Just a little warning for y'all. You might have a hard time with regulators at some airports now, and the airlines are powerless to do anything about it.
For example, on a trip last week to Mexico, a dive buddy of mine went to carry his regs on board. When he went to security, they told him they could not be carried on because they could be used as a weapon. Now mind you, like myself, he works for the airline he was flying on. When he presented his company ID, they told still told him no. When he got a supervisor from the airline to come and OK the regs for travel on the plane, he was still told no. Now, at a time, the airlines controlled security. However, that is not so anymore. We used to have the power to say what could and could not go on our aircraft. Now that the IMperial Federal Government has created 30,000 new faithful, non educated, government union workers (and I use the word workers only to be extremly polite) that is no longer the case. The security checkpoint has the final say, regardless of what the airline has to say about it.
So, the airline had to get his bag back, which was already at the airplane, so they could put the regs in it. Now, if you are familiar with the Atlanta airport, you know that getting a bag from E-concourse to the treminal, which is a mile away, and back is quiet time consuming. Luckily, he made his flight.
If I were you, I would carry a hard side case with your regs in it, so in case they will not let you through, you can check your regs without fear of the bag being beat up.