Factors to consider in the hard vs. soft luggage debate. Let’s dive into how the two different luggage types perform in key areas like durability, storage, weight, and security.

The best softside luggage is flexible and forgiving, often providing extra packing space. After rigorous testing, our editors determined the best picks for 2025.

The zippers on Away’s soft-sided luggage don’t slide as smoothly as their signature hard bags. Older Away bags featured a built-in lock. While this bag includes a TSA lock, it fastens on and off.

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It’s a debate that has torn families apart. Okay, not really. But people go surprisingly hard defending their position in the hard-sided versus soft-sided luggage debate.

Soft-sided luggage is having a moment. Away recently announced its Softside collection , which followed Herschel’s Softshell series earlier this summer. But with a new collection called the VersaPack+ ...

Meanwhile, soft-side bags took a backseat, developing a reputation of being old school and out of date—until now. Soft-side, an unsung hero.

It’s easy to forget, though, that Away launched a line of soft-sided luggage back in 2019 dubbed The Expandables, which looked quite similar to the newly unveiled Softside collection. It’s hard to ...