Who decides this stuff?

[Jennasis]

I don't care for hardsided luggage. We got a lovely Samsonite soft set back in 2014 and it's still going. I believe we got it at Kohls....or possibly Marshalls.

 

[leebee]

I 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.

I am SO with you on the mattress! I don't like pillow tops and I detest memory foam. I want a nice, conventional, inner-spring mattress that I can flip and rotate on a regular basis, that doesn't make me feel like I am sleeping in a ditch or have to lift myself out of just to turn over. Also not a huge fan of the deep mattress they make these days. I have to vault into bed. I want that nice, conventional, inner-spring mattress to be of a depth that my feet touch the floor when sitting on the side of the mattress!

(Regarding luggage, I am a soft-sided, two wheel fan. I hate these 4 wheel suitcases that you push along beside you; really kills my lower back. Give me a suitcase with a pair of wheels set into the sides that I can drag along behind me!)

 

[greeneyedchick]

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.

I agree.

 

[NotUrsula]

There are two reasons why hardsides are taking over the market: 1) weight, and 2) the preference for 4 wheels. With modern materials, it's much easier to make a hardside lighter than a softside of equal durability, which matters very much in this era of exorbitant luggage fees. However, the business of the wheels is a game-changer. Travelers love having 4 wheels so that they can roll cases without dragging the weight, but softsides are very tricky to pack with the proper balance so that they roll cleanly, especially when packed to the weight limit, as so many folks tend to do nowadays. Softsides with 4 wheels tend to get bad reviews because they don't roll cleanly when fully packed.

There are actually still quite a few softsides on the market, but you don't tend to find them in retail stores except luggage stores. All of the major brands still sell them, but almost all of them now have 4 wheels, which makes them tricky to pack. (And don't get me started on small carryons with 2 wheels; those are truly an endangered species. Which is a problem, because when they have 4 wheels you lose packing space with tiny size limits.)

 

[Karin1984]

Who decides, probably the customer.
And I think that in times of crisis people want to invest in something that will last a long time. Something that looks sturdy gives that impression, whether it is right or not.

And maybe for some, things like climate change and social media might add to this. When there is a storm with lighting, operations at airport are abandoned, hard shell projects better than soft shell. Stories like this make the news and social media more than in the 70-90s. When people have to buy a new suitcase this is in the back of their head. Or maybe for people who live in areas where floods are part of the (new) climate they want hard shell to protect their belongings better.

 

[amcnj]

Sometimes things just swing in and out of favor. People start seeing the shortcomings of the current trend and accept and prefer the claims of the new trend. Then eventually the new one can get old too.

I am not sure how much is customer driven or industry push. But if something “new” catches on the manufacturers can benefit from increased sales.

 

[sam_gordon]

Give me a hard side. If there is a downpour or just heavy rain (and if you're flying in/out of Florida, especially in the afternoon, there's a good chance), and your suitcase (and therefore everything in it) won't get soaked. If someone else's liquid container breaks in THEIR soft side luggage, it can't soak into yours. If there's some kind of leak or other fluid that your suitcase is sitting in, it won't affect yours. They're light weight.

As far as the 2 vs 4 wheel... 4 wheel gives you the option of pushing it, running it beside you, or PULLING it (just because it has four wheels doesn't mean you need to use all four).

 

[SirDuff]

(Regarding luggage, I am a soft-sided, two wheel fan. I hate these 4 wheel suitcases that you push along beside you; really kills my lower back. Give me a suitcase with a pair of wheels set into the sides that I can drag along behind me!)

Just use two of the four wheels. I do it all the time. Tilt the bag and it works just like the older ones with two wheels.

 

[NotUrsula]

Give me a hard side. If there is a downpour or just heavy rain (and if you're flying in/out of Florida, especially in the afternoon, there's a good chance), and your suitcase (and therefore everything in it) won't get soaked. If someone else's liquid container breaks in THEIR soft side luggage, it can't soak into yours. If there's some kind of leak or other fluid that your suitcase is sitting in, it won't affect yours. They're light weight.

As far as the 2 vs 4 wheel... 4 wheel gives you the option of pushing it, running it beside you, or PULLING it (just because it has four wheels doesn't mean you need to use all four).

Just note that most of today's consumer-market hardside luggage is NOT leakproof, especially not if sitting out in a downpour. Most modern hardsides have zipper closures, and a steady stream of water can flow through a typical HD zipper rather easily. (There are such things as waterproof zippers, but they very expensive, so they only tend to get used in more high-end brands.)

