Is there anywhere outside of R/C where exposed LiPo's are used?
It's good that some of you haven't needed hard cases, but your experiences cannot encompass all types of racing, and all chassis. Safety precautions are a group effort, based on the experiences of a large number of people, and not just one or two guys running a particular style of racing with a particular chassis design. I've never needed my spare parachute, but that doesn't mean I think people should jump without it just because it's never done anything for me.
You guys have your cheap soft LiPos, and if they work well enough for you, that's great. Please don't insinuate that what's right for you is right for everybody, though, because that's clearly not the case.