Hey everyone,

I just wanted to thank you all for the advice. I ended up going with the model I was looking at for a checked bag and I am quite happy with it. I was a little underwhelmed at first, but it held up to the baggage handlers just fine. I'm looking forward to using it over the next several years.

As far as carry-on goes, I believe I have an 18" suitcase at home I had forgotten about. One of these days, I will do a test pack and see how much I can cram in there. If it doesn't work, I will do some further research on slightly larger carry-ons.

I did end up getting an @Work expandable laptop case. The chocolate color is really growing on me (it was on sale). While it technically is sized to meet the personal item restrictions of most airlines, I think I'm gonna have a hard time convincing the airline crew of that.

Once again, thanks to everyone for your help. Sorry I couldn't say so sooner, but while reading this on a phone was pretty easy, typing a reply was not.