Making sure you have the right kind of suitcase for the traveling and luggage you’ll be taking with you is vital if you are to have a successful trip. However for inexperienced travelers it can be difficult to know whether they should get a soft or hard suitcase. Both have their merits, and in this article I’ll be taking you through some of the important things you need to consider before making your decision.
No matter where you are travelling in the world you need your luggage to be protected. There isn’t any doubt that hard suitcases can provide better protection for items that are easily breakable. If your luggage gets poked by a hard object when it’s in a soft sided suitcase then it is much more likely to get damaged or broken than if it was in a hard suitcase.
However one of the main downsides of a hard sided suitcase is how much they weigh. Soft sided suitcases are always going to be lighter and hence easier to carry around. This is because a hard side suitcase contains a rigid frame which can add up to quite a heavy weight depending on the size of the suitcase. Not only does this mean that hard luggage is more of an effort to carry but it also means you’ll probably end up paying more on certain airlines to fly with your luggage. For this reason you should always check the weight of a hard suitcase before you buy so that you know how much of your baggage allowance you’ll have left if you use it.
The other downside to the hard suitcase is the price. Usually a hard suitcase will cost more than a similar sized soft sided suitcase if you buy a high quality make. For example a Samsonite hard suitcase will cost you a considerable amount of money if you are going to buy a high quality option. There are cheaper manufacturers available but often they will not provide the level of protection you would expect from a hard suitcase and hence aren’t worth buying.
If you’re going to be travelling with just clothes in your suitcase then a hard suitcase is probably not necessary. However, if you need to transport delicate items such as a laptop or musical instrument then you definitely should buy a high quality hard case so that you can be sure it will reach the destination in one piece.
