Let me start by saying I travel weekly on ERJ's generally to the same location every week. I have a corp. apartment at this location so I'm really not affected by these new restrictions on carry-on luggage because I can just leave the restricted items at the apt.

This week and over the next couple months, I will have to be in hotels which means that I can't just leave things at the work apt. One solution is to leave these restricted items at the work site - which I will probably do. Out of curiousity though, if I just put the 2 or 3 restricted items into a plastic grocery bag and tied it up, could I check it? Or even a small toilet kit bag?

I've had some bad experiences with checked luggage so I rarely check anymore. On a side note, do other travelers feel that their checked bags are making it to the right location at the right time any more often? (In hopes that airlines are using better technology to route bags) Should I go back to checking?

Perhaps, the toilet kit bag, but I'd recommend snagging a small box from your worksite and using that. A plastic bag is far too easily ripped during the belt and loading process.

I don't think there is a minimum size. I've always thought it would be funny to check a penny. Since the bag tags have adhesive on the back (remember when they used to be real tags?), you could stick the penny on the back and it would be essentially just the bag tag.

Unless your toiletries are expensive, I doubt the effort to get a box isn't worth the value of the toiletries should the plastic bag get ripped. We've bent over far enough as it is; let's not try to make things too easy!

One time I checked my backpack in a plastic bag because I wanted to keep my pocketknife (tried to take it through security but they found it on the X-ray machine; 1 for 2, darn!) The bag survived intact.

Depends on the airline and airport. Some will make you put it into a box of theirs before they can check it because the automated systems can't handle toiletry kits for example. There was a time those boxes were free, I recently saw they charging somebody $3 for one.

As to tags and the rest making them more dependable, not my experience. Now you can find out exactly where your bags are when they aren't where they should be, but I don't see it as getting them to you any more accuratly then before.

Supposedly, the hand held scanners are supposed to prevent bags from getting on the wrong flight, which I guess is better then in the past.

You can get nice Tyvec bags from the post office (or FedEx) for free. They are very durable and have a nice easy sealing flap. Technically you are supposed to use them while shipping with them, but I picked up a few "extras" last time I was getting stamps.

There is no minimum size to check any piece of luggage, but items with inappropriate packaging should be marked with a LIMITED RELEASE waiver of liability by the airline.