Luggage - Hard vs Soft Case

There's not a lot of information on an important part of the travel on this site which is the luggage.

I would not go back to Samsonite, I have had to replace mine too many time, under warranty though. I would buy the Rimowa. Hard shell is the best in my humble opinion.

My wife has had a lot of trouble with the zips on her samsonite hard shell lately. I’ve had to replace 2 soft Samsonites in the last 2 years and I wouldn’t get another one either. Recent threw some (a lot) $$$ down for a full-size aluminum Rimowa. It’s built like a tank but also weighs like a tank. There are a lot of reports of dings and scratches etc on the Topas (aluminum) range when checked-in, so if you prefer your suitcases squeaky clean then the Topas is probably not for you.

I bought a hard-shell Delsey to replace soft-shell Samsonites. The wheels fell off and zip disintegrated. Took it back and swapped it for a 3 set of cheap, light Antler hard shells and they are solid. I've thrashed them around Asia for a year now and they haven't broken a sweat. If you strip down the features you can get a very light, simple hard shell for a lot less than the fancy new ones.

Hard shells are tricky because you don't want one too hard and firm, otherwise it can crack on impact, and you don't want one too soft, otherwise the contents can be squashed.

These days when I do have to check a bag in, I use an Antler Juno 2 Medium case. RRP is $279 but bought mine on sale for around $160 during the Boxing Day sales at David Jones. So far, 17 flights and counting with no problems. Also considered a similar-sized Samsonite Firelite but this was more than twice the price, even on sale, so for me (particularly when I don't check a bag in on most of my travels, including international), the Antler is more than fine.

Rimowa are very good, you don't need the shiny aluminum version, they are build like tanks, the older version have more metal components and do weight up more, the newer versions have more plastic, so fair bit lighter......, agree, but after a while do start looking aged, depends if you like that look or not...

if you want something in between I recommend the TUMI Alpha 2 wheelie, its got a semi hard shell, with a aluminum frame and rugged corners, but actual a soft nylon coating, its pretty light and very durable, mine still looks good after a few years of some hard travel to some challenging places.....

Don't waste your money on Rimowa. It's tarted up Samsonite as that's who owns them.

Call me old fashioned but I prefer the soft.

TravelPro is the best.

I have a Samsonite Ultralite for when I need check in luggage and a Samsonite Octolite as a carry on. Both have been excellent.

With the Rimowa and Tumi aluminium carry on luggage, over half of your weight allowance is gone before you put anythting in the case! They both look awesome though :)

So this a left of field option - a hybrid I use an Away carry on and bigger carry on. Is a great hard shell that’s flexible and expandable without being too soft, and the interior layout is very clever (I was able to do 3 months on the one carry on suitcase, doing laundry once a week or so). Have to buy online though, and they do up to large suitcases. Resonanly priced and very distinctive on a carousel.

My Antler soft-sided 2-wheeler is still going strong after 20 years of many international trips.

I have all Lanchamp (hand luggage, suit pack, and Large case) soft but not too soft. Lasts forever as well and looks good