Hard-shell or Soft luggage?

OU812

I ordered a set of Amazon Basic "Spinner" luggage for a recent trip to the US. This was a significant upgrade to our old not so light, two wheel luggage set that was getting on a bit.

The luggage was fairly lightweight, the spinner wheels were excellent & it was generally easy to use, with the fabric stretching slightly to accommodate extra stuff coming home.

I've ordered a second set but now I'm wondering if I should have gone for the hard shell version.

Any advantages/disadvantage to having hard shell Vs Soft sides?

grimm2005

I've always gone soft myself as I find there's more wiggle room for stuffing a little extra in and also extra pockets of the outside for better sorting. Would never go for a hard case myself, the only real benefit I could see would be that your belongings would be better protected from rough baggage handlers if you had any valuables and you were checking the bag and also just more durable in general but ultimately there's more pros (for me anyway) with soft cases.

biko

I'm strictly hardshell as it prevents damage to the content more.

Caranica

I'm a hardshell person too and always 4 wheels. I think 2 wheel luggage should be outlawed, such trip hazards! And don't get me started on the people who drag spinners like they only have two wheels!

The downside of hard luggage is the empty weight but go too lightweight and you might as well have soft sides.

miezekatze

Soft for me. I used to have a hard samsonite suitcase and got it back once at Dublin airport all cracked and unusable, have always had soft cases since and never an issue, and they tend to be lighter too. Definitely go for 4 wheels though, so much handier !

grimm2005

Caranica wrote: »

And don't get me started on the people who drag spinners like they only have two wheels!

THIS! I see this constantly in airports, maybe it's because I notice it more but it feels like more people do this than actually use the 4 wheels! Can't understand why people would shell out for the usually more expensive 4 wheel option and not use it. It's more effort to pull the bag behind plus it's annoying for people walking behind as well. Dunno why but this is something that really gets on my nerves!

Gael23

For cabin baggage definitely hard shell. I have a soft large suitcase which I really like so a bit on the fence there as I do see the advantages of hardshell

woodchuck

grimm2005 wrote: »

THIS! I see this constantly in airports, maybe it's because I notice it more but it feels like more people do this than actually use the 4 wheels! Can't understand why people would shell out for the usually more expensive 4 wheel option and not use it. It's more effort to pull the bag behind plus it's annoying for people walking behind as well. Dunno why but this is something that really gets on my nerves!

I have a 4 wheel case and I alternate between pushing using 4 wheels and pulling using 2. I find using just one method consistently puts too much pressure on my wrists, so it helps to change the angle. It never occurred to me that I could be p1ssing people off

I mainly use the 4 wheels airports though because the floors are usually pretty smooth. But when navigating the streets, 2 wheels are generally better because the surfaces are uneven.