When thinking about suitcases in preparation for your next big holiday, two items usually come to mind: hard suitcases and soft suitcases. But which one is better and which style will be easier to travel with? To answer this age-old question of hard vs soft suitcases, we cover the pros and cons of both luggage styles so you can choose the best suitcase for your next adventure.
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A well-known style across the travel industry, the hard suitcase is a type of suitcase categorised by its plastic, shell-like exterior. With a middle zip and considerable storage on both sides of the case walls, hard suitcases offer exceptional storage capabilities, durability, and a crisp, stylish aesthetic.
There’s a huge range of hard suitcases on offer, but brands like nere, Antler and American Tourister stand out for features including high-quality, hard-wearing construction, built-in TSA locks and durable swivel wheels that make moving from the airport to your destination a breeze.
Hardcase Suitcase Materials
The longevity of a hard suitcase depends mostly on its material. Some of the common suitcase materials that you can find are:
1. Polycarbonate
Polycarbonate is known for its outstanding impact and scratch resistance, providing durability without adding extra weight. It’s highly flexible meaning it can bend without cracking, making it the go-to option for frequent travellers. The material is also incredibly lightweight, allowing you to pack more without exceeding airline weight limits. Some suitcase brands that use Polycarbonate are Nere, American Tourister, Antler, and Samsonite.
Sold out Sold out Sold out2. ABS Plastic
ABS plastic is a more affordable option. This material offers solid protection against rough handling and weather conditions. ABS plastic suitcases also come in various colours and designs, allowing you to find a budget-friendly yet stylish hard suitcase. Nere is the most famous brand that uses ABS in its suitcases.
Sold out Sold out Sold out3. Polypropylene
Polypropylene is an incredibly lightweight material that lets you avoid excess baggage fees. This material is more flexible than polycarbonate, providing increased resistance to cracks and breaks. It’s also highly water-resistant, making it ideal for wet or rainy travel conditions. Antler’s Single Stripe suitcase is a recent collection showcasing the outstanding performance of polycarbonate construction.
Sold out Sold out Sold outThe other common style of travel luggage is the soft suitcase. This suitcase style is crafted from a fabric material, usually polyester, and offers a simplistic solution to travel. Compared to hard suitcases, a soft suitcase has a larger bottom half and storage pockets under the lid, meaning your items will be stacked together rather than separated across two sides.
Traditional soft suitcase styles only had two wheels, meaning the case could be pulled behind you like a wheeled duffle bag. However, with the uptake in popularity of the hard suitcase style in recent years, modern renditions of the soft suitcase now usually combine four swivel wheels to make moving with your suitcase much easier.
Softcase Suitcase Materials
Soft suitcases are typically made from durable fabric materials like polyester, nylon, or a mix of both.
1. Polyester
Polyester is a common fabric choice for lightweight suitcases while still offering sufficient protection from external elements.
Sold out Sold out Sold out2. Nylon
Stronger and more resistant to wear than polyester, nylon soft suitcases tend to be sturdier. They also offer more flexibility in design and often include more compartments for better organisation. Flylite and Guess offer a huge selection of soft nylon suitcases.
Sold out Sold out Sold out3. Canvas
Canvas is a heavy-duty fabric made from cotton or a blend of cotton and synthetic fibres. It is very strong and resistant to wear, making it suitable for rugged travel.
Benefits of Travelling with a Hard Suitcase:
Benefits of Travelling with a Soft Suitcase:
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While there are benefits to both styles, there are also some drawbacks to consider that will help guide your decision for which suitcase to bring on your next trip.
Considerations for Hard Suitcases:
Considerations for Soft Suitcases:
While there are pros and cons to choosing a hard or soft suitcase, there are three factors that should ultimately be considered when going for either luggage style.
1. Suitcase Size
When choosing a suitcase, whether it’s a hard or soft construction, it’s important to factor in the size of the suitcase, as this will dictate how easy it will be to travel with it. Choose a suitcase size that’s suitable for the time you’ll be away, your access to additional items (like toiletries or clothing) and the airline you’re flying with. If you can’t decide which size is right, opt for a suitcase set that gives you the flexibility of three different sizes, including carry-on, medium and large check-in luggage.
