Are hardside luggage sets actually more durable than softside?

It depends on the failure mode. Hardside polycarbonate and polypropylene shells resist water and crushing better, but specialist subreddit threads (notably on r/LuggageComparisons and r/BuyItForLife) repeatedly warn that cheaper hardshells can crack at corners after enough rough handling, while softside bags scuff and dent without structural failure. For checked-bag survival, the consensus across reviewers we read is that wheel and handle quality matters more than shell material.