Soft-Sided Luggage Is Having a Moment

19.09.2024 - 13:33 / cntraveler.com

When Carla Murray started traveling more frequently for work, she upgraded from her trusty soft-side luggage to a hard-shell, thinking that the tougher shell would be more durable and help protect fragile items.

“But my cute pink hard-shell carry-on didn’t pass the test when it had to be checked on a trip this spring,” the marketing professional from Richmond, Virginia, says. “When I pulled it off the conveyor belt, it had a large dent in one corner and was cracked all the way across on the other side.” Without time to buy another bag, she haphazardly duct taped the shell together for her return flight, and promptly went shopping for an updated soft-sided bag when she got home.

Now she relies on the Samsonite Solyte DLX line—she owns both a carry-on and check-in size suitcase from it—and appreciates the flexibility that fabric suitcases offer. “They are easier to manipulate and stuff into small overhead bins or other small storage areas, like car trunks,” she says. Additionally, she says they tend to be more lightweight and come with exterior zippered pockets for last-minute items to be tossed in.

It's exactly those advantages that draw so many travelers to the soft side. Even so, in recent years, hard-shell luggage has seemingly been the travel companion of choice. Not only do celebrity travelers and social media posts tend to favor suitcases with a sturdier exterior, but entire brands have specifically launched around the design. (Hello, Away!) Meanwhile, soft-side bags took a backseat, developing a reputation of being old school and out of date—until now.

While reputation is one thing, the numbers tell a different story. American travelers have actually historically preferred soft-side, according to a study conducted by market research company Grand View Research. A rep for Away says that in 2022, 50 percent of sales in the country—accounting for 90 million US travelers—were for this style of bag. Those numbers alone were enough for the brand to debut its first foray into the space in July.

“In the nearly 10 years since Away launched, the soft-side market has remained relatively untouched by innovation,” Away’s vice president of brand Amanda Brody says. “That’s a massive portion of the market that’s been patiently waiting for an elevated option they can feel proud to travel with.”

In its first iteration, Away has given the traditional soft-side suitcase a serious glow-up with a sleeker aesthetic, two exterior zip compartments hidden in the seams, tougher water-repellent material, and elevated practicality with a padded top handle and built-in stabilization system that prevents the bag from tipping over, while maintaining use of the brand’s trademark compression system. And they’re going beyond the