Hard luggage is better because you have a smaller chance of brnging home unwanted friends (i.e. bed bugs). Bed bugs attach themselves to the suitcase so unless you have it professionally cleaned each time you leave they are much worse. Hard luggage you can bring into your house and set down anywhere (however I would still recommend unloading everything on a hard surface (wood or tile floors) to avoid the bed bugs in your clothes coming into your home before you wash!
Sorry as a frequent flyer 120k this year alone, you couldn’t pay me to own a hard shell luggage. If it was half hardshell I’d consider it as I am in the market for another set, but all the hardshell owners I know end up having to replace after 2-3 trips.
I stopped using my hard luggage for checked bags because they searched it almost everytime. My wife’s never got searched. Now I use a $20 duffle bag.
It’s kind of creepy that someone has gone through your things without you being there to supervise.
Must be a quality thing. I have only hard shell cases, mainly Samsonite. Two of those cases I’ve had since 1996 and they still travel with me, including storing them in non-travel time in a Texas attic at some ungodly hot temperatures.
Even the cheaper extra cases I’ve gotten since having kids have gone with me traveling on a half-dozen international trips and are still perfectly fine.
My concern with the carryon size comes from numerous stories of problems (and fines for deliberate undersizing of the check frames by at least one carrier) flying the discount European airlines. I’ll be using EasyJet and possibly Aer Lingus and I’d rather not get hit for extra hold baggage fees because my carryon was too big.
Yeah, except it’s not unlawful when you agree to it by flying. You agree to a “contract of carriage” or something similar by purchasing a ticket/checking in. That contract involves the airline’s right to refuse boarding if your bags aren’t checked by trained personnel.