Typing one-handed due to a broken elbow so this will be brief. Just used my hard-sided 22" (?) Travelpro for the first time and preferred it over previous soft-sided luggage. Never used the outside pockets so feel I gained additional space. Opinions are all over the place on the subject. If you're on FB, many threads on Travel Fashion Girls group page.

I traveled a lot with DH for his work for many years. We became devotees of hard-sided luggage for our checked bags after a trip from Marseilles to Amsterdam via Paris when our soft-sided bags sat in a heavy downpour on the tarmack and were delivered to us a day later by KLM. Everything was soaked inside. Lucky it was on the return leg of our trip. Carry on, always soft side - can be squished.

I was hoping thus was about tacos 🤣🌮🌮🌮🤣

I'm going to be following along.

Maybe 5 years ago ( so Pre Covid) we had bought 2 sets of 3 piece hard sided luggage. We went on several trips and it was all fine. On one return trip though, one of the bags was dented. Where it was dented was also pretty scuffed, so we didn't really notice it right away. When we finally noticed it, we brought back one full set, hoping to just get a new one. Of course, it was no longer available so we were credited for the set.

I decided to hold off on selecting a new set because it hardly seemed that we needed all 6 pieces.

Anyway I still haven't replaced it, and I am less convinced that hard is the way to go. On the other hand, we have used the remaining set and no damage there still.

Also for additional trivia, we bought purple, thinking it would a bit different. Well, if you've been looking at luggage coming around the carousel at the airport, you will so so many purple ones!

While picking up someone at the airport, I saw a pink bag that was the color of a highlighter marker. I thought, well their bag is easy to spot. Almost painful to look at. But as I waited, I saw two more people come down the ramp with the same obnoxiously colored bag. So yes, easy to spot compared to a sea of black but still won’t be the only one. I suppose the only way to have a truly unique bag would be the ones printed with an image you submit.

I was camping once, not a fan, and it rained so much - in the tent - my luggage absorbed water and everything I had was wet. The campground owner was kind enough to allow me to use her clothes dryer. As G-d is my witness, I never went camping again.

The above idea of a hard sided checked bag and soft, squishy carry-on is interesting.

I prefer soft. It's a bit lighter and in year's past when we did our annual Costa Rica trip we needed to keep our luggage to 30 pounds.

The soft carries more and can can be squeezed easier in tight spaces.

I will probably look into Travel Pro this year.

We usually just got something at Marshall’s.

Soft, since I rarely check luggage so am not worried about wear and tear. As eld says, it's lighter, plus expandable: a little in terms of the give of the fabric and a lot if it actually expands with that extra zipper.

Most of my luggage is black or navy, but I use a large, bright orange luggage tag which makes it easily identifiable.

Yes, we put polka dot ribbon around the handle If we check our bags.

Soft is lighter but I like the look of hard sided. I used to travel about 30% of the time for business, and I have been to 76 countries, and i have never had anything in my luggage get wet or damaged. So IME there is a very high likelihood that whatever you pick will perform its function.

Another consideration I hadn't thought of before my latest luggage acquisition is how the interior space is allocated. I like that I have equal amounts of space in both sides. (Hope that makes sense.) Some of the new hard-sided are incredibly light.

I recently purchased a new hard side carryon (Monos) and so far I love it.

I traveled a lot for work, sometimes 3 out of 4 weeks a month, and my go-to was always Travelpro softside. I was about 50-50 whether I would check it or not, depending on the destination, time, etc. I went through 2 of them in around 20+ years. Wheels never failed. I also had a larger one for long trips overseas.

I now have an Eagle Creek I use and check for long trips. I just cannot get rid of it as it seems to fit my needs best. In all those years we only had one occasion where a few things got damp (ski trip out west, luggage left in rain at Atlanta). The jury is still out whether I will get a larger hardside at this point.

Thanks for all the input. I think the reason I am doubting the hard-sided luggage is that I've seen so many pieces on a luggage carousel that looked as though they had been dragged behind a horse for miles, whereas the soft-sided seems to just get a bit scuffed or dirty, which can be wiped off.

FWIW, we had to check my new Travelpro hardside carry-on a couple of weeks ago due to emergency flight back, three flights. I was pleasantly surprised to find it looked like new. Maybe depends on brand?

It's absurd but I bought a protector for my luggage for when I check.

Not absurd! ;)

My mother always traveled with a full set of French tapestry luggage and always used their thin zip on suede outer covers. She loved those suitcases (including a round hatbox style with a handle), took good care of them and they lasted for decades. She only reluctantly gave them up for travel about 20 years after everyone else had switched to wheeled luggage. The disappearance of airport porters baffled her 😎

edited to ad: French, the brand, not the country of origin

I've tried both. Currently loving the soft sided...because I'm always trying to bring back souvenirs. I Scotch guard them, so water hasn't been a problem. If I was shopping, right NOW....I'd probably buy hard sided spinners....in black....then stencil a medallion on both sides.

Kswl, I have rarely checked bags the last few years but when I do I sure miss curbside check-in. DIA still has a few stands but they aren't as prevalent as they were pre-covid.

I was thinking about a hard-sided for carry-on. My current suitcase is just a little too large for some bins, and it's fairly heavy even empty, so sometimes I use DH's which is lighter but doesn't work when we are traveling together. I have also used a VB duffel, but it doesn't have wheels and can get really heavy. We normally do not check bags.

I prefer soft. It's lighter and has some give if you need to stuff it, and will squish down a little when trying to squeeze it into a tight space. If you get a dark color, it will take a beating better too (less prone to scuffing, etc). I think soft sided is more practical all around.

Soft sided. We love Briggs & Riley luggage. It’s as durable as Tumi but slightly less expensive.

I have this Travelpro. About 7 years old with a ton of use, and the wheels, zippers and handle still work perfectly. Besides a little scuffing on some of the plastic parts, it looks almost new. It helps to choose black. (Never again with the light color suitcases.)