The Traveling Professor travels close to 100,000 air miles per year and meets hundreds of travelers to talk about their travel experiences.  One big topic of discussion is the best carry-on suitcase options.

Here are The Professor's Picks:

REI Wheely Beast:  A 22" soft carry-on bag gives the traveler a lot of options in terms of it being a simple, open-bag style with no dividers inside of it.  At a list price of $169 (I got mine for $129 with a special sale) it is durable and designed to fit overhead bins on larger planes.  Inside it has 2 mesh pockets with one pocket on the outside.  It has a larger document storage sleeve on the outside which makes it handy to store and access documents.   It easily stands up and eliminates those annoying times when bags fall all over the place.  It weighs 7 pounds and has a rated gear capacity of 2,624 cubic inches.  Here is a NY Times review of the Wheely Beast: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/16/travel/hunting-for-the-best-carry-on-bag.html?_r=0 

eBags:  Right off the bat, what I like about the eBags TLS Mother Lode Line of expandable bags is the variety of sizes, styles, and colors.  Unlike the REI Wheely Beast, it is soft on top but does have a hard casing on the back side, convenient when you need to store fragile items inside.   The 21" version comes in comes in at 8 pounds, 11 ounces and stores 2,752 cubic inches of gear when expanded, 2,249 when not.  It has a lifetime warranty too.  Another major difference is the number of compartments the eBag has.  The REI bag has virtually none, where the eBag is much more organized and compartmentalized.  It retails for $169.  Here is a link to the eBag on Amazon:  
eBags TLS Mother Lode Mini 21" Wheeled Duffel (Blue Yonder)

Which would I buy?  I like both bags.  I find when women prefer the eBag because of its strong compartmentalization and stylish look.  The REI bag is more like a duffel bag and is generally preferred by our male travelers.