[The Bard Rocks]

I feel there is a greater difference in protectiveness between the best and the worst gigbags when compared to the best and worst hard cases. the cheapest gig bag are just a convenient way to carry an instrument without much investment, and do very little to protect what is inside. The best ones are as expensive as the better hard cases and rival the protection level.

Keep in mind there are many things a guitar needs protection against: drops, friction rubbing against other surfaces, things that can cause damage to the finish, jolts, damage from heat or humidity (or lack thereof), crushing, generally getting banged around, fire.... a long list when you think on it. There is no case that protects well against everything. To someone pondering whether to stay hard or go soft, I recommend thinking of what you expect your instrument will need protection against, and choose with that in mind.

Most times the hard case wins, but not always. And the soft case has the great advantage of being far lighter and often easier to put on your shoulders if you wish. A good soft case will take up more space in storage than a hard case and an el cheapo, less, which goes to illustrate the difference in quality and protectiveness between bags.