I normally travel with a roll-aboard, but on a recent trip I ended up using a duffel bag instead. Surprisingly it worked out better than expected.
Even though the overhead bins were packed, the duffel squeezed right in when a hard suitcase probably wouldn’t have. Saved me from having to check a bag.
One of the flight attendants even complimented the packing choice. Might actually start using a duffel for short trips now.