While on the travel team (11U - 16U) , my son was the primary catcher so we always bought the biggest duffle type bags we could find. They never seemed to last more than a couple of seasons no matter which one I bought. The last year he played catcher was his sophomore year - 1st year he made varsity.
Subsequent years coach moved him to 3B (Junior yr) and then 1B (Senior yr) so he really didn't need all the catcher gear. He still took it "just in case" as he was the backup catcher - actually had a better arm than the kid that coach put in as catcher, but my son had excellent fielding skills as well so coach asked him to move to the infield.
Anyway, he's now at a DII JUCO playing 1B. Told me he'd like the backpack type bag since really all he needed to carry was his glove(s), bats and other assorted stuff. Doesn't need a big bag anymore. Except for when he plays legion one more time - legion coach likes him at catcher.
I think it really depends on what gear the player needs to carry. Catcher's will always need the big bags to carry all the required gear. Any other position player doesn't really need the big bags and it comes down to a matter of personal preference. FWIW - about 1/3 to 1/2 of his HS team had the backpack type bags.