Melbourne Hardside Expandable Spinner Wheel Luggage, Carry-On 20", Mint

This review is for the **Rockland Melbourne 28" Hardside Suitcase**. It is a great suitcase with plenty of room for longer trips. I was actually nervous about ordering it and almost didn’t because of some of the negative reviews and the “Frequently returned item” alert. I needed a suitcase at the last minute, though, and this was one of the few that could be delivered before my trip. I’m very glad I decided to give it a chance because I love this suitcase. It rolls incredibly well and is very easy to maneuver through airports. In fact, it rolls much better than my 28" Samsonite, although, to be fair, my Samsonite is much older and has been through a lot of trips. I haven’t had any problems with the zippers, either inside or outside the suitcase. One thing to know is that it does not have a built-in lock or come with a TSA lock. It only includes a very small padlock. I simply purchased TSA locks separately, which are inexpensive, so this wasn’t an issue for me. I also wasn’t sure I'd like the red, but I ended up loving it. It is **so easy to spot on the baggage carousel**, which is a huge plus. For the price, I really don’t think this suitcase can be beaten, especially considering the size, maneuverability, and overall quality. Luggage has gotten incredibly expensive, and this is an excellent value. If you’re hesitant because of the negative reviews or return warning, like I was, I would definitely give this suitcase a try.

Purchased for a trip and it worked as promised. Pros: It handles wonderfully on its wheels, it rolls smoothly and easily upright, making it take a lot less effort, you don't have to tip it sideways. (And the wheels seemed well made) It was roomy, big enough for a week-long (summer) trip. Cons: It isn't designed for a heavy traveler. The shell is lightweight, so how much abuse it can take is limited. The zipper will be its weakness, It takes a lot of use every time you open/close it during your trip. If you try to pack way too much, the zipper will fail sooner than later. As a carry-on it is excellent, you are the one handling it so you can treat it with care. I travel 1-2x a year, so for me it will be fine. I would recommend this little carry-on, and I liked the purple color.

As allot of reviewers have already notated, this luggage reeks of a chemical smell. It actually smells of moth balls. Prior to my trip I placed it in a separate room and let it air out for several weeks. Closer to the trip I used a box of baking soda to "suck up" some of the odor. On my trip I included a dryer sheet along with my belongings and didn't have a problem with my clothes smelling. After about three weeks it still has a slight smell of moth balls. If this is an odor you can not stomach, I would just walk away now. I don't take umbridge with it as I took the above precautions, but it did reflect in me giving it one less star. Now, as far as the over quality and durability of the item,it works fantastic. I fly out of a smaller airport since I'm in the Midwest flyover part of the country, thus, smaller airplanes. Anyone who has ever flown on a Canadian Regional Jet knows that the overhead compartments are tighter than tight. I had a full bag (although I did not need to use the expansion zipper) and was able to squeeze it into the overhead bin like a glove. The flight attendant even doubted that it would work and once I was able to maneuver it in, some applause broke out in the cabin. I normally used a backpack on my previous journeys, I was able to get double the amount of clothes and belongings in this bag. I'm an obese guy, so my clothes are double the size of a normal person, I was able to get a weeks worth of clothes, my hygiene kit, a pair of sandals, and a set of shoes in there comfortably. I actually had additional room. The luggage is extremely lightweight and rolls around smoothly on smooth surfaces. The only issue I have with the construction is the handle feels a little flimsy once it's extended all the way (it's of the telescoping variety). If you are a shorter individual, this won't be an issue as you won't need to extend it all the way, but if you're over 5 ft 10 in, then you'll need to telescope the handle. As long as you're pulling it from behind, there shouldn't be an issue, but if you tweak or twist the handle more than just enough pressure will probably break the thing. Another bonus I was not expecting was a luggage lock is included. The zippers work smoothly. [UPDATE: I have had this carry on for an entire decade now! I've bumped the rating up to 5 stars because of its resilience and durability. I've flown around the world to several countries several times with it (and it has the scars to prove it) and it has not failed me once. I'm happy to report the initial moth ball smell dissipated after the first year. Unfortunately, the last year or so the wheels are starting to become a little wonky with age. I'm assuming the wheel bearings are probably going bad, but with as much use as I've received from the old workhorse, that's to be expected. I absolutely love the old gal, we have so many memories together across several continents. The day those wheel bearings finally give out will be a very sad day for me.]

The case itself is awesome! Great for the price and well thought out storage compartments. I was skeptical of the “carbon fiber” but it looks nice. The protective plastic wrap however is VERY annoying. I can’t get it out of the small crevices around the feet and handles. Other than that I love it but please stop putting the protective covering for future customers. Or at least put it OVER the feet and handles instead of under.

