Who decides this stuff?

[LuvOrlando]

Stuff like hardshell luggage making a comeback, just why?

Looking for luggage, nice plain lightweight smallish soft side luggage for on a plane yet everywhere I go I see is hardside or heavy which was fine when luggae was mostly free but now, not good. Now I get why the hardside can sometimes be useful, like if I were usually packing breakable things, but I am not and this stuff landfill unfriendly and doesn't bend so it might not fit in overhead or under seats being a costly choice. Stores are full of the hard sides, just one more modern annoyance and a thing I will reject, which is ehhh, life goes on not a big deal, but it got me to wondering why these weird shifts even happen.

 

[ronandannette]

IDK... But I guess the old saying "You can please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time." is very true. I greatly prefer hard-side luggage and welcome having so many choices. On the other hand, I want a new mattress; a conventional inner-spring one that does not have a pillow-top and can be flipped for more even wear and longevity. Try finding one of those.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

Generally it's due to consumer demand. Stores see certain things selling and it translates back to manufacturers. There are (at times) self fulfilling prophecies though where dealers don't stock certain items which results in consumers buying what is available... and then a manufacturer claiming no one buys that item. Manual transmission cars get hit by this cycle often.

The only theory I can think of regarding hardshell suitcases as a preference is that they are more durable when checked. The softer suitcases always got beat up through that process where the hard shells seem to come away with a couple scuffs.

I'm not sure I understand the "doesn't bend so might not fit" point though as I personally found that a disadvantage to soft shell suitcases. I know if my hardshell zips it fits where my softshell could bulge and cause issues.

 

[Kitty 34]

IDK... But I guess the old saying "You can please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time." is very true. I greatly prefer hard-side luggage and welcome having so many choices. On the other hand, I want a new mattress; a conventional inner-spring one that does not have a pillow-top and can be flipped for more even wear and longevity. Try finding one of those.

Sooooo agree with you on the mattress!!

LuvOrlando, I still have my soft-side carry on from a set we used years ago. That's still my favorite. We have one of those hard shells that we have to use for long vacations. I'm not a fan because I find it very difficult to open to each side. It's heavy and I'm weak!

 

[Ms.Minnie]

I just checked the AAA website and they have soft sided luggage, not as much as the hard stuff but they do have some.

Just checked Amazon and they have the soft sided luggage as well. Good luck, you may have to order it online.

 

[kymom99]

Travelpro is my recommendation even if you have to order online

 

[DL1WDW2]

IDK... But I guess the old saying "You can please all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time." is very true. I greatly prefer hard-side luggage and welcome having so many choices. On the other hand, I want a new mattress; a conventional inner-spring one that does not have a pillow-top and can be flipped for more even wear and longevity. Try finding one of those.

Hi We just bought mattresses exactly for these reasons .
I am pretty sure they have locations across USA.
Original Mattress Factory Store and they have a very generous satisfaction guaranteed policy and will remind me when it is time to flip or turn Haha .
Also their staff is very knowledgeable with zero pressure because they like their jobs and are not under pressure to make a commission.

 

[tvguy]

See, I don't understand softsided luggage. I bought a set of Delsey lightweight hardsided luggage in 1979 when I got out of college and started traveling for work. Still using them today.
I just shake my head when I see someone's soft sided luggage on the baggage return with the zippers ripped out and underwear hanging out.
Or worse yet, when a hot pink thong comes out on the conveyor belt all by itself.

 

[ashley0139]

Travelpro is my recommendation even if you have to order online

Agree. I love my Travelpro luggage and you can often get it a bit cheaper on Amazon. Lots of size and color options.

 

[Kitty 34]

See, I don't understand softsided luggage. I bought a set of Delsey lightweight hardsided luggage in 1979 when I got out of college and started traveling for work. Still using them today.
I just shake my head when I see someone's soft sided luggage on the baggage return with the zippers ripped out and underwear hanging out.
Or worse yet, when a hot pink thong comes out on the conveyor belt all by itself.

You must have been at my baggage claim....

 

[ronandannette]

Hi We just bought mattresses exactly for these reasons .
I am pretty sure they have locations across USA.
Original Mattress Factory Store and they have a very generous satisfaction guaranteed policy and will remind me when it is time to flip or turn Haha .
Also their staff is very knowledgeable with zero pressure because they like their jobs and are not under pressure to make a commission.

