packed items and stop them from shifting. And at the back there is a long, lime green zipped pouch for anything small such as keys, pill bottles, adaptors etc. The lid has a full sized zippered flap to keep its contents secure on opening, and on the front of the flap is a second zipped pouch ideal for paperwork. Another bonus is that all three cases are expandable up to 5 cm for increased packing space, or to take care of extra shopping or souvenirs you may pick up on your travels. Finally the essential stats: the 77 cm case is 77 x 50 x 31 cm, weighing 5.4 kg and with a volume of 93/109 L; the 66 cm case is 66 x 44 x 28 cm, weighing 4.2 kg and with a volume of 61/74 L; and finally the 55 cm case is 55 x 35 x 25 cm, weighing 3.2 kg, and with a volume of 34/42 L.

UltimateTravelMagazine.com Loves 

• Each case comes with a limited 10 year global warranty.
• They are incredibly lightweight and look great
• The cases are packed with useful features.
• The cases come with their own soft covers to protect them while you store them in between uses.
• You get fast and free delivery if you purchase directly from Samsonite RED.

We're giving away a full set of Samsonite RED Robo II cases valued at $1,427! To go to the competition page, click here.