OK, I'm sure this has been answered, but I couldn't find any recent discussion and I know the rules are ever-changing.
Next week I'm flying Air France (well, Delta operated by Air France) to Paris then connecting to Munich, then flying back from Rome. I'd like to carry everything on, and so far the necessities are fitting into the carry-on sized rollaway (41 in total, so I'm good there), but I'm having trouble with the "personal item." Would a normal school-sized backpack (medium-filled, but not stuffed)count? "Handbag, laptop computer, camera, etc" is a bit ambiguous for me (and sounds like it translates to "if we don't like it, you can't carry it"). I would do just the camera case, but then there'd be no room for a book, magazine and journal, snacks... All the things I want accessible during the hideously long flight.
Anyone carried on a suitcase plus backpack on Air France lately?