I’ve been pulling around a trusty pair of nesting soft-sided Samsonite bags for the last few years that have served my husband and me well for our travels domestically and abroad. No complaints really. But some upcoming travel plans have us needing to invest in an additional set of bags, which has sent me down the rabbit hole of researching what to get.

My biggest question is whether or not to make the switch from soft-sided bags to hard-shell cases.