Which airline QueenBee?
KLM I have a lot of experience with and you can have problems with hand baggage on, KLM limit for hand baggage is 12 kilo in economy.
If the hand baggage is unusual shape or looks like it could be bigger than the permitted shape they will weigh it, occasionally they do anyway even if it looks fine.
The permitted shape is 55 cm x 25 cm x 35 cm, any bigger and it will have to go in the hold. (I think that applies to almost all airlines)
I always have a rucksack for my camera and laptop and various bits of computer equipment and it tends to be heavy so I carry a heavy waterproof jacket in case I have to offload anything, yes crazy on the way from UK to Phils but not so crazy on the way back. If you have such a jacket you can offload a lot of weight to the pockets
If you have a camera sling that round your neck, sling anything else you can round your neck until after check in then transfer anything you want to your bag they only weigh it once.
Be careful though, if you are on KLM, you may be allowed two pieces of hand baggage international to Amsterdam but they can restrict you to one piece on the second flight to the UK, you need to read the small print on your ticket to be sure, as the rules change quite often.
Jim