Originally Posted by gbntpilot

The first one may be a little bit of a tight fit. 9" wide is pushing the limit of the bin. I have the split grain Purdy Neat (LW) mentioned earlier, which measures 8.5" on the outside, and it just fits in the CRJ-900 (the bin size is the same from 200 to 900). If the first one fits, at 9" wide, you probably can't have anything more than a few sheets of paper in that outside pocket, and it may be a bit of a squeeze.

You'll hear all kinds of different opinions about whether to spend the money for a high quality flight case, or get cheap ones every few years. I'll admit I spent a few bucks on mine. But personally, I like the piece of mind knowing that I'm not going to have a Jepp explosion anytime in the near future. As long as it's not any more than 8" to 8.5" inches wide, including any outside pockets, and does not have any wheels or external hardware, just get what you like and are comfortable with.

By the way, your opinion on carrying your laptop with you may change very quickly when you see how much of a hassle it is. I originally thought I might as well, and quickly changed my attitude after my first trip. You still have to take it out and have it screened by TSA at every checkpoint. By the time you get to your hotel room every night, you'll be ready to get some dinner and pass out anyway....not much time for emailing or whatever. I've found that the best thing for me to do is to carry a USB drive with any files that I need, and just use that at the hotel business centers. Also, just use web based email, so you don't have to have a PC with you with Outlook configured for your account. I'll only take my laptop or portable DVD player with me if I'm sitting reserve in the crew room. Entertainment isn't much of a necessity otherwise.