How to pack a travel toiletry bag to carry on an airplane

Breeze through airport security with carry on luggage this holiday season with a properly packed travel toiletry bag. This means following TSA rules on liquids and strategizing to maximize space. In this post, I’ll show you how to make the most of travel toiletries in a quart size bag.

Choose Your Bag Wisely

Not all plastic quart size bags are created equal. You may know them as ziploc bags or ziplock bags, but there are many brands available. There are two characteristics of a plastic bag for toiletries that could make or break your trip.

#1 Bag Strength

Some quart bags are thin and easy to puncture. Others are thicker plastic and withstand stretching. Unless you plan to change bags during your trip, find one that is strong and can stretch out without tearing. Stretch strength becomes especially important later in your trip when you find yourself stuffing it to the max, and then it rips. Ziploc (or ziplock, depending on how well you spell) and Hefty make a strong quart size plastic bag that meets TSA rules for liquids. Whichever you choose, always have an extra quart bag in your luggage.

#2 Closure

Most “zip top” plastic bags seal when you press two plastic seams together. Some even change color when the bag is sealed properly. This is fine for tonight’s leftovers, but for air travel it’s less than ideal. When you’re rushing to the airport at 4 AM it’s so easy to miss the seal, and colors don’t help in a dark hotel room. You end up later with a goopy mixture of lotion and toothpaste smeared into your luggage. Don’t get me wrong, this type of bag will work, especially if you’re careful to tighten all the lids inside and carefully seal the bag well. It’s just not my favorite.

I prefer the quart size bag with an actual zipper seal. These seal every time, and it’s obvious when they’re not closed. They’re also strong and stretch beautifully to accomodate that last-minute hand cream you just can’t travel without. As a bonus, TSA makes these bags available for free at many airports.

For instance, I found a pile of Hefty OneZip bags just before the security ticket/ID check at Portland International (PDX). I grabbed a handful to get me through the next year of flying. And I leave one or two empty bags in my luggage for the inevitable moment when the plastic bag rips and all my toiletries spill out into my carry luggage.

This zip top quart size plastic bag cinches and stretches to accomodate liquids according to TSA rules. Even better, I got it for free at Portland International Airport.

Pack Your Bag

Now that you’ve selected a plastic quart size bag that meets TSA rules for carry on liquids, it’s time to pack it. Let’s face it, you’re probably going to have more to pack than space allows so you’ll need to eliminate some items. But defining what’s an essential toiletry is entirely a personal decision. Further, women tend to need more than men, and parents of young children need the most. So I’ll offer some strategies on how to make decisions about what stays and what goes. I’ll also tell you what’s in my bag.

Strategy #1 — Does it meet TSA rules for liquids?

TSA rules determine what must go in this plastic bag, rather than in your carry on or checked luggage. TSA specifies “liquids, creams and gels” in a quantity no larger than 3 ounces or 100 mL. They must all fit into a quart size plastic bag, and the bag must close.

For example, you could pack your zip top bag with four 3 ounce bottles of your favorite shampoo, if that’s all you need. You just can’t bring the 12 ounce bottle, even if it fits into the quart bag. I can’t tell you how many despondent faces I’ve seen when TSA takes away a beloved full-size bottle of perfume or lotion because it’s larger than 3 ounces.

TSA allows solids of any size (as long as they meet the other security rules). So it’s important to make a distinction between toiletries that are solids, such as stick deodorants, and those that are not, such as gel deodorants. Consider traveling with a deodorant that says “solid” on the package to save space in your plastic bag.

Another way to save space is to avoid putting toiletry accessories,  like floss and nail scissors, into your bag, even though you may use these items with the liquids. TSA does not require that these go in the plastic bag.

Summary: Don’t waste precious space with solids, including solid deodorants, and accessories. Instead, pack these into your carry on bag.

Strategy #2 — Is that toiletry hard to find later?

Look at all the liquids, creams and gels that you want to bring. Now ask yourself which of those items are the most difficult to replace on the road. Pack only the items that are impossible or difficult to find later, or that you’re going to need immediately in flight.

For instance, if you’re staying a hotel, it will offer shampoo, conditioner and lotion. If you’re staying with friends, they will have toothpaste and contact solution. If you’re bouncing between hotels and friends, you might be able to score extra travel shampoo and conditioner first, but not toothpaste. Neither is likely to have that special eye cream that you can’t live without.

In my bag, I pack: face cleanser to wash off road grime; hand and eye cream for in-flight dry skin relief; a tiny toothpaste for in-flight brushing; and a tube of eye gel for those red eye flights. These are my must-haves that I don’t leave home without. Everything else is optional, depending on where I’m going and for how long.

Essentials in my toiletry bag that meet TSA carry on rules for liquids

Some people use special products to treat specific conditions, such as special shampoo for colored or receding hair. Specialty or prescription products are not easy to find on the road, and for those types of toiletries, you’ll want to bring them along in 3 ounce containers.

The bottom line at that instead of carrying your entire bathroom cabinet with you, I encourage you to think strategically about what will be available where you are going: What items are a must-have and which items are easily replaced.

Summary: Eliminate all the items that you don’t need in flight and will find easily later.

Strategy #3 — Remember Tetris?