2. Destination
Also, consider where you’re going. Will you be travelling somewhere you’ve been before or a new place? Will your accommodation have accessible features, like a lift or enough space to spread out your suitcase? Will the places you’re going have paved roads or cobblestone streets, access to lifts, escalators or public transport? All of these considerations will dictate which suitcase style will be the most convenient for your travels.
3. Aesthetics vs Function
When purchasing luggage, it’s best to consider what your priorities are when it comes to aesthetics vs function. Hard suitcases offer a range of stylish colours and designs, especially from brands like Guess, nere and Samsonite, but they can be less functional if you’re staying in accommodation with limited space. Soft suitcases, on the other hand, offer much more flexibility for different types of travel and transportation and usually take up less space. However, they don’t always offer the stylish aesthetic that their hard shell counterparts do.
4. Security
For those concerned with security, hard suitcases offer a greater sense of protection due to their sturdy exteriors. However, soft suitcases often come with additional zippers or security pockets that may require locks. Depending on your travel plans and destinations, security features may need to be a deciding factor.
5. Weight
Hard suitcases can be slightly heavier due to the rigid material, especially when made from polycarbonate. If you’re packing light and want to avoid excess weight, a soft suitcase might be a better option as it tends to weigh less.
To maintain as little weight as possible, why not opt for a lightweight duffle bag, especially if you’re travelling on a budget?
6. Budget
If you’re travelling on a budget, soft suitcases may offer better value for money. They tend to be more affordable compared to hard cases, especially if you’re purchasing a suitcase from a well-known brand. On the other hand, hard suitcases often come with additional features like built-in locks and USB charging ports, but these come at a higher price point.
Understanding the pros and cons of hard vs soft suitcases is the best way to choose the right luggage for your next adventure. Discover the wide selection of hard and soft suitcases online from Strand and shop your favourite brands now.
Travelers are usually in one of two camps when it comes to luggage: team hard-shell or team soft-side. While both styles have pros and cons, soft-sided suitcases are known for flexibility and durability; the good ones look like new even after extended use. If you’re in the market for a new piece of luggage—and especially if you're an overpacker—you may want to consider a soft-sided suitcase, even if you've long been keen on hard-shell options.
When searching for the right soft-sided luggage for your travel needs, you'll want to consider the materials each one is made with, the overall design and functionality, and the capacity that the bag can hold. You may also want to prioritize suitcases that expand, giving you a bit more room to store goodies found while souvenir shopping on your way home.
If you’re intrigued by the idea of a soft-sided suitcase, keep reading—we've done most of the legwork for you. Our editors traversed airport terminals, narrow cobblestone streets in Europe, cruise ship embarkations, and beyond with a range of popular soft-sided suitcases to bring you a list of 11 excellent options.
This article is part of Condé Nast Traveler’s second annual Luggage Week, for which dozens of suitcases, backpacks, and weekender bags were road-tested by our editors.
To help us recommend the absolute best luggage to our readers, more than a dozen Condé Nast Traveler editors and contributors spent months (and in some cases, years) road-testing the newest and best-selling bags from top travel brands. These bags accompanied us near and far on planes, trains, buses, and cruises, from local staycations and Hamptons getaways to the Paris Olympics and Marlon Brando’s private island in French Polynesia. We packed these bags to the brim, lifted them into overhead bins, rolled them down cobblestone streets, and inspected every bump and scuff they endured. We considered each bag's weight, capacity, functionality, price point, and how well it held up after several trips. We also identified smart design features that make a bag stand out from its competitors, like having weight indicators, separate shoe compartments, or ample pockets. After traveling with each bag, we carefully reviewed them, keeping the aforementioned criteria in mind to determine which ones are worth the cost and a spot in our Luggage Week lineup.
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This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
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