Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Travel
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-11-2014, 09:28 PM
 
7,569 posts, read 8,616,567 times
Reputation: 4434

Advertisements

What are the pros and cons of hardside luggage, beside the obvious fact that something large and delicate should better be put in such a luggage?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-12-2014, 07:17 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
19,383 posts, read 27,635,389 times
Reputation: 36019
Pro - it's lighter.

Pro - protects delicate, fragile items better.

Con - it cracks if it's checked and not handled nicely.

Con - no pockets. Gotta open it to pull out that bag of liquids when you go thru TSA.

We just replaced one of our carry ons (rarely ever check bags anymore), and after research, decided to stay with soft sided. The no pocket thing was intolerable if you do carry on,

BTW, recognize that luggage is a disposable commodity these days, Get something well made, but cheap. Some great stuff at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshall's.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 07:19 AM
 
Location: Gatineau, QC, Canada
3,379 posts, read 5,512,192 times
Reputation: 4438
I guess that you wouldn't really have to worry about fabric fraying or tearing. I never liked the aesthetic of hardshell luggages, but recently saw a nice one that made me think twice. I would never check-in a bag though so it's not important to me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 08:14 AM
 
43,359 posts, read 44,068,367 times
Reputation: 20424
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkgourmet View Post
Pro - it's lighter.
I would have thought that it is heavier.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 08:26 AM
 
1,242 posts, read 1,682,314 times
Reputation: 3658
Pro's:
- Doesn't get soaked when being loaded and unloaded like its softer counterpart. As someone living in a rainy state it's a bummer to see your luggage sopping wet on the go round.
- As another poster mentioned, fragile items stand a better chance of arriving safely.

Cons:

- like another poster mentioned, no pockets


I currently have a soft carry on size luggage. It's a unique color which helps when bags have to be checked because of capacity. Plus it was only $40 at Ross.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 09:20 AM
 
Location: Raleigh, NC
19,383 posts, read 27,635,389 times
Reputation: 36019
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chava61 View Post
I would have thought that it is heavier.
Not the new ones. That was the ONLY reason we even considered them. But we found a Samsonite soft side that is only 1.5 lbs heavier than most ofthe newer hard cases. $69 bucks at TJ Maxx.

$8 bucks for two big hot pink luggage tags that nearly glow in the dark as the luggage hits the conveyor belt. Easy to spot, and embarrasses DH for extra fun.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 09:44 AM
 
Location: SoCal
6,418 posts, read 11,556,911 times
Reputation: 7093
Something large and delicate should not be sent in either soft-sided or hard-sided luggage. Have you seen the way luggage is handled? Find a shipping company that can safely pack and send it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-12-2014, 10:05 PM
 
7,569 posts, read 8,616,567 times
Reputation: 4434
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkgourmet View Post
Pro - it's lighter.

BTW, recognize that luggage is a disposable commodity these days, Get something well made, but cheap. Some great stuff at TJ Maxx, Ross, Marshall's.
It never occurred to me that they are lighter. Good observation that luggage is disposable items nowadays. I'm all for luggage being cheap, for another reason: less thieves would want to steal it at luggage claims .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2014, 07:47 AM
 
13,976 posts, read 25,852,870 times
Reputation: 39857
I was floored when I saw this video the other day, but it certainly speaks to the benefit of hard-sided luggage:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpxZMbhwytw
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-13-2014, 08:21 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,527 posts, read 47,575,618 times
Reputation: 77900
My mother had the airlines put a forklift tine all the way through her expensive hard sided suitcase. After that, I realized that the airlines can destroy anything you throw at them, so I travel with a oversized canvas gym bag (duffel bag, but it has a long zipper) that I paid about $16 for at Costco 20 years ago.

If the airlines destroys it, I am not out much. Plus, if someone is going to steal luggage off the carousel, they aren't going to pick that one to steal.

Negatives with mine: it has to be carried because it doesn't have wheels.

The only reason I can think of to have an expensive set of luggage is if you only stay at the most costly resorts and have an image to maintain.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Travel

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top