Hardside vs. Softside Luggage – Which Is Most Appropriate For You?
Are you traveling anytime in the future? If yes, the first thing you should buy is a luggage bag that can store all your clothes and essential items and also find a good Luggage Delivery Service. When it comes to luggage, you will find that there are two types: hard-sided or soft-sided.
Most often, you will see soft-sided bags that make up the bulk of the market. These bags come in various styles and sizes.
These can include garment bags, duffel bags, wheeled bags, and so on. On the other hand, we have bags that come with a hard-shelled exterior. These types of bags are not only lightweight but also strong. Each type of luggage has its benefits and drawbacks.
This is why, when it comes to organization, bagsbrothers.com recommends soft-sided luggage.
Here are some factors that will help you decide which luggage is best for you!
Factors To Consider
When it comes to buying a bag for traveling, there are many things that you should consider. Here are some of those features:
Organization
While traveling, you have to carry a lot of different things, which is why it is important that you have a well-organized space in your bag. Here, you will see that having soft-sided luggage gives you the advantage of having external pockets that allows you to hold additional items.
You can easily store stuff like toiletries, gadgets, and so on in these compartments. With these pockets, you can organize your luggage better instead of having to stuff everything around.
This also helps you find your things easily. Softsided luggage bags come with external and internal pockets, making packing so much easier and more organized for you.
On the other hand, hard-shell bags lack these external pockets. With such bags, you have no other option than to lay your bag open and place all your items in the main compartment.
With hard-shelled luggage, you have to place everything together, which can cause a bit of disorganization.
Resilience
Traveling and moving around can cause a lot of wear and tear on your luggage. When comparing the resilience of each type of bag, we found that soft-sided bags are more likely to withstand damage.
Hard-shelled bags can get scratched and bruised easily, while soft-sided bags can be tossed, squeezed, and dragged but can still maintain their shape. Hard-sided bags come with very little flexibility, which can cause dents to occur.
You would need to replace your bags more often. Whereas with soft-sided bags, stains and dirt do show up, but tears do not make a lot of difference to the bag’s structure. This makes the bags more long-lasting and resilient to constant use.
Security
Airport thefts are not uncommon. There can be times when someone tries to steal your stuff from the luggage. While both types of luggage come with security features for the zippers, hard-shelled cases provide better security as compared to soft-sided luggage.
Since theft can also occur by cutting through the bag, a hard-shelled exterior helps prevent that. This can help you avoid any loss of valuables while traveling.
Protection From The Environment
When you travel, you will encounter all sorts of weather conditions. Your luggage needs to be able to withstand all these conditions and help protect your stuff from them. Hardside luggage bags are weather resistant.
Most of these bags are also waterproof, allowing you to take them out even when it’s raining or snowing. Your belongings can stay protected from any kind of moisture with these bags.
While soft-sided bags come with a cloth exterior, that is not often waterproof. With water being able to seep into the bags, your belongings are most likely to get damaged.
Maintenance And Cleaning
After a long week of traveling, you would not only want to unpack but also clean your luggage before putting it away. Due to their exterior, hard-sided bags are easier to clean. You can take a wet piece of cloth and simply wipe off the surface.
These bags are easy to clean and maintain. However, soft-sided luggage is more likely to absorb dirt and water. Its surface can be much more complicated to clean and require much more effort.
There can also be times when these bags end up retaining stains and smell that you simply can’t get rid of.
Flexibility
If you are an overpacker, then you should look for flexibility in your luggage. With soft-sided luggage, the soft and flexible material offers greater flexibility. This allows you to pack in more stuff.
This is also ideal for when you want to pack some irregular-shaped objects, as soft-sided luggage allows you to make some room for them. Soft-sided luggage is also more likely to come with an option of expanding to accommodate more items.
Final Thoughts
Before buying the luggage, you need to see what your requirements are. If you want a flexible bag that allows organization and is resilient to damage, then you should consider soft-sided luggage.
However, if you are looking for a secure bag that can protect against the weather, you should consider hard-sided luggage!
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