The Ricardo Ocean Drive Luggage Review

Time flies and so do I. As a former flight attendant, I know luggage and I’m not easy to impress. After years of using Ricardo Luggage, I still recommend it to my friends and family. It offers durability, style and functionality for most travelers at an excellent price point.

What I love about the Ricardo Ocean Drive 21-inch Carry-on Spinner Upright

• Heavy Duty Zippers
• Durable Virgin Polycarbonate Exterior made with Makrolon By Covestro
• 4 Wheels
• TSA Compliant Lock on top of carry-on

What I wanted from the Ricardo Ocean Drive 21-inch Carry-on Spinner Upright

• Picky but I miss the strap to secure the clothes in the built-in suiter.

Specifications for the Ricardo Ocean Drive

Weight

7.4 pounds/3.3 kg

Size

21 inches/53.3 cm height

15 inches/38.1 cm width

10.5 inches/26.6 cm depth with 2 inches/5 cm of zipper expansion

Wheels

4 double wheels with 360-degree spinning

Ricardo Ocean Drive Luggage Review

I’ll admit I was skeptical with my first Built-in Suiter on the Ricardo Roxbury 2.0. It’s a compartment that eliminates the need for a garment bag. Now I’m a believer.

With three reinforced hanger loops, I just load up dresses, dress shirts and blazers in their dry cleaning bags (to reduce wrinkles) and zip up the compartment. I like this feature so much it’s actually a must for me now.

The Ricardo Beverly Hills Ocean Drive 21-Inch Spinner Carry On offers sophisticated styling. The handle features a vegan leather detail that adds a design element. And the front side of the luggage offers a repeat of the vegan leather detail. Even the exterior zippers feature the vegan leather.

The handle grip at the top got a make-over with sleek design and texture for added comfort and grip. Great for holding onto your luggage when running up-and-down stairs in subway stations. And the bottom grip makes it easy to load your luggage on the racks in airport shuttle buses.

The heavy-duty zippers are a selling point with me. The zippers also offer ergonomic zipper pulls. And the expander zipper provides extra room when you need it. I’m amazed how much I can pack into my Ricardo Luggage with the help of compression bags and packing cubes, like a capsule wardrobe for a week during the winter.

I appreciate the built-in mesh organizing pockets. I can stow small accessories and stay organized. Especially helpful when I’m repacking before leaving my room in the morning.

The pocketed tie-down panels offer smart organization for socks or underwear. The clear snap-out water resistant pouch is TSA compliant for toiletries. Though I stash a wet bathing suit in it after a swim.

My Relationship with Ricardo Luggage

I received a 19-inch Ricardo Roxbury 2.0 with the Foldout Mobile Office in 2016, and here’s what I thought. I used the heck out of that piece of luggage.

My thoughts, the mobile office was unused space. While I liked the idea of stashing my laptop in there, I just didn’t.

Since then, I purchased a set of Ricardo Carillon in silver with a 21-inch roll aboard and a 28-inch checked piece. The larger piece was for an international trip to Jordan. Then I used it on a 14-day cruise. Then I moved my oldest, a foreign exchange student to Japan.

Though the Carillon lacks the features I love in the Roxbury and the Ocean Drive, like a built-in TSA lock. It does keeps your belongings safe with its hard sides. And I had an issue with the 28-inch bottom dragging on the streets of New York City.

My Ricardo Roxbury 2.0 got tangled up with some disgruntled airline employees that mistreated my carry-on spinner. After being separated in Quebec, Canada, it was returned two days after my flight.

After inspecting my luggage, I realized I couldn’t retract the handle anymore. I talked with my fellow writers at TravelingMom.com about the situation. Then I unzipped the interior zipper and fiddled with the handle to get it down. Didn’t work.

I reached out to Customer Service at Ricardo and explained my situation. They informed me it was a simple fix and sent me a replacement handle since I didn’t live in a city with an authorized repair facility.

A few days later, I got my new handle. With the help of my 11-year-old son, I unscrewed and replaced the handle. After looking at the old handle, it was bent and would’ve never retracted.

How I travel

I travel a lot and have for years. Spending at least a three months away from my home each year, I use my luggage extensively.My luggage might be rolled aboard a cruise ship. Drug through a camp site. And frequently checked by me or at the gate.

I’ve used several brands through the years. When I was a flight attendant, I was issued TravelPro. Which mostly held up to the crew member abuse. Then I tried some of other major brands, didn’t rebuy. Ricardo is now my go-to luggage.

Disclosure

I received this suitcase from Ricardo for review purposes. Though I have purchased Ricardo luggage for my personal use as well. This post contains affiliate links.