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For me it depends on where you're going and how you're getting there. If you've ever tried taking a rectangular hardshell case on a crowded subway train, you'll appreciate gig bags. If you've ever had to throw your guitar in the back of a van full of PA gear and amps, it's vice-versa.
A well-padded gig bag provides adequate protection for most of the situations I encounter these days. I have two: a Levy's and a Ritter. (I had a Tough Traveler, but I threw it in with a guitar sale. Big mistake: those bags will last a lifetime, and I may eventually spring for another.) I have one Brand-X plastic hardshell case that I use when the arrangements look a little "iffy," like festival-type things where equipment gets transported in golf carts, etc.
Oh, and my Tokai 335 always goes in an SKB hard case and my acoustic guitars are all in hardshells--IMHO, gig bags are for solid-bodies. A friend of mine totally destroyed a Seagull acoustic when he slipped on an icy sidewalk while carrying the guitar on his back in a gig bag--we're talking smithereens here. The good news is that he might have messed up his back if the guitar hadn't taken the main impact. Energy-absorbing bumper goes "Kabong!"
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