Each suitcase was subjected to a two-minute shower to see how it might fare at keeping your belongings dry if you get caught in a downpour.

You'll do fine buying a cheaper hard shell suitcase as none of them broke during our tests, but stumping out the extra cash for the American Tourister Soundbox will get you the most durable suitcase we tested. We dropped each suitcase from shoulder height at several angles onto concrete to simulate rough handling.

In This Section

Dimensions: 55 x 40 x 20cm (cabin), 67 x 46.5 x 29.5cm (medium), 77 x 51.5 x 29.5cm (large) (HxWxD) Flight Knight's case took a nasty dent in our drop tests, but avoided other cosmetic damage to the body of the case. It didn't appear too scratched. The Tripp Holiday 6 proved tough in our tests overall and didn't suffer any major damage, but the scratches and stress marks didn't look too appealing. We put each hard shell suitcase through the following tests designed to replicate the rough and tumble it's likely to face when you take it on holidays or work trips:

This suitcase offers easy transportation thanks to an extendable handle from the top and a pair or durable wheels to the base.

Although the most durable suitcases are likely to cost you more money, you don't have to shell out more to get a suitcase that'll survive a beating. Although it avoided permanent dents in our tests, our drop tests did leave Firetrap Hard Duitcase with some unsightly white stress marks in the corners. These marks also appeared on the sides of the suitcase when we sat on it and the suitcase gave way to the weight of the researcher very easily.

To test the strength of the carry handles and trolley handles we loaded up and lifted each suitcase numerous times.

Dimensions: 50 x 34 x 20cm (cabin), 63 x 45 x 28cm (medium), 73 x 49 x 31cm (large), 83 x 53 x 33cm (extra large)

None of the suitcases we reviewed broke completely during our testing, so buying the cheapest hard shell suitcases we investigated should ensure your suitcase survives all but the roughest handling. Some suffered nasty dents that certainly spoil the look of the suitcases, though, and we found the weakest part of most suitcases to be the trolley handle, several of which were much wobblier after our tests. To see how the wheels coped with being dragged across rough surfaces, we took each suitcase for a hurried walk around a cobbled street.Sometimes there isn't always somewhere to sit while you wait at the airport, so we sat on each suitcase to see how they handled being used as makeshift chairs.