Thanks, but we're in Canada and this store doesn't have any locations here. The closest store is in Minnesota (about 2,000 miles) and I guess I just don't want it bad enough.

 

[mjkacmom]

Travelpro is my recommendation even if you have to order online

Bought two last year from Amazon.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm not sure I understand the "doesn't bend so might not fit" point though as I personally found that a disadvantage to soft shell suitcases. I know if my hardshell zips it fits where my softshell could bulge and cause issues.

I gather the OP means in the overhead bin space when you have soft-sided you can push the extra pockets, you can push down the main compartment to squish it down. Hard sided is rigid for a reason so if it's a tight fit you're going to run into some big issues and a gate check becomes likely.

 

[Magical2017]

Stuff like hardshell luggage making a comeback, just why?

 

[fly girl]

I am not a fan of the hardshell luggage either. My daughter had one and it cracked along the way of checked baggage. It wasn't ruined, but I just prefer old style fabric and 2 wheels -- I do not like the 4 wheel swivel. Personal preference.

TravelPro is good luggage, many crew members use it (I had it at the beginning of my career.) However, the brand that many prefer (including myself) is LuggageWorks. Like everything, they aren't has durable as they were when I purchased my first set in 1998, but they still way better than most brands you'll find. They have to take a beating as flight crews live out of them.

 

[Colleen27]

I think the airline chaos of the last year or more is largely responsible for the comeback of hardside luggage. Since covid started, we've had two bags reach our destination soaked almost through, one handled so roughly that a couple of nail polish bottles inside a train case/organizer broke, and one that turned up looking like someone slashed the side with a box cutter. I've always preferred soft and will stick with that for carry on size bags, but I did order two lightweight hardside cases with good durability reviews to use as checked bags going forward.

 

[fla4fun]

I have a mix of hard and soft side luggage, and I do find the soft side is easier to pack/unpack. My hard side opens around the middle, so no matter which way you open it, something falls out of the top half. I drive to most of my vacations, so I like to use carry on size to make the most of my car space (it’s a lot like Tetris sometimes). I have finally retired one hard side bag and use the other one as the bag of last resort. I can see wanting one if I were checking a bag for a flight though, for protection reasons.

 

[Mysterian]

I remember that scene from The Terminal where Tom Hanks accidentally breaks a young woman’s hard shell luggage in an attempt to squeeze all her stuff in there.

Tom Hanks is why you should avoid hardshell luggage.

 

[Cheburashka]

Stuff like hardshell luggage making a comeback, just why?

Looking for luggage, nice plain lightweight smallish soft side luggage for on a plane yet everywhere I go I see is hardside or heavy which was fine when luggae was mostly free but now, not good. Now I get why the hardside can sometimes be useful, like if I were usually packing breakable things, but I am not and this stuff landfill unfriendly and doesn't bend so it might not fit in overhead or under seats being a costly choice. Stores are full of the hard sides, just one more modern annoyance and a thing I will reject, which is ehhh, life goes on not a big deal, but it got me to wondering why these weird shifts even happen.

After our softsided luggage was completely soaked in a thunderstorm during a loading delay at the Paris airport (and subsequently having to spend our first morning in Amsterdam washing all of our clothes at a laundromat, and having to use fans in our hotel for a full day to blow dry the suitcase), I now only use hardshell luggage. I have Tommy Hilfiger and they've been durable and have not caused any problems. I check the big one and put the carry-on sized one in the overhead bin. No issues with either. If your luggage is sized correctly for carry-on, it will fit in the overhead bin. And baggage handlers can destroy any kind of bag. When I collected one of our old softsided bags at baggage claim at the end of our Europe trip, a wheel had been torn off.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I gather the OP means in the overhead bin space when you have soft-sided you can push the extra pockets, you can push down the main compartment to squish it down. Hard sided is rigid for a reason so if it's a tight fit you're going to run into some big issues and a gate check becomes likely.

Exactly!
Since business travel is resuming full throttle and we now have 2 family members who are flying in this way I realized what we have isn't cutting it. I have been on a search and found one 22ish inch plain piece at a random stop last week.

I prefer to handle it in person to see if it can be managed alone so it needs to be incredibly light for me to pull it out of an overhead and first, not lose control and have it crash down on me or someone else and second, to be able to maneuver it. A few years ago everything was wonderfully lightweight and I am kicking myself for not realizing this was a trend, apparently everything is a trend now.