I'm a frequent flier for work and personal life. I never ever check a bag so this is a topic near and dear to me. I spent a lot of time buying and trying out new bags, and I settled that this brand Red Oxx is superior in quality and long lasting, and helps with making life easier as a one bag carry-on person.

https://www.redoxx.com/

First of all a few things to say about the quality of these duffels: Duffel bags are the way to go, they are soft and can squeeze into any sized overhead. Since the duffel can get heavy, I either pack a collapsible roller trolley, or I use a backpack version of a duffel (they sell these too).

The bags have high quality zippers, and the pulls on the zippers have monkey fist knots. The canvas material is high quality thick and withstands moments of having to check a bag in a pinch (one time I had to because the plane was full and I couldn't shove the bag under the seat in front of me).