With Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales upon us — and the festive season approaching — many Australians are turning their thoughts to heading off for a well-earned break.
If you're travelling this summer and in the market new luggage, you may find yourself tossing up between a hard-shell suitcase and a soft-sided one.
There's a lot to consider, so we take a look at the pros and cons of each.
Durability put to the test
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE puts suitcases through a rigorous series of trials, assessing durability, weight, and general stability and ease of use as the organisation's household expert Kim Gilmour explains.
"We have rigs where we run rain simulator showers through them, we do a lift and drop test where we drop them hundreds of times onto a hard surface, and we also do a puncture test and drop a sharp object onto them to see if they break," Ms Gilmour says.
"We find that when it comes to hard and soft, there's pros and cons of both types."
Perhaps unsurprisingly, hard-shell suitcases generally fare better in puncture tests; when soft cases are punctured, they can rip and make a hole, but that damage can often be easily repaired.
"[But] if something cracks in our lift and drop test on a hard-shell one, it's really hard to fix that and the crack might get bigger, or little pieces of plastic might break off," Ms Gilmour says.
How both types weigh in
Hard-shell suitcases are generally constructed from high-tech plastics, and aluminium, which is more durable, but also heavier than its plastic counterparts.
Soft-sided luggage is commonly made from woven nylon blends such as cordura, ballistic and ripstop.
But appearances can be deceiving, and hard-shell suitcases don’t always weigh more than soft-sided ones.
"A number of the hard cases are actually quite light," Ms Gilmour says. "They're made of ultra-lightweight materials that are quite durable and a number of the soft ones are made of kind of a heavier type of type of vinyl material, so [opting for a hard-shell] doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to get a heavy suitcase."
If you're not planning on checking-in your luggage, it's important to remember most airlines have a 7-kilogram limit for carry-on suitcases.
"A number of the ultra-lightweight models might be under two kilos or so, so that gives you plenty of space to take it up with the rest of your belongings.
"We're seeing quite a few around the two-and-a-half-kilo mark, about a third of the of the [carry-on] allowance or a bit over that, so if you're [only] paying $40 for a model you might be prepared to sacrifice a little bit of weight."
Avoid paying full price
One of the big tips to take heed of when looking for a new suitcase is to shop around — particularly during Black Friday and Boxing Day sales.
Big-brand suitcases can sell for hundreds of dollars and as Ms Gilmour explains, there are often discounts on offer — even when it's not sales season.
"One thing we do say is don't go by the recommended retail price," she says.
"Quite a number of stores will have discounts and it just pays to shop around because you might save hundreds off the recommended price."
As well as avoiding paying full retail for a suitcase, shoppers shouldn't assume that a hefty price tag automatically equals higher quality.
"Paying the cheapest [amount] doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a bad product," Ms Gilmour says.
"If you've got a carry-on suitcase and it's not going to be thrown around, and you're going to be with it most of the time, maybe it's just worth getting a cheap one."
Getting a handle on other features
Soft-sided suitcases have a bit of "give", so you can squeeze a few extra items in.
They often have external pockets, which can be handy for quick access — but make sure they can be locked if you're intending to store important documents or items in there.
Transport Security Administration (TSA) locks are a feature on many suitcases and allow you to secure your luggage while still making it possible for security authorities to inspect baggage without damaging the locks.
Hard-sided suitcases might offer greater protection for your belongings — especially if you're checking luggage in — but fitting additional belongings inside might be more difficult.
Four-wheel spinner cases have become more common than two-wheelers and rotate 360 degrees, which allows for greater manoeuvrability. But they can sometimes be trickier to control on rough terrain and inclines.
And importantly, make sure you check how far the handle extends — especially if you're tall.
"Check things like how tall the handle goes up to if you're a particularly tall person, how many different settings you have for the handle for heights, and just how easy it is to manoeuvre."
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