Surely weight is only important if you are packing right up to the last gram in your allowance?

No that's not the reason. But whatever weight I have to carry, lift, hoist, etc. I would rather have it be my belongings, not the bag itself. I've always used soft luggage, it has never once been ripped or cut open. Nor have I ever had the luggage strap cause a problem.

In my younger days, I carried and hoisted everything. Now, lifting anything is difficult, so every ounce counts. I pack light, but a bag that weighs 4 lbs over a bag that weigh 8 lbs makes a big difference for me. That is also why everything must have wheels, can’t handle carrying a tote anymore. Having seen zippers broken and locks bumped open, I will take my chances with a strap around the case.

Straps.
 

if you look into how luggage is handled at some airports, you'd think twice about adding straps. The buckles and the straps can snare and impede the passage of the bag at some stages. If they have been placed through a handle and they come off, then you have a large loop trailing from the bag.

Sure, and if the zipper breaks, my clothes may be strewn all over the conveyer belt. Possible problems no matter what. I have no idea what happened, but the wheels were sheered off a piece of new luggage I had on a short flight, DD had the wheels melt on a piece of luggage on an Amtrak train, and I had the lock break on hard sided Samsonite and my things all over the tarmac. I pack nothing I could not afford to lose in checked luggage.

I don't trust zippers or fabric luggage for check-in bags.
duct tape is often your best bet.
Of course packing sensibly helps too.
I would be worried that lightweight gear is not strong enough.
I also would look at the design of some clasps and catches to see if they are mechanically sensible.
I have both hard and fabric items by Samsonite and have found them all to be well engineered and incredibly hard-wearing.
surprised to hear that a catch or lock broke on one. Of course damage can occur whilst the bag is open or the catches are open prior to packing....a good sideways impact could damage te hinge.

If you're going to wrap stuff in tape spend a little more and get gaffer tape. Duct tape is designed to stay on and will leave a residue. Gaffer tape is designed to be removed cleaning.

B&H in NYC likely has a wide choice on their website. But you could try amazon . Just make sure you're getting actual gaffer tape.

But the better choice is just plastic wrap. There is a reason it's used to wrap pallets of goods for shipping.

Or better yet -- travel carry-on only. No issues at all (occasionally need to ramp check on really small planes but no biggie since ramp checked bags are usually retrieved on the tarmac and not on a carousel). My 21 inch bag weighs a tad under 5 lbs empty and almost never weighs more than 21 or 22 lbs crammed to the gills. Once it weighed 25.5 lbs due to hiking boots I didn't want to wear on the flight. If I can't lift it I don't take it . . .

Right now, I would double bag my stuff in pillow cases with some rubber bands and zip ties if was safe for me to travel to Italy, or Spain, or New Zealand, or St Kitts, or France, or . . . . .

Yes - I agree - if you can get REAL gaffer tape, it's best. I failed to make the differentiation in my post.

Lightest I have found and with a warranty!
 

We use TravelPro MaxLite spinners. Love them. We had an issue on our last trip where the front pocket got stuck on a conveyor belt and ripped almost off. It was replace for free with the warranty.