Love it, Like it, or Thumbs down to HARD Shell Luggage

[nkereina]

Excellent strategy! I do wonder though why the bags are designed that way. Both sides with zippered flaps would be much easier.

DH has a hard shell Samsonite from Kohl's that has two zippered flaps - one on each side! But I also have a Samsonite from Kohl's, different model, and I have the one side with the elastic straps which seems to be more common.

 

[LovesTimone]

I like my hard shell luggage, It has handled traveling much better than our other soft sided luggage, so far so good... We have had it about a year.. so pretty happy with it... We bought the type that the wheels are more enclosed so less chance of being destroyed by baggage handlers... We really never used the outside pocket so going this route was okay for us... any papers or paperwork we keep with us in the carry on's....

We use TSA approved locks... and never had any problems so far...

Buy one piece and see if you like before replace all of your pieces...

 

[okeydokey]

Love my hard sided carryon. Waiting for black Friday deals to get some larger pieces.

 

[North of Mouse]

I'm looking to update my 19 year old luggage. Personally, I don't understand the appeal of Hard Shell luggage but it must be popular enough because I see it everywhere. What do you think about yours?

Lol, what goes, comes around!. Dh & I had a beautiful Samsonite luggage set when we got married late 60's and kept it til it wore out. All the soft sided sets came in, and we finally succumbed to it. Now, of course, the hard sided has been out awhile again. We do prefer the hard sided - takes the ravages of travel much better in our opinion.

 

[Shadera]

I got a hard-sided one from HD several years back, for free with all the rewards points I gathered buying my motorcycle and tons of gear through the shops. I've enjoyed it very much, but my soft-sided luggage will always have a place in my household.

 

[BingoJoe]

It is better than soft luggage in every way. Lighter, easier to clean, tougher, protects your belongings better. If you get the right material it even just pops back into shape if someone completely crushes it.

Hard four wheel spinners are the way to go. I dunno about in the USA but you hardly see anything else on the luggage carousels in Europe.

 

[klacey1]

I love my hard sided Amazon basics carryon. It was only $70 and is super lightweight and the perfect size for up to a five night trip. It has gotten a few scuffs from dashing through the airport, however.

We switched to soft-sided Swiss Gear suitcases for our large bag, bought on an eBags sale, and are obsessed with them. They're amazing quality. While my gray set does have a few bruises, there's been no structural damage and my husband's black ones look as good as new after several long haul trips.

 

[tvguy]

Well, we flew home last night from a cruise and watched a totally mangled softsided suitcase come off the baggage conveyor and a very vocal lady scream that Delta has ruined her brand new expensive luggage! But, my wife did buy a softsided suitcase last year and that is what we took. She felt our 37 year old hardsided luggage was getting scruffy. But I know that this softsided luggage won't last 37 years, it will be used up.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I love my hard-sided luggage. My wheels are mostly enclosed, so less of an issue with those. Mine has 2 main compartments--it came with 3 packing cubes that fit in one half, then the other half zips closed, as well. There's even a small hanging bag for a suit or a couple blouses, that fits into one side.

Now, for my carry-on--that's soft-sided, and has several pockets, space for shoes, and so forth. It's also rolling/wheeled, but small enough to fit under the seat. I generally use a large Lug bag for my personal item--I love using them for travel, great for day trips,a s they hold a ton of stuff and have many pockets. So, any travel documents would be in that--I wouldn't want to risk having them in my checked bag. What if you forget about them?

 

[china mom]

I haven't checked a bag in a few years but my carry on setup is a hard sided 21 inch spinner with a canvas over the handle tote. The two cases I have show no wear whatsoever and are lighter than my 21 inch canvas bag.

Several years ago,I overpaid for a mickey mouse full sized canvas bag and on its maiden voyage home, it got a rip in it. Not bad enough to render it unusable but ugly enough to make me bitter.

Team Hardside

 

[TCRAIG]

Hard side from Swiss Gear - love ‘em

 

[NotUrsula]

What I have found with hardsides is that the sort with zippered barrier flaps on the inside are more versatile to use, but that those flaps are often a weak point in the construction. They tend to be stretched pretty tightly because of the way that they are attached, but that makes the fabric components more vulnerable to tearing. I've finally started just proactively applying an inch-wide streak of waterproof fabric glue all the way around the flap where it attaches to the shell, so as to strengthen the stress points and zipper tapes. I find that it significantly prolongs the life of the case.

