Soft sided or hard sided?

[SmoothFlying]

39 minutes ago, clo said:

People mentions brands all the time.  Go for it.

 

It's Away😁

[navybankerteacher]

49 minutes ago, SmoothFlying said:

Speaking about aluminum suitcase, (and not sure if I can mention the brand name here) The name begins with A and ends with y. They appear metal and may be aluminum, if anybody has one can they advise me.

 

Mac

Think “Away” - not cheap, but you will not need to replace it, so if you plan on a few years of travel, it is a bargain.  I like it as a carry-on, because it is light and easy to put in the overhead or to carry the short distances over rough surfaces outside you might have to, the wheels make it a snap to move through airports.

 

I still stick with soft sided check-size luggage —- out of habit, I suppose. (And distinctively mark them so they are un-mistakable —- not that I cannot recognize subtle markings, but to make it obvious to the sort of idiots who have twice taken my bag off the carousel by mistake —- once at LGA , fortunately (but stupidly lazily) just leaving it next to an exit door, and once at St. Maarten - who I luckily caught up with as she was just about to exit the terminal.  

 

When you mark your checked luggage, do not just think how you will recognize it as your own — but how you will make it impossible for some idiots  to think it could possibly be theirs. Part of defensive travelling.

 

More than once I have seen several different peoples bags on carousels with amazingly similar colored ribbons on the handles — the stupids are out there : beware.

Edited September 27, 2019 by navybankerteacher

[Bookish Angel]

If, like us, you carry your own luggage and pack frugally but wisely, then inexpensive soft-sided luggage works just fine regardless of conditions.

 

We have a 3-piece nested set of maroon soft-sided, wheeled luggage we bought for $20 about 20 years ago. It has been all over the world and has very little wear on it because it is almost always in our hands only.  

 

Also, it is easier for 5' 1.5" me to lift my soft-sided, non-stuffed luggage into overhead airplane compartments on the rare occasions when I am traveling solo.  A carry-on and a sturdy medium-size backpack each suits us just fine.  My backpack also doubles as a footrest on public transportation.

 

 

Edited September 27, 2019 by Bookish Angel

[cruisemom42]

On 9/26/2019 at 4:48 PM, Carole2313 said:

The problem I have with soft sided luggage is other people’s creepy crawlers can get into your luggage when checked in, or stacked at the embarkation of the cruise.  

 

Wait.....what????  

 

Care to provide some details?  

[Carole2313]

A quality hard sided bag has fewer access points for bed bugs compared to a fabric bag.  You can also enclose your bag in a clear Glad trash bag for protection while flying. I use a Glad 2 gallon bag to protect my under the seat bag from the gross floor in planes, too. Maybe I’m an over doer but I check for bed bugs in my stateroom and sleep in yoga pants and long sleeve tops just in case.

[cruizergal70]

I do hard sided, carry on sized luggage with 4 way spinner wheels.  Durable and easy to move around airports.

[ilikeanswers]

I have a four wheel hard case, nearly ten years old lots of travel and while there are some scratches, there are no cracks and it has taken a hell of a beating at some airports. Admittedly it is a premium brand so maybe that makes a difference in durability. I personally like the four wheels as there are many times I have found pushing my suitcase ahead of me to be more convenient than dragging it behind me.

 

My mum on the other had loves her soft cases and too be far they have lasted quite a bit too. For her it is the convenience of being able to just open the "lid" so she can place it on a chair and not have to bend to take things out of her suitcase. Whereas the downside of a hard case is you need a lot of space to open it as it opens like a book thereby doubling the area so usually I end up having to open it on the floor.

[flowslow]

Hard sided suitcase 

 

Pros: 

Packing is more organized since you can use both sides to pack your stuff

Water-resistant 

Lightweight

Durable 

Better security

Easier to clean

 

Cons:

Can crack or break

Not too flexible or expandable 

Need to open the whole bag to access items inside

 

[SmoothFlying]

17 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Think “Away” - not cheap, but you will not need to replace it, so if you plan on a few years of travel, it is a bargain.  I like it as a carry-on, because it is light and easy to put in the overhead or to carry the short distances over rough surfaces outside you might have to, the wheels make it a snap to move through airports.

 

I still stick with soft sided check-size luggage —- out of habit, I suppose. (And distinctively mark them so they are un-mistakable —- not that I cannot recognize subtle markings, but to make it obvious to the sort of idiots who have twice taken my bag off the carousel by mistake —- once at LGA , fortunately (but stupidly lazily) just leaving it next to an exit door, and once at St. Maarten - who I luckily caught up with as she was just about to exit the terminal.  

 

When you mark your checked luggage, do not just think how you will recognize it as your own — but how you will make it impossible for some idiots  to think it could possibly be theirs. Part of defensive travelling.

 

More than once I have seen several different peoples bags on carousels with amazingly similar colored ribbons on the handles — the stupids are out there : beware.

Thanks for the heads-up on Away luggage. I've seen them advertised on television and they definitely seem too be well designed and made of quality materials but never knew anyone who had one and could speak from experience.