I bought this for my 13 year old’s first trip out of the country. We live in the deep South, and he went to Montreal for 2 weeks in late July, so, as you can imagine, he required quite a range of clothing. We weren’t sure if he’d need shorts or pants, tees or sweatshirts, etc. So, being the person that I am, I packed everything. AND IT WAS ONLY HALF FULL! I cannot believe how much stuff this thing holds. I swear it’s bigger on the inside. Now, as for the details. The suitcase rolls smoothly and my son said it was easy for him to navigate with it, even in a crowded airport. The zipper held up well (and this is not a kid who’s easy on things), so it’s obviously very durable. He loved the hard case and the bright orange color. He said it made it easy for him to identify at the luggage carousel. He also liked the fabric divider on the inside, which allowed him to separate dirty from clean clothes between laundry days. Overall, this was definitely a good find, and I feel like the price was more than fair. (large Persian cat for scale in the pics)

I really like this Rockland 28-inch luggage! It has plenty of space, rolls smoothly, and feels sturdy. I love the blue color, and the expandable design is very convenient when I need extra room. Overall, it’s a great suitcase for traveling and I would definitely recommend it!

FINAL UPDATE!!! This is my final update! I just limped my way back from a wonderful Alaskan Cruise praying the entire return leg flying from Anchorage to Seattle to home in Albuquerque and hoping my belongings wouldn’t be strewn all over the airplane or baggage loading! I gave this second “replacement” Rockland hardside a chance after having to have the original purchased item replaced twice. Once for an extremely offensive odor from a bad batch of plastic and then again for cracks that appeared when the case had not been used, but had just been stored in my closet. I trusted Rockland and now regret that decision. It was not pleasant to have to worry if the duct tape provided by Princess Cruises would hold, but it did thank goodness! I should give the duct tape a good review! We limped our way back and the duct tape held! The large suitcase of the set of three is going to the recycle bin and I will not be seeking a replacement at a cost to me of $40 more dollars!!!!! Buyer beware! I thought I had sufficiently researched before I spent my fixed income dollars on luggage! Apparently I made the wrong decision! I hope you don’t have the same bad experience i did!! ORIGINAL REVIEWS! I will say the Rockland Customer Service Department is helpful! My thanks to “Rep 1” for assisting me with the returns. As I stated earlier, I purchased the original three piece set from Amazon’s Warehouse. The rating was good and I had previously purchased items from the Warehouse and saved quite a bit of money. Unfortunately this purchase was a big mistake! The odor of the luggage was irritating and never went away! I see now that this was an indication of a bad batch of plastic which becomes hard and brittle with time! But, like I said, I had thrown away the packaging! The 28” cracked from the weight of the two smaller cases just being stored inside. For $40, Rockland replaced the large case. I should have returned all three! A year later, I find that the 20” has cracked just from being stored! And the 24” showed signs of cracking. For another $40, Rockland Customer Service has now replaced the remaining two cases. So I did not really save any money. Probably in the end, after paying an additional $40 twice for “warranty” replacements, I paid more than I would have paid by just paying full price. I am disappointed in myself for not immediately returning the smelly luggage, disappointed in Rockland for selling a bad batch of luggage to begin with, and disappointed in Amazon Warehouse workers for rating the smelly suitcases as “like new!” I have a cruise with family coming up in July, which will be the first major test of this replacement luggage. Please cross your fingers for me that these replacement cases hold up and I don’t end up kicking myself for giving Rockland another chance! I am more than disappointed with this luggage. I actually got rid of a perfectly good set of luggage to “upgrade” to this hard side set. It has been stored since purchase a year ago and when I pulled it out to pack for a trip to my daughter’s, I saw a small piece of plastic on the floor. Upon further inspection I found that simply storing them with small inside the larger case, apparently it was too much stress and the plastic on the larger case had actually split! I have contacted the manufacturer since it is supposed to have a five year warranty and it was purchased just a year ago but never really used util now. I will update this review if I receive a positive response from the manufacturer! ORIGINAL REVIEW: I purchased this set a few weeks ago and unfortunately I discarded the damaged packaging as soon as it arrived; otherwise I probably would have returned the suitcases. I have been trying to neutralize the odor from the lining ever since they arrived. The chemical smell was overwhelming. I had to leave them outside on my balcony because the chemical smell was so strong. I have aired them out, sprayed the linings with Febreeze, aired them out some more, sprayed them again, repeat, repeat. The odor has finally gotten fainter and I now have charcoal packets in each in the hopes that the chemical smell goes away. I can’t believe the set I received is the only one with the strong overpowering smell. Please read all of the reviews before you purchase this set of luggage. If you do not have the time to devote to trying to eliminate the chemical smell, I would recommend purchasing another brand. At any rate, don’t be so hasty to throw the packaging away! You may need it to return these smelly suitcases!

