I apologize, I'm not a frequent traveler and I've been searching for insight on this without finding much guidance. I have a flight from Newark to Vegas with a layover in San Francisco (1.5 hours). I planned to just have carry-on, since I'll only be gone for 3 days, but last minute I just found that I need to bring some additional equipment and resources for a meeting. I could easily fit everything into my bigger suit case, but checking luggage makes me nervous on any trip, and I have never done so for a flight with a layover.
Is it too risky to check baggage on a layover flight? If they lose my luggage, what happens? Am I making a big deal out of this for no reason? Any advice would be super appreciated. Thanks!