Originally Posted by
macintoshd
The best strategy I believe is to just show up when the plane starts boarding so you skip the walking gate agent with the scale.
The OP asked about bringing the MLC onboard as a personal item
in addition to a carry-on. If you wait till the last minute, there will be no bin space left for that carry-on.
If you don't have that extra carry-on, and MLC is the only item, you can certainly take it in, there being no argument over whether it is a carry-on or personal item.