Marshall's or the equivalent should have something in the $30-$40 range.

I travel every 2 wks and the one feature I really like is 4 wheels that all rotate. They are better for upright balancing and require minimal human touching while waiting in security lines.

Luggage handlers treat all bags the same - rough. Don't waste a load of money.

We got our most recent luggage from Sears when they had a big sale....luggage can be amazingly durable and inexpensive these days....

I totally agree with Marshal's or TJMax for name brand luggage. However just a warning. Last week I bought two carry ons ( name brand, can't seem to remember).,

I took them home and put them near where I leave my purse and keys. Went downstairs and smelled gasoline. Sure enough, the odor was coming from the luggage. I took them back, of course.

Never thought of smelling luggage before buying. I will wait a while and see what else comes in.

BTW I didn't see anything as low as fort dollars for a carry on.

Just this week I saw another passenger have to check his carry-on because it was a smidgen too large. The passenger said but I always carry this on. The Swiss Air official told him many of the European carriers have tighter size limits.

On the way to Europe, I had a small wheeled carry-on that didn't quite fit in the overhead bin wheels first (because of the spinner wheels). Luckily, I was able to turn it (and rudely hog more space) and my seat mate didn't put anything up there so it wasn't an issue. My new bag might be a $52 mistake for future European trips but I think it'll get plenty of use on domestic flights and car trips. (I noticed on the European trip, the overhead bins were not overstuffed like on domestic flights. Maybe because the first checked bag is free people don't try to bring their whole life on board with them. Does make for faster loading. I wish we could go back to that on domestic flights.)

If you fly a certain airline frequently, check their size requirements. If you fly many different airlines with many different size limits, go for the smallest bag you can find. When I bought the spinner bag, many of the pieces had their weight prominently noted. Go for the lightest bag also.

I have a check-thru spinner bag that is just awful. It's not balanced correctly or something and it took 2 hands to maneuver it and it would always fall over. I thought it was because it was a cheap brand but my sister has a Delsey spinner carry-on and it always falls over. This is the bag they sent her as a replacement for another one that couldn't be repaired by their authorized repair place (I think that was a zipper problem). I would avoid Delsey because of her experience.

My new $52 spinner carry-on is a brand called Ricardo. It weighs something like 5.9 pounds empty.

I bought a hard sided Delsey carry on at TJ Maxx for a recent vacation. It was perfect and weighed only 5.5 lbs. I'm away now or I'd give you more details. Make sure it fits the new carry on size restrictions. Check your airline's website.

This bag is not for a suitcase, but is the best tote bag ever.

I use for work and for travel.

In it, I can fit a purse, computer, jacket, empty backpack, and my carry on toiletries. And since it fully zips, nothing gets lost or rolls around the floor of the vehicle or airplane. And it fits really nicely under the airline seat. So I can travel with a rolling suitcase (carry on luggage) and this (my personal item) and have tons of capacity.

Here is a link that might be useful: murval zip top large tote

My hubby flies weekly and I fly about three times a year. We've found that the zippers on the outside pockets get ripped to shreds. We purchased RL luggage thinking it would last. Though the rest is holding up very well, spinner wheels are great, I'd advise against outside zipper pockets unless they have the zipper pulls concealed in a way they won't get caught on something and ripped.

You mentioned a rolling duffle. I think that you will find that most rolling duffles will not fit most airlines' carry-on size. They are usually too deep.

I used to be a true road warrior but not so much travel now as before. I still prefer Travel-Pro luggage to most any brand. Their 21-inch will fit in most overheads. If you want a duffle, I purchased an LL Bean rolling duffle a few years back and have been very pleased with it. It also fits in most overheads (as long as you don't really overstuff it), and I like all the pockets, both inside and out for umbrellas, pills, magazines, small items you don't want rattling around.