Inside RIMOWA: Which Packing System Works Best?

A Flex Divider is a height-adjustable panel that lowers over the packed load and anchors at the sides. It works best over folded clothing, packing cubes and other objects with a reasonably even top surface. Set the dense base first, distribute weight between the halves, then lower the panel until it holds rather than crushes. If the frame bows or the zipper fights, the divider is masking an overfilled case.

Original and Classic use Flex Divider organisation in their current suitcase specifications; Hybrid Cabin explicitly lists two panels, one for each half. The system keeps the entire interior visible when the case is opened and adapts as the wardrobe shrinks during a trip. Its weakness is containment: a charger or sock can migrate around an open panel unless placed in a pouch.

• Best load: folded layers, cubes and garments that form an even surface.
• Best habit: adjust the panel after packing, then confirm the case closes without using locks as leverage.
• Weak point: small loose pieces need their own pouch because the panel is not a sealed compartment.

Essential pairs a fully zipped compartment and large mesh pocket with a height-adjustable Flex Divider on the opposite half. That asymmetry is useful. Underwear, cables, laundry and small accessories disappear behind the zipper; jackets and folded clothing remain accessible beneath the panel. A traveller can open the case in a hotel without both halves immediately becoming exposed.

The arrangement is our general-purpose winner because it supports two different packing behaviours without requiring a full set of cubes. It also makes the 36-litre Essential Cabin feel organised rather than divided into two identical bays. Travellers who pack only cubes may prefer the cleaner symmetry of two panels, but most mixed wardrobes benefit from one side that actually closes.

• Zipped side: best for laundry, underwear, cables and other pieces that need containment.
• Flex Divider side: best for clothing whose height changes between outbound and return packing.
• Best buyer: someone who wants organisation built into the case rather than added through multiple pouches.

Essential Lite replaces the adjustable panel with zipped mesh dividers and adds a small zipped interior pocket. The design contributes to a Cabin that weighs only 2.2 kg. Mesh reveals what is beneath it and keeps the halves controlled when the case opens upright or at an angle, but its fixed geometry does not follow a shallow return load the way a Flex Divider can.

Use cubes to create structure and allow the mesh to perform its real job: containment. Bulky coats or irregular footwear can push against a wide area of fabric and make the zipper difficult to close. If adjustable pressure matters more than the one-kilogram saving over Essential Cabin, the standard collection's mixed interior is worth carrying.

• Best load: packing cubes, rolled clothing and evenly distributed lightweight pieces.
• Best advantage: the system supports Essential Lite Cabin's 2.2 kg empty weight.
• Weak point: no height adjustment for a shrinking or irregular load.

Original Pilot opens from the top and includes a removable padded pouch for laptops up to 16 inches, zipped pockets for chargers and a vertical pocket sized for a small bottle or umbrella. At 42 x 50 x 23 cm, 4.9 kg and 31 L, it is wide, heavy and unusually shaped for a cabin case—but it lets a traveller retrieve work equipment while the case remains upright.

Original Compact is 40.5 x 41.5 x 23 cm, 4.3 kg and 29 L. Its removable accordion organiser includes multiple pockets and laptop provision up to 16 inches, then lifts out to leave a small open case. Choose Pilot for repeated access beside a desk or in a terminal; choose Compact when the same object must alternate between wheeled briefcase and overnight case.

• Pilot — top opening; removable 16-inch laptop pouch; dedicated charger and bottle pockets; 31 L.
• Compact — side opening; removable accordion organiser; 16-inch laptop provision; 29 L.
• Neither shape should be bought for flying until every side has been compared with the operating airline's cabin limit.