Travel Soft vs Hardside Luggage?

Which type of luggage do you prefer?

  • Soft

  • Hardside


Results are only viewable after voting.

BelleDuJour

Member
Mar 5, 2009
440
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It's time for me to upgrade my carry-on (probably a Samsonite or Tumi?) and I wanted to get opinions on the traditional soft luggage vs the harside luggage. Seems like the hard luggage would be more sturdy and hold up more but fabric has a little more give, and could potentially store more items? I'm definitely a carry on girl and the only time I check luggage is if I'm bringing back items like wine from France that I can't carry on. I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks!
 
I like hard cases. I just bought a new suit case. Rimowas Salsa Air. Such amazing bag that I'm now thinking of buying the carry on in the same serie even thought I already own one from Samsonite.
 
I have had both and the hard cases last longer than the soft ones. Plus there is less chance of something getting broken if another case is chucked on top. They do tend to be heavier though which is the unfortunate downside!! I have a leather holdall which I use for smaller trips and check in but for bigger ones I will use the proper hard suitcase as I need more stuff.
 
soft luggage is indeed able to hold more since you can squeeze stuff in and have the bag expand to fit it all. i guess for frequent travelers hard case would be better though. i'm still a little hesitant about getting cracks in a hard case suitcase, but i plan on buying a heys set anyways. i think for myself, i'd use a hard case for check ins, and maybe a soft bag for carry on.
 
If this is for a carry on then I would recommend soft. No one is going to be throwing anything on top of it and the wear & tear is much less. You can cram more store in it a well and it's lighter (which matters when you're trying to stow it above).
 
I agree with the above post. I'm more a carry-on girl myself and think soft luggage is the best option. Airlines (at least those in Europe) have gotten so picky and strict with weight, there's just no point going with something that already weighs half the baggage allowance. And soft luggage is slightly easier to squeeze into those luggage cages should they reallly check the allowance. There's also less risk in damaging anything when you carry on something anyway.

I also use soft luggage to check in. To this day I've never had problems with damaged items, and I frequently lug back glass bottles or other more fragile things (which I place between clothes). Weight limits with check-in luggage are getting stricter as well and I hate having to pack less just because my case weighs a ton. All the cases I currently use are Samsonite. I used to use hard cases only but even after one trip, my case would look completely scratched and after a few long-haul trips there would be noticable cracks.
 
This is just my two cents but the airlines are getting pickier and pickier about size and weight. I find it really hard to find a soft bag that when packed can fit airlines measurements. Also, when you have a soft bag you see so much easier how filled it is. When I have a hard carry on, nobody knows how heavy it is.
 
This is just my two cents but the airlines are getting pickier and pickier about size and weight. I find it really hard to find a soft bag that when packed can fit airlines measurements. Also, when you have a soft bag you see so much easier how filled it is. When I have a hard carry on, nobody knows how heavy it is.

You are right that airlines are getting pickier - that's why many airlines have actually started weighing carry on luggage as well (both at check-in and at the gate), so it won't really matter whether or not your case 'looks' full - they'll see it on the scale and know how heavy it is. I boarded a BA flight last week and they called out some of the luggage that was brought on board - focusing on hard luggage because they know this weighs more. I boarded my flight with a soft shell Samsonite case and they didn't look twice. By the way, my case was actually designed to fit airline measurments for carry-on and I've never had a problem (even when fully packed) getting this on board and it easily fits in the overhead.

I think it just comes down to priorities and the type of case you pick. There are both soft and hard cases that are specifically designed to be carried on board and fit airline measurements. I just think it's a little pointless carrying on a hard case, knowing your bag won't be thrown about. I can understand the need for something sturdier to check in though.
 
I've been using hard, but I think I may prefer soft because you can really pack more into soft. Also, with my hard luggage, you can see every scratch, so even after a trip or two, they look beat up.

I've found that Lufthansa weighs carry on luggage more often than not, and Air France did it on my last trip to Paris.
 
I have both soft and hard sided luggage. I've had my soft sided check in luggage for just over 2 years and fly several times a month and it is still in good shape. My hard sided luggage I've only had for 6 months and used MUCH less and it looks terrible. My issue with the hard sided kind is that it shows wear almost immediately. When your luggage is tossed around so much the hard kind gets knicks, dings, scratches etc in it. The soft kind doesn't show this kind of wear.

Ultimately I think it just comes to personal preference. If you are getting a good brand either will be great and should hold up on the interior and the wheels. But the hard will look older faster.
 
You are right that airlines are getting pickier - that's why many airlines have actually started weighing carry on luggage as well (both at check-in and at the gate), so it won't really matter whether or not your case 'looks' full - they'll see it on the scale and know how heavy it is. I boarded a BA flight last week and they called out some of the luggage that was brought on board - focusing on hard luggage because they know this weighs more. I boarded my flight with a soft shell Samsonite case and they didn't look twice. By the way, my case was actually designed to fit airline measurments for carry-on and I've never had a problem (even when fully packed) getting this on board and it easily fits in the overhead..

BA don't actually have a weight limit for carry-on as long as you can lift it into the overhead locker unaided so that would have more likely been a space issue. although i do wonder about the overhead lockers these days with so many people bringing hard cases - the stickers say maximum 38 or 48kg or something like that in them and i'm sure they're overloaded most of the time, was it a very full flight? if so i can see them moving some of the bags for safety reasons.

i do have a hard case because i do tend to carry on as often as i can and my bag can get quite heavy so it's easier for me to wheel a bag around. i also purposely try to fly with airlines i know don't have a weight limit for hand luggage for that very reason. it's a rimowa bolero case and it's the best thing ever, i love that it has the outside pocket so i can keep my laptop there and not have to open the whole bag up to take it out for security.