Full-sized luggage sets are a convenient family travel hack

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No man is an island, as the saying goes. While that’s true, some men, like me, live on an island. Because my particular island happens to be in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and 2,353 miles from the nearest land mass, I’m a de facto travel expert. There’s no such thing in my world as a “short trip.” Every trip I take is akin to an epic journey or a hero’s adventure. Unfortunately, a few of these trips ended more like a Greek tragedy because I didn’t have the right luggage set. After tens of thousands of miles traveled, I’ve learned that there’s no better way to prepare for a trip than to buy a full-sized luggage set that can handle every possible eventuality. The only real question to ask yourself is what type of luggage set works best for you.

Hardside luggage sets

Hardside luggage sets seem to be the most popular style of travel bags these days, and with good reason. Most hardside luggage is made from either composite ABS or Polycarbonate materials. ABS stands for Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, which is precisely why we usually stick to the abbreviation. The benefits of ABS are its lightweight and cost-effective design. ABS luggage is usually available at a relatively low price, which is ideal for budget-conscious travelers. One down side of the material is its rigidity. Because it has little to no flexibility, ABS bags can crack under the pressure, literally. However, if you’re looking for a light and affordable hardside luggage set, then ABS is a good choice.

Polycarbonate is similar to ABS in weight, but it has more flex and long-term durability. That means it can handle being thrown around by the airline ground crew and it’s less likely to be damaged than its ABS counterparts. It’s a hardened thermoplastic that’s so durable it’s sometimes even used in safety helmets. That durability, however, sometimes comes with a higher price tag. That said, if you can find a polycarbonate hardside luggage set at a good price, I recommend you take advantage. 

Regardless of which material you choose for your hardside luggage, you’re getting a good deal. That’s because most hardside luggage sets offer a durable protective shell around your items that softside luggage simply can’t match. Hardside bags are optimal if you’re transporting delicate items and you want to be sure they stay safe, even if they’re traveling in the cargo hold. 

SwissGear 3-Piece Hardside Polycarbonate Luggage Set

Zimtown 5-Piece Hardside Luggage Set

Softside luggage sets

For a couple of decades, it seemed like nylon and polyester softside suitcases were the wave of the future. They were the standard and were praised for their versatility and style. In recent years, hardside luggage took the lead once again and made fabric-based suitcases more of a niche product. That gives it a bit of a cool factor in my book because I have a contrarian streak. If my bag looks like everyone else’s, I feel like I must be doing something wrong, style-wise. When it comes to softside bags, there appears to be far more variety of design aesthetically than there is with hard shell suitcases.

Along with the external looks of softside luggage, they also have more in the way of external storage. While most hard cases have little to no storage options on the outside of the bag, fabric suitcases usually have multiple zipper pockets on the outside layers. These pockets offer quick and easy access, which is a big benefit when travelling and you need to grab documents, chargers, or anything else in a hurry and on the go. 

Another benefit of softside luggage sets is that they often stay looking newer after multiple trips than their hardside counterparts. Even the highest-quality hard shell suitcases can succumb to scuffs, scratches, or even cracks due to their construction. Even somewhat flexible polycarbonate is more rigid than any fabric suitcase on the market, which makes it far more susceptible to visible damage than fabric bags.

Travel Select Amsterdam 8-Piece Softside Luggage Set

Skyway Tideland 5-Piece Softside Luggage Set

Options to consider

Once you’ve chosen a material, it’s time to decide on a specific set. There are a number of factors to consider, but there are three that I usually try to focus on when making my choice. These are bag quantity, price, and aesthetic considerations. Your basis for deciding on the right set for you might vary slightly from mine, but I think these are good guideposts if you’re starting from scratch.

The number of bags in a luggage set has as much to do with how you travel as it does with how many people you travel with. I almost always travel with a family of three, which includes myself, my wife, and my young son. Because of this, a 3-piece luggage set is perfect for us. It usually breaks down this way: My wife uses the large check bag because it fits all of her outfits and hair-related appliances, I fill the medium carryon with my essential clothes and toiletries, and my son packs two swimsuits, one sock, and an overripe banana in the smallest carryon, leaving it three-quarters empty. 

The second factor in choosing a luggage set is inextricably linked to the first. Price is almost always directly related to the size of the set. However, it’s also often tied to the materials and build quality. I’m a “moderation in everything” type of traveler, so that also holds true for me when choosing a new luggage set. I try to balance size, quality, and price so that I’m getting a reasonably high-quality set at a manageable price. After all, if I spend all my money on the bags, there might be nothing left for souvenirs.

Finally, aesthetics usually play a larger part in my choice than people might think, but that’s for a very specific reason. I tend to look for suitcases that look very different from anything I’ve seen before. That’s because I spent too much time in the past grabbing nondescript black bags off the baggage carousel, just to put it back while saying “Nope! That’s not ours either.” I like having suitcases that I can immediately recognize when they’re next to everyone else’s luggage. It makes arrivals a far less stressful endeavor, and that’s just a little tip from your favorite self-proclaimed travel expert. 

More luggage sets

Wrangler Mixed Hard and Softside Luggage Set

Concepten 5-Piece Mixed Hardside and Softside Luggage Set

Polibi 12-Piece Luggage Set

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