Originally Posted by
wrf2e
We have been told in our training that the skin on the CRJs and ERJs is too thin to actually touch the aircraft with the bridge or the moving weather canopy.
Not your fault, but you were were mis-informed. CRJ's were designed for FL410 which requires 8 psid to maintain a reasonably pressured cabin. This is the same psid as most larger airliners, so the structure and skin need to be similarly strong.
The RJ's do have a variety of sensors located forward of the door which could be (and have been) damaged by jet bridges, so care is required. The sensors on the larger planes are further forward and out of the way.