I’m a huge luggage fan, well to be honest - a fan of anything associated with travel. I already have some Tumi and Rimowa pieces and love those brands, but the check-in cases we had were really too bulky for our first post-lockdown trip to Croatia, where we would travel on a high-speed ferry between Dubrovnik & Hvar and needed a case that would be easily manoeuvred on and off a ferry.

The Trip

After having cancelled a number of trips during the lockdown period (and a round-the-world trip planned for May), with this easing and certain countries accepting UK travellers and some not requiring a quarantine on our return, I booked a two-centre holiday to Croatia. If you want to read about the trip you can find the detailed itinerary here, and I’ve already posted two hotel reviews (Hotel Villa Dubrovnik and Palace Elisabeth Hvar Heritage Hotel). We flew from London to Dubrovnik with British Airways, so it was essential for luggage to be robust and I didn’t want to spend up to £1,000 or so on something that would get damaged on the first outing. I also knew that there would be a fair bit of manual handling getting to the Old Port in Dubrovnik, the ferry to Hvar, being taken to the Hvar Hotel then back on a private charter (Sea Thunder) from Hvar Port to Split Airport.

What I was looking for

I knew that a check-in case of around 60 litre capacity would be ideal (the Rimowa cases we have are nearer 100 litre capacity) and they would have (1) had too much space for an 8-day trip but also (2) been a bit too bulky to manoeuvre on and off the ferry, and the hotel in Hvar was only a short walk from the Port. I love the iconic Original aluminium cases from Rimowa, but I think with this investment of money it could only ever be in a cabin case so as to never have it go through the check-in process and the damage that often ensues, regardless of airline. It has to be said though, Japan Airlines (JAL) do seem to take the best care ever of luggage.

I looked around at different brands in my research - I’m a bit fastidious here and am happy to spend time doing this; looking at different brands, finding out what’s on offer, checking pricing, reading reviews, evaluating design etc. I quite quickly homed in on Horizn Studios which, being perfectly honest, I’d never even heard of before. I checked them out on Instagram and liked the branding and especially liked the pricing (and even better at the moment as they have quite a discounted sale package). They also seemed to have exactly what I was looking for (mid-size check in case and coordinating brand travel bag) but as an added extra I also realised they have a fantastic selection of travel accessories too, more on these below

The Range

In summary, there are basically four sizes of luggage, two cabin sized and two check-in sized, with a number of different ‘Lines’ - The Essential Line, The Smart Edition, Customise with HORIZN ID, and finally some super-cool Pro & Special Editions. I’m no DJ but check out the Pro Model ST - DJ Case; love the style, size and shape (the ‘Fully Equipped’ version comes complete with DJ Gear Cubes, a Modular Vinyl Stand and a one-click removable Smart Charger).

The two cabin sizes, in the essential line are 33L for the M5 and a slightly larger 35L for the H5 - they come in a range of colours like Pale Rose, Marine Green, Blonde and Glossy Lemon but also come (more to my taste) in more muted All Black, Dark Olive, Night Blue and Graphite. This isn’t an exhaustive list and colours vary by both range and size, and whether you opt for the Essential or Smart version. The Smart version has (no surprise) the removable smart charger but also has differences with compression pads and interior mesh liners, and the Smart comes with a premium laundry bag too. You can check out the comparison table here.

All cases are hard shell in Aerospace-grade German polycarbonate with a Premium water-resistant nylon lining, all 100% vegan. Throughout the trip we found these held up well, gave us confidence that everything was secure, and they looked really good too. The wheels moved easily and, when empty, the cases were extremely light.

Special Editions

When I started to check out the full range, I particularly liked the fact that there were limited edition ranges with different partner artists and iconic brands - the DJ case I mentioned above is a collaboration with the acclaimed DJ and Producer Seth Troxler; there were also two partner associations with BMW and Soho House. I like simplicity and elegant design, so the BMW x Horizn Studios tie-in appealed - the check-in case version was in BMW black and had slight design differences to the normal range. These were subtle but enough to differentiate the case from the base range and came equipped with the premium interior accessories and not least had the built-in USB charger as standard.