[Pros] Durable, very lightweight, distinctive colors for airline travel, sized very well for airline travel* (smallest bag meets carry-on requirements, see below), ergonomic and versatile movement/storage. [Cons] (Minor) Very strong smell when opened! **Not heavy, thick, "rigid" plastic, if that's what you're looking for! It's hard to tell online, but this luggage set isn't that style. Before talking about the benefits of this set, just a warning: Don't open the packaging inside! These things smell like burnt tires when you cut the plastic open -- that said, this is a very minor issue. The smell is purely from the ABS plastic and only on the outside. Leave them on a covered patio for a day, give them a little wipe down with a soapy rag, and you're good. Now on to the good stuff! ~ Durability: These guys are tough! You can tell the quality just by pulling them out of the packaging. I've used them for two business trips so far, and we all know how luggage gets thrown around, and these still look good. -- That said, read what I said above: **These are indeed made of tough ABS plastic, but it is thin, flexible plastic. So the overall shape holds true for being thrown around (far better than cloth), but you can push it with your hand and it'll indent and pop back out. If something fragile is inside, it'd still need to be heavily padded. ~ Sizes: As noted above, the luggage sizes are great for air travel. *The smallest case fits under the Delta standard of 22" x 14" x 9" IF not overstuffed -- Verified with a tape measure it's well within the 22 and 14, but it's right at 9 on the depth so a stuffed bag might not make the squeeze. As for the other cases, the medium one is nice and... medium. And the large is nice and... large. Bluntly, most men should be able to adequately pack about 2 weeks of clothes in the medium, and ladies 2 weeks in the large. I don't know what the large one stuffed-to-the-gills would be like as far as weight requirements go with the airlines, I haven't needed to pack for that long of a trip. ~ Ergonomics: It can be seen easily in the picture, but to verify; There are telescoping handles on each piece. There is also a carry handle on the top and on one side, to be carried vertically or horizontally. When not in use, these can be pushed down flush with the case. There are 4 caster wheels on the bottom that roll in all directions, and they work well. Opposite of the side handle, there are rubber pieces so that the case can se set down horizontally as well. -- For storage, the small fits into the medium and the medium into the large (that's how it's shipped as well). ~ Internal: This aspect doesn't matter to me so much, because it's easy to use grocery bags to separate things. But for some it might: The top section has a flap with a zipper that goes all the way around, so that the top section can be completely separated from the bottom internally. There's also a pouch with a zipper attached to one of the horizontal sides. The internal material is standard thin, silk-like cloth os it's not a waterproof storage container. Pretty standard. ~ Aesthetics: If looks matter to you concerning luggage, this is a very handsome set. I just liked all of the color options, as I'm tired of looking for black luggage on a carousel. I got the orange set -- It's pumpkin orange plastic shell, flat black plastic trim, light gray patterned interior. [Conclusion] I am very pleased. There are probably better 3-Piece sets out there, but at holiday 2014 I got these for $133. That's the price of cheap luggage, but at a much higher quality. I'm not a heavy traveller, but for someone who travels occasionally with business these are great and I expect they'd even work well for a heavy traveller.

Adoro il verde, e tra millemila valigie dai colori noiosi, questa chiamava il mio nome! Ideale per weekends, sembra piuttosto resistente ed ha la capienza giusta per un viaggio di qualche giorno. (e' pure estendibile!). All'interno, e' molto comodo il comparto chiuso con la zip. Le ruote consentono di fare fatica minima. Super consigliata!

Maleta color bronce tal como la foto, las medidas 55x35x22 sin expandir con el bastón arriba estirado mide 90 cms y con la expansión del cierre mide 27 cms. Aproximadamente. Espero que Viva Aerobús me la acepte sin documentar porque con esa i tensión la compré. La calidad del material y terminados es un poco barata, pero pienso que si la traes arriba se cuida más de los maltratos de documentar. El bastón o jaladera corre y baja bien, trae un candado pero se ve que no es muy seguro. Recomiendo cómprale uno más resistente. En general la maleta es un producto bueno, bonito y barato. El color está increíble!

Been to Disney and back to Winnipeg and been camping a few times. Still looks as good as new.

Love the colour works well moves well value for money

I regret not buying another one 😩 Gorgeous bag. Premium quality. Stunning color (Baskin Robbins color 😄) So glad I bought it 🥰