I never take mine out of the case. I wish I had a hard shell case, but unfortunately.... Oh well, at least they don't get scratched. I never check the baggage, it's always carry on. Sometimes they get banged around when I throw them in the overhead bin, so I try to keep them under the seat in front of me. I rarely ever forget them that way. Most importantly, I never let anyone pack my bags for me. As I get older, I'm going to consider putting little wheels on them.