The SoFo Weekender

I’ve tried different bags over the years for hand-luggage, sometimes getting it just right and sometimes not - bags can be awkward on the back if they have shoulder straps only, yet difficult to carry at times if they don’t. I always try to travel in-flight as light as possible, but the more tech I carry for travel writing (like my DJI Mavic Mini drone & Osmo Pocket, Canon SLR camera, iPad, Apple Mac, etc. etc,) all adds up and a bag needs to have decent capacity. 

I instantly liked the look of this bag, it’s made of water-resistant waxed canvas and has a smart outer pocket which attaches easily (and securely) to Horizn luggage. It’s comfortable to carry (has both padded handles and a removable shoulder strap) and is fitted with various pockets on the inside to separate out items and the pocket on the back is a perfect size for making your passport readily accessible. It’s volume is 32L in total, so big enough to pack lots in but not too big as to be awkward to fit into overhead lockers or incur the wrath of the airline staff by not meeting their guidelines.

Travel Accessories

I must say I do like everything to coordinate (I know I know, it’s sad) so was really pleased to also find that there were lots of luggage accessories (like top cases, wash bags, packing cubes). There was also a great Tech Organiser (which I bought straight away) in premium waterproof tarpaulin which has a whole array of inner small, large and zippered pockets to differentiate and keep separate things like cables, a travel mouse, chargers and power adaptors. With all the tech I tend to take I need to have a whole set of these and it was great to have everything secure in one place, and easily visible on opening.

With restrictions now on taking toiletries on board, I usually find that we end up with a collection of used 100ml clear plastic bags that get replaced every trip as usually something leaks en route. I also find that the seal usually stops working and you then get a job worthy security agent that won’t approve the bag unless it seals. A nice addition to my purchases was a Horizn Liquids Bag for each of us - these were just £20 and come in lots of different colour options for the trim, albeit I just opted again for black. They were compliant with all airport security and TSA regulations, made from animal-friendly materials, were transparent on all sides and had a good zipper closure instead of the plastic seal.

The Unboxing

My complimentary case (the BMW collaboration M6 for which I thank Horizn) and the other items I’d ordered (and paid in full for) came quickly by UPS, one of the most efficient and trust-worthy delivery services. All items were boxed and on opening each individual item (including the cases) all came with a drawstring fabric bag for protection - which you can re-use when storing your luggage away. The cases all came with an HS branded vegan luggage tags, this can be customised with initials at extra cost. There was a care instruction package which gave tips on keeping your luggage in the best condition and what to do to clean them (and more importantly, substances not to use which could damage the materials).

My Opinion

After having been checked-in and travelled on 4 individual flights through three different airports in two countries, the cases did stand the test of time. Yes there were marks, mine was a bit more unlucky than ‘Mrs’ ThePrivateTraveller’s but these just can’t be helped and on returning home we were able to clean off most of these marks. I much as I love luggage to be pristine, I tell myself that any marks “just add character”.  The space in the H6 65L cases were exactly right for what we needed - enough space for 8 days’ travel but equally still very maneuverable for different forms of transport. With the dividers and compression pad we were able to squeeze in that bit more on the return and the zipped closures made it easy to seal up for transport, as were the combination locks (TSA approved) easy to use. They really worked for us and looked fantastic too. With the addition of my SoFo Weekender bag on top of the case (it neatly and securely could be attached to the case handle) it gave me all the space I needed and I loved all the travel accessories that we bought too. The BMW case I was gifted, but without any requirement I also bought two other cases, the bag and all the travel accessories mentioned.

All in all, I love the brand, the range, the product and the customer service has been really good too. It doesn’t work on sale products, but on any full-price item you can get 15% by using the code ‘PRIVATETRAVELLER’ through their website. I’ve already got my eye on some extra packing cubes and a large washbag, and when we need replacement large-size check-in cases I wouldn’t hesitate but to order the H7 size with a capacity of 90L.

Useful website links:

• Horizn Studios

• Leading Hotels of the World

• Hotel Reviews

  • Hotel Villa Dubrovnik - hotel website & review

  • Palace Elisabeth, Hvar Heritage Hotel - hotel website & review