Origins of the duffle bag
The commonly accepted origin of the term “Duffle bag” comes from the town of Duffel which is a town in Flanders, Belgium where a thick cloth was used to make what is believed to be the first Duffel bag. Today the term simply refers to a mostly cylindrical top-entry style bag used for a variety of purposes.
A duffle bag as a carry on
Duffle bags can vary widely in size and sometimes even shape but most duffel bags 22” in length or smaller should be fine to take on a plane. Larger duffle bags can be taken given that they aren’t fully loaded out and this can be a great way to avoid paying baggage fees if you don’t plan on coming back with all of your stuff.