Let’s not overthink this. For local flying you can easily stuff your essential flying gear into your favorite backpack and carry on. But since that might not be the best for fetching accessories in a pinch, there’s a lively market for flight bags.
Since pilot gadgets have gotten smaller, you may not need a full-sized flight bag. When you only bring a headset (or two), iPad, action cam, flashlight, transceiver, water bottle and snacks, packing light in compact flight totes makes a lot of sense. They don’t take up a ton of space in the cabin, they’re lightweight and they’re a good way to organize your gear because they have pockets custom made for the stuff we bring along.