It is a good idea to have some gear and weight in a bag that will qualify as a "personal item" by the airline.
Maximum size bag to fit under seat in most planes is:
United 757-200 plane under-the-seat depth of 17”, height 10.5”
, width of 20”
PenAir - 16"L x 16"W x 9"H - now deservedly out of business
Delta - space under seats in Delta 757-300 is 20” wide, 17” deep and about 11 inches tall. Delta mandates that baggage brought into a plane's cabin cannot be more than 22 x 14 x 9 or 45 linear inches.
American - American 737-800 plane has dimensions of 20 x 17 x 11.75 (tight for 18L) American does not require baggage to be a certain size to fit under a seat, however it does mandate that baggage that goes under a seat must be 45 linear inches or less. 18L is 38 linear inches and Nagano is 34 inches.
Continental - Continental 737-800/900 model planes have a little less space available directly under the seat, but the airline allows for baggage that is a little larger, thus causing it to potentially protrude slightly from the front section under the seat. Continental allows carry-on luggage to be as large as 51 linear inches. Larger luggage may fit better in an overhead bin.
Southwest - Southwest Airlines flights may see less carry-on luggage than other airlines due to the fact that Southwest does not charge customers to check their luggage. The space under Southwest seats in a 737-800 are 19 inches deep, 19 inches wide and about 9.5 inches tall. Southwest carry-on baggage may not be larger than 24 x 16 x 10, but if you are bringing carry-on baggage that large, you shouldn't expect to be able to place it under the seat.
I have found in my own experience that the Bataflae 18L backpack works as a personal item piece of luggage. Any bag is likely to be a problem on many jets with the aisle seat that has a support bracket in the way.
We pay for either business class or premium coach to get early boarding on the aircraft. There are places where we have taken smaller aircraft to accommmodate our departure date for a trip and it turned out to be a mistake. We should have flown in a larger jet even if it meant arriving a day earlier than needed.
We put our clothing inside a checked Pelican Air 1615 that is 29.6 x 15.5 x 9.4 inches or 4312 cubic inches and with Exterior dimensions of 32.6 x 18.4 x 11.0" 14.1 lbs and has wheels and a pull-out handle. I put a couple of empty duffel bags inside as well. The first night at a destination the clothes go inside the duffel bags and then photo gear goes inside the Pelican. The Pelican becomes our room safe where we stay.
The lighter the case the more can be placed inside without exceeding the bag weight limit of the airline.
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Long enough to send tripods back inside
