I bought the Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21-Inch 4 Wheel Wheelaboard Hard-Side Carry-On suitcase for my wife before a three-week trip to Asia. Her criteria were: hard-sides, four-wheel spinner design, and cute. I don’t know much about what makes for a “cute” carry-on suitcase, but according to my wife, this is cute. I actually found it quite stylish myself.
FEATURES
DURABILITY
The Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21 Inch Carry-On sports hard sides and reinforced corners. With “Beverly Hills” in the name, one could be forgiven for assuming that form might be emphasized above function. Let me assure you, this thing is tough. This carry-on suitcase is a constant companion. After at least a dozen flights and another half dozen road trips, it still looks as good as new.
SIZE
With 1.73 cubic feet (that’s about 49038 cubic centimeters to those of you that are metrically inclined) of interior space, the Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 carry-on has plenty of space. You can pack a few days’ worth of clothes, gadgets, and even an extra pair of shoes or two. With exterior dimensions of 21”x16.5”x10.5” (53.34cm x 41.91cm x 26.67cm) excluding the wheels, this bag really pushes the size limits of a carry-on in today’s era of baggage restrictions. In my mind, that’s a good thing. You’re maximizing the amount of stuff you can carry on in order to avoid checking luggage. In all of our travels with it, including some low-budget carriers in Southeast Asia, my wife never got so much as a sideways look as she rolled this bag through the gate. The carry-on’s interior compartments are smart but in no way restrictive, so it’s easy to pack however you like. (Especially with the help of our favorite packing cubes.)
OTHER STUFF
The Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 has an integrated TSA lock. We never used this feature in the airport since it’s a carry-on and always by our side anyway. We did use it to leave some quasi-valuables in the hotel that were too big for the safe. Although nothing is really that safe in any zippered suitcase regardless of the lock. The advantage to the Roxbury 2.0’s built-in locking system is that it’s harder for a thief to cover their tracks since the zipper pulls are locked in place. This carry-on also includes a retractable add-a-bag strap to piggyback the Roxbury 2.0 to another suitcase. We didn’t even use this feature once since the bag is so easy to roll around the airport that we didn’t see the need.
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WHO’S IT FOR?
The Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21-Inch 4 Wheel Wheelaboard Hard-Side Carry-On is really a great bag. Its size makes it versatile enough for any traveler. It has plenty of space for two people for a weekend trip or for folks that can pack light for a week or longer. We’re not easy on our luggage and durability is important to us. This carry-on has served us well so far and there doesn’t appear to be any reason it won’t continue to do so.
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VALUE
Looking back on how the Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21-Inch 4 Wheel Hard-Side Carry-On Suitcase has performed, I wouldn’t be disappointed if it cost me $400. Of course, I didn’t spend nearly that much. Ricardo Beverly Hills was an unknown brand to me before picking this up for my wife but I could easily see myself becoming a repeat customer. (If this carry-on ever actually needs to be replaced.)
DRAWBACKS
While I really like this carry-on suitcase, it has a couple drawbacks that kept me from rating it at five stars. The Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21-Inch 4 Wheel Wheelaboard Hard-Side Carry-On suitcase would really benefit from the addition of an exterior pocket. Rarely found on hard-sided luggage, I love exterior pockets on carry-on suitcases. They allow me to quickly toss in keys, sunglasses, wallet, passport, boarding passes, etc. to buy an extra couple minutes clearing security. Carry-on suitcase pockets are also really handy to quickly slide a laptop in and out.
The other drawback is the handle on the Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 carry-on suitcase. To hit five stars, I’d like the handle to be a bit more comfortable. Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok is really long and I had to move this from hand to hand a few times to keep my wrist from getting too stiff.
OK – I know the last one was a real nitpick, but I am trying to come up with drawbacks for what is a really great carry-on suitcase here. And as long as I’m picking nits, I really don’t like the name “Ricardo Beverly Hills”. I actually really don’t like many brand names to be honest, but this one really irks me for some reason. Fortunately for people like me, the brand isn’t too prominently displayed. There’s a small insignia on the front of the carry-on suitcase and the name is also displayed on the extended handles.
CONCLUSION
The Ricardo Beverly Hills Roxbury 2.0 21-Inch 4 Wheel Wheelaboard carry-on suitcase is a terrific value. It is a great buy for anyone looking for an affordable, durable, high-quality hard-sided carry-on suitcase.