 

I was a baggage handler for the last twenty years of my thirty year career with Delta and Away luggage came out after I retired but it surely caught my eye when I saw the advertisement. In the twenty some odd years I saw my share of bags ( I worked in international bagroom where we were assigned bags coming into the US for delivery to our flights headed out to the other fifty states.) I guess the most common bag I saw was the typical BLACK🙄 two-wheeled bag  w/the pop up handle. And NavyBanker, you're so right, you would not believe how many people will take the very FIRST black bag come-along suitcase they see ! Never ever even checking the airport strap OR name tag, to make sure it IS their bag. I hated the day when I saw the airline bean counters decide to end the exit door guards who CONFIRMED the bagstrap matched the ticket ID. Now you hear about people wandering in the exit, picking up a bag and exiting then returning to do the same thing over and over. One can only hope they can get down to the claim baggage are BEFORE their bag walks off 😨

 

Mac

[cruisemom42]

17 hours ago, Carole2313 said:

A quality hard sided bag has fewer access points for bed bugs compared to a fabric bag.  You can also enclose your bag in a clear Glad trash bag for protection while flying. I use a Glad 2 gallon bag to protect my under the seat bag from the gross floor in planes, too. Maybe I’m an over doer but I check for bed bugs in my stateroom and sleep in yoga pants and long sleeve tops just in case.

 

Ah I see. I tend to take a more pragmatic view and not worry about things that I'm pretty likely to NOT encounter.

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2013/07/29/the-truth-about-bedbugs/

[Loanrngr]

ONE WORD!!!!  AWAY 😀

[chipmaster]

Hard or soft there is no right or wrong but a matter of preference of choice/looks/flexibility.   The reality what works best comes down to how you travel and how much you are going to spend.   Spend cheap and then there are going to be material weakness and it matters more what / how you pack and if you do check-in or not.

 

Go high end and the difference become smaller but which you pick also  depending on how and what you pack and if you check in or not has bearing but less.

 

So do you pack just clothes, or bulky things like chose and such that don't compress or support luggage structure well?  Do you always check-in or not?  How important is weight ( for carry-on ).    

 

Personally I've done more than 700000k with a four wheel carry one with a sporadic check-in when they were forced weighed over seas,   I think if I went hard share rimowa/tumi or soft tumi/BR they'd have worked well  and still going.   

 

I do like the flexibility with soft to pack and force a little more and yeah the frabric is getting a few scuffs, but I've check in 10 days including 3 bottles of wine and never a problem with getting crushed.   

 

Always laugh at the FUD pictures, but agree if you pack any suitcase poorly they will fail, pack smartly and most will do well.

[MicCanberra]

I have found that the best case for me is what suits my holiday trip, soft sided for tours, land travel. The hard cases for cruises.

[iancal]

...we did numerous Jetstar fights in/to Oz, Tasmania, and  Hawaii this past Feb/March.

 

  On some flights our carry ons were checked and weighed twice!  Once on the departure floor and again at the departure gate!

Edited September 29, 2019 by iancal

[pf778c]

I have a set of soft-sided Andiamo luggage I bought almost thirty years ago that will most likely out-live me.  However I started replacing it with hard-sided virgin polycarbonate luggage about ten years ago because it's over airline weight limits before it's even half full.  I decided on virgin polycarbonate because it's ridiculously light and difficult to destroy.  It is rigid, but yielding, so fragile items do go in my carry-on.  I tried to find a video from the UK that I watched back when I was deciding which luggage to purchase, but couldn't find it.  It showed about a half dozen carry-ons being driven over, dropped off bridges, dumped in a river, etc. and how they fared.  The virgin polycarbonate (not ABS) would crumple and dent when abused, but spring right back into shape when prodded; the ABS would shatter.  The brand I purchased was also reasonable water-resistant which I liked.  My only complaint is I do prefer two wheels over four spinners, but it does well when tipped and rolled two-wheel style over rough surfaces.  I'm not mentioning the model I bought as it's no longer make, but the manufacturer is Delsey.  All the videos I'm getting via search see to be sponsored by luggage stores or manufacturers, but this one is similar:

 

ABS+PC vs 100%PC TEST

[Airbear232]

On 9/26/2019 at 8:53 AM, racnwdow said:

I have a suitcase (no name brand) I picked up at a garage sale years ago.  It is soft sided and has worked fine.  But thinking of upgrading to a new Samsonite hard sided.  Can anyone share their thoughts (pros/cons) of a hard sided suitcase.  Any problems?  TIA

For my DW and I, the consideration is weight and quality.  We travel frequently, so want cases that are durable and as light as possible.  The soft vs. hard is more a matter of preference as you can get quality cases in either.  Happy Travelling!

[SRF]

I travel internationally a lot.  About 40% of the year on the road.

 

I use hard sided.  Packing more into it is not an issue, as typically you will end up over weight.  And some hard sided have an expansion zipper to put more in.

 

I used to use Atlantic bags, where were very sturdy, but heavy.  I went to Delsey, and they were good.  Some issues with the zippers due to the configuration of the bag.  They are clam shell type, and the zipper ran over the "top" of the bag.  It seems the baggagee handlers would put it top down, then drag it, wearing the zipper.  I found a single layer of gaffers tape would stop that.

 

Finally, one of my bags did get a crack.  After a number of years of travel.

 

So I bit the bullet and picked up some Briggs and Reilly bags.  Lifetime, no questions asked, everything is covered warranty.  Either they are great sturdy bags, or I will put the company out of business. 😄

 

Only one trip so far, but they are working well.

 

I also have a couple of Samsonite, that work well.  Light, and the closure (no zippers) has a gasket, so somewhat water proof.

 

I used to use soft sided, but switched to hard side (non-zipper) for security.

 

I prefer 4 wheel now days, as more and more international airports are charging crazy fees to use a cart.  And with 2 checked, and a carry on and shoulder bag, the 4 wheels allow me to push the two checked bags with one hand, without rigging some piggy back thing (my B&R also is set up for that).

 

No right answer for everyone.  Go on eBags or Luggage Pros and check out what is available.