I have appreciated all the information on this thread regarding carry-on bags. I have been trying to find a good combination of a carry-on with a personal item for a variety of flights.

Just thought I'd post a quick review of the Tom Bihn Tri-Star that I used for the first time last week on a flight from USA to Tanzania. I had four legs on the flight--all on larger aircraft except for one on a ERJ-145. This was a 10-day trip and my goal was not to check or gate check any bags as I had some close connections.

I traveled with the Tri-Star and another smaller backpack. I would have chosen my smaller rolling briefcase instead of the second backpack, but I needed the other backpack for a short safari that I was going to do in Africa.

I was able to pack enough clothes and stuff with no problem for the 10-day trip. Including what I wore, I had 4 shirts, three pairs of pants, 4-socks, 4-underwear, running shoes, toiletries, and other misc stuff. I also traveled with a macbook pro 15" and a SLR sized camera (both in the other backpack).

First--regarding boarding and on the plane. During boarding I was never questioned about the size of the bag, even on the ERJ-145. It fit easily in the very small overhead compartment of the small plane. Anything bigger, however, may not have fit. I did not try to put it under my seat.

Second--on my return, I had a very long transit from the landing to departing gate in Frankfurt. I think I was probably about as far away as possible. I found that in the airport, I might have enjoyed having a rolling bag. However, I was able to wear the smaller pack and change hands once in awhile on the Tri-star to shift the weight. I also could have worn the Tri-Star as a backpack and carried the smaller backpack, but the smaller pack does not have a convenient carrying handle like the Tri-Star does (I did not take the Tri-Star shoulder strap with me, partially to save weight). I did finally hook up one of the Tri-Star backpack straps and just carry it on one of my shoulders along with the second backpack. That solution worked just fine for the longer walk in Frankfurt.

Overall, I would say that the Tri-Star was an excellent solution for this kind of travel and I would recommend it highly if you want a bag that you don't have to gate check on small regional jets.