Hard or soft case? Any recommended brands?

MoneyDany

My Samsonite hard case luggage has served me well for nearly 20 years. The previous one I had was a soft case with a zipper, and I know for sure it could be unlocked with a pen. But I have not experimented with many zipper luggage, so I don’t know if others are also vulnerable.

youth_leader

I bought a Samonsite fabric 'Respark' case for my trip to New Zealand in October. Eight wheels so easy to wheel along thankfully as I walked from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2. It did the 24000 miles without any signs of damage.  

sheramber

Samsonite case hand one wheel ripped off on first use.

phatbear

mutley74 said:

I read some review that one can easily split the zip on a hard case with a pen - is this just on cheaper brands? 

I can get into almost all bags in a matter of seconds, hard siders and soft so this shouldn’t be a decision maker for you.

another consideration on hard siders is they are weather resilient if your bags get wet whilst loading etc, or general travel, a hard sider will keep the contents dry.

Im away with work everyweek and my samsonite goes with me and its starting to show wear and tear, the handle no longer extends fully, thats my fault for dropping it with the handle extended, one wheel of the four is a bit sticky and this week one of the two side clips locking spinners has fallen off.

that being said i will def buy another one im just a bit put off at the mo as the one i want is 5kg empty.

MoneyDany

I have my eye on a large Samsonite Lite Shock that weighs only 2.5kg when empty. That’s the first choice for me once my current one breaks down.   

stoneman

We have these. Hard cases with clasps are far stronger than the hard zipper ones. 
Because the zip ones have no hinges they seem to wobble around, while the claps are really good at getting that little extra "push" to close the lid.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TRIPP-Mulberry-Supreme-Large-Suitcase/dp/B0BXLV3HMQ/ref=asc_df_B0BXLV3HMQ/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=641783166650&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8683558703147920201&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046441&hvtargid=pla-2194373994162&mcid=4f6f60c7d54b363385710d0d0951bc73&th=1

IrishRose12

Hard shell cases weigh too much and eat up your weight allowance.  
HAve only ever used Soft cases, our current ones are IT cases.  One from Tesco, one from Argos and One from Matalan.  All bought in 2016 and only one of them needs replacing due to the wheel becoming stuck for some resason. 
Our hand luggage are the IT holdalls we bought from Argos in the sale about 9 years ago, and one IT soft case if needed. All lightweight and never had a problem.  I'd never use heavy cases, esp when airlines are now so strict on weight allowances. 

jimi_man

IrishRose12 said:

Hard shell cases weigh too much and eat up your weight allowance.  
HAve only ever used Soft cases, our current ones are IT cases.  One from Tesco, one from Argos and One from Matalan.  All bought in 2016 and only one of them needs replacing due to the wheel becoming stuck for some resason. 
Our hand luggage are the IT holdalls we bought from Argos in the sale about 9 years ago, and one IT soft case if needed. All lightweight and never had a problem.  I'd never use heavy cases, esp when airlines are now so strict on weight allowances. 

Hmmm, the IT soft lightweight cabin luggage is 2.37 kg. The Tripp cabin hard case is 2.85 kg, so we’re talking about half a kilo. Slightly more if you went for the medium one. BA (for example) offer 23kg and they don’t rule that with a rod of iron either, especially if you’re travelling with others. 

Personally I cannot think of a time when I’ve even got close to 23kg however YMMV. 

There are pros and cons with hard v soft cases but in the grand scheme of things half a kilo or so extra weight is not really worth basing the decision on.