I'm about to fly back home tomorrow after spending the past year in California. I have a bit more to take back than when I arrived. I'm an avid disc golfer and since getting out here I've upgraded my equipment quite a bit and now have a decent sized bag devoted to my discs. I also have my laptop bag.

I don't want to check my disc golf bag because I don't want to pay for a 2nd checked bag and other disc golfers have had problems with their discs being damaged and warped after being checked. The bag comes out to be under 45 linear inches so should be an acceptable carry on by itself.

The problem is my laptop bag. I have a 17" laptop, and thus, a large laptop bag. I've always carried it on before as my only carry on and treated it as a personal item, keeping it under the seat in front of me, but it is just a few inches larger than the 36 linear inches that United says is acceptable for personal items on their website. It's not much larger, but it is larger.

Will this be a problem at all? Are they really that strict about sizing of personal items?

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips or information.