Is a hardside or softside luggage set better?

Hardside sets (polycarbonate or ABS/PC) resist crushing and wipe clean easily, which is why most of the popular sets here are hardshell. Softside sets like the Travelpro Tourlite offer more give, external pockets, and easier overpacking. For mixed checked-and-carry-on use, hardside is the more common pick among the sets we reviewed, but frequent business travelers often prefer softside for the pockets.