If you are going to use it for air travel, do not pick hardside cases with glossy-finish shells for anything other than carry-on use; they will get badly scratched up by the bag room equipment. Go with textured finishes; they stay nice-looking a whole lot longer.

 

[NotUrsula]

Timely thread. I'm looking to buy a GIANT suitcase for my upcoming trip to Disney (2 weeks) and have been looking at the hardsided ones. I'm only shopping in places like Homegoods for it as I don't travel much; however, the hardside seems to be lighter than the fabric ones they are selling.

If you are planning to fly with that giant suitcase, be sure it isn't any more giant than 29". Most US domestic carriers limit checked bags to a dimension total of 62". Any bag taller than 29" will almost always end up over the size limit, and the fees for that are very stiff. (You can always remove a few items to reduce weight, but there isn't a darned thing you can do to reduce the size of any kind of framed bag.)
In fact, I recommend taking along a soft tape measure when shopping for large cases; many times the dimensions on the label are inaccurate, so it pays (literally!) to measure it yourself.

I have a great lightweight "steamer trunk" Samsonite rolling bag that dates back to the early 90's; we used to use it to pack for the entire family on European trips. Alas, it has dimensions of 71", so for the last 15 years it has been relegated to blanket storage duty.

 

[Christine]

If you are planning to fly with that giant suitcase, be sure it isn't any more giant than 29". Most US domestic carriers limit checked bags to a dimension total of 62". Any bag taller than 29" will almost always end up over the size limit, and the fees for that are very stiff. (You can always remove a few items to reduce weight, but there isn't a darned thing you can do to reduce the size of any kind of framed bag.)
In fact, I recommend taking along a soft tape measure when shopping for large cases; many times the dimensions on the label are inaccurate, so it pays (literally!) to measure it yourself.

I have a great lightweight "steamer trunk" Samsonite rolling bag that dates back to the early 90's; we used to use it to pack for the entire family on European trips. Alas, it has dimensions of 71", so for the last 15 years it has been relegated to blanket storage duty.

I am actually looking for a large bag to check (both flights allow at least one checked back in the price of the flight). My concern is going over the 50lb weight limit so I'm looking for the lightest case I can find. I already have some at home, purchased in the 90s, that are huge but with that 90s technology, they already weigh a lot while empty.

 

[RangerPooh]

It depends on the thickness of the material that determines the quality. We had one that was an ok thickness but cracked and was tossed after a few trips, meanwhile my lightweight $50 Walmart overhead sized carry-on piece is still ticking after 5 years and countless trips. Although we do have a nice large BB8 suitcase that has taken quite the ticking. I also appreciate being able to wipe them down with Clorox wipes.

 

[Kogo Shuko]

I love having hard shelled luggage. It protects your items from the cruelties imposed upon them lol

But seriously. Hard shell luggage is so much more lightweight than it was even ten years ago, and add four wheels, and it's my favourite way to transport my stuff. And it DOES protect potential souvenirs from the beating the luggage gets when going from point A to point B, to some extent.

 

[SharonZ]

I love my hard-shell luggage.

 

[ronandannette]

I am actually looking for a large bag to check (both flights allow at least one checked back in the price of the flight). My concern is going over the 50lb weight limit so I'm looking for the lightest case I can find. I already have some at home, purchased in the 90s, that are huge but with that 90s technology, they already weigh a lot while empty.

Hard shell will almost definitely be lighter but you can evaluate that aspect when you’re shopping for your new bag. If you’re going to be close to the weight limit a luggage scale will be invaluable. More often now when we fly we’re noticing the airlines being very strict with the weight limits and if you’re over you WILL have to either repack at the airport or pay the fee.

 

[Lilsia]

I have been using hard sided luggage for several years. I would not go back to cloth. We had our cloth bags sit out in the rain on one of our trips and everything was soaked inside. I could pour the water out of the case. Our hard sided has been out in the rain and it was a bit damp at the zipper, but everything was dry inside. I love having the roller wheels on my luggage. To me, that is the most important thing. My luggage can be easily wheeled next to me by just using the handle, without pulling out the extendable handle. When I travel solo, I have no issues with rolling both hard sided cases next to me with ease. They are much more durable and seem to look newer longer since you can wipe them down. After 1 or 2 trips with the cloth, the got too dirty and beat up.

 

[DLgal]

Excellent strategy! I do wonder though why the bags are designed that way. Both sides with zippered flaps would be much easier.

It's because most hardshell luggage can expand. If you expand it, and both sides have zippered fabric sections, where will you put the extra stuff? The straps allow you to add extra items when you expand the case and make that section deeper.