In the old days all hardside suitcases closed with hinges and a tongue-&-groove channel around the molded rim, but very few modern rolling hardsides are made that way today. (Samsonite does still make a perennial workhorse version, though, built like a tank. It used to be called the Oyster; now you can get it with a telescoping pull-handle in a version called the F'Lite. Still very popular for travel to areas where luggage needs to keep out vermin. The inside is truly minimalist to keep weight down, because these are still mostly marketed for int'l travel.)

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[sam_gordon]

Just note that most of today's consumer-market hardside luggage is NOT leakproof, especially not if sitting out in a downpour. Most modern hardsides have zipper closures, and a steady stream of water can flow through a typical HD zipper rather easily. (There are such things as waterproof zippers, but they very expensive, so they only tend to get used in more high-end brands.)

In the old days all hardside suitcases closed with hinges and a tongue-&-groove channel around the molded rim, but very few modern rolling hardsides are made that way today. (Samsonite does still make a perennial workhorse version, though, built like a tank. It used to be called the Oyster; now you can get it with a telescoping pull-handle in a version called the F'Lite. Still very popular for travel to areas where luggage needs to keep out vermin. The inside is truly minimalist to keep weight down, because these are still mostly marketed for int'l travel.)

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It would be interesting to see whether the hard sided keeps out more water than a soft.

 

[tvguy]

Stuff like hardshell luggage making a comeback, just why?

Simply put, because it's what people are buying.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Sooooo agree with you on the mattress!!

+1

 

[MrsPete]

I think fear of bedbugs may be involved in the hard-sided luggage. I know a couple people who've gone through that hell, and what they say was horrible. But I LOVE four wheels!

I was shocked when I learned that not all mattresses are "flippable".

 

[tgropp]

Count me in for the hard plastic suitcases. I have used my Samsonite set to go to Florida 7 times, Hawaii twice, Vancouver twice and it looks like it’s new. I always found the stitching fraying on the old cloth suitcases after three years. I presume that everyone has their preference. I’m just thankful to be able to travel

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Count me in for the hard plastic suitcases. I have used my Samsonite set to go to Florida 7 times, Hawaii twice, Vancouver twice and it looks like it’s new. I always found the stitching fraying on the old cloth suitcases after three years. I presume that everyone has their preference. I’m just thankful to be able to travel

My suitcases from 2006 have frayed edges, they've been through a beating, but they a structurally good. Frayed edges aren't anything when it comes to luggage stability. Perhaps cosmetic but then again I see scratches all the time on hard sided luggage.

I think people are finding that newer luggage whether hard sided or soft sided aren't lasting as long. My old soft-sided are heavy. The carry on is 8.3-ish or so pounds whereas newer luggage is more around 6-7lbs but the durability of newer luggage is suffering. Same with hard sided. The material may be lighter but the structure not as robust. There are lightweight materials but the budget for those is usually cost prohibitive for many.

 

[JaxDad]

My suitcases from 2006 have frayed edges, they've been through a beating, but they a structurally good. Frayed edges aren't anything when it comes to luggage stability. Perhaps cosmetic but then again I see scratches all the time on hard sided luggage.

I think people are finding that newer luggage whether hard sided or soft sided aren't lasting as long. My old soft-sided are heavy. The carry on is 8.3-ish or so pounds whereas newer luggage is more around 6-7lbs but the durability of newer luggage is suffering. Same with hard sided. The material may be lighter but the structure not as robust. There are lightweight materials but the budget for those is usually cost prohibitive for many.

I have a large rolling duffel I purchased from KMart(!) 20+ years ago. It has seen some HARD use, including a lot of rough rolling in urban environments in all kinds of weather. It developed some frayed edges several years ago, so I applied iron-on patches, and they’ve worked great. I had no idea when I purchased this luggage that it would last so long and serve me so well!

 

[NotUrsula]

It would be interesting to see whether the hard sided keeps out more water than a soft.

Oh, hardside undoubtedly keeps our more when sitting in the rain. I just didn't want people to think they were leakproof, because they definitely are not. Your odds of liquid issues are lower, but not zero.

 

[disney-inspired]

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.

Yes about the mattress! They are available but wow their prices have skyrocketed.

 

[Mmbl123]

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.

My “IT” soft side luggage is featherweight! I forget exactly how light but you can pick up the large checked bag size as if it’s nothing. I’ve had both the carry on and checked bag sizes for 5 years or better and they’re holding up very well. We even loan them out to our brown kids when they travel.

 

[sam_gordon]

We even loan them out to our brown kids when they travel.

Wait. WHAT?