Some folks around here popped into my backpack thread and recommended Tom Bihn. I bought one and haven’t looked back. Seriously worth the investment if you have the dough and don’t particularly need it to be a duffel. (I found it was better priced that spending money on new bags when the old ones failed after six months.)
Another option is army surplus if you really want a duffel. I hear they’re pretty good… but have no firsthand experience.
I don’t know. It sounds like you lucked into a pants subscription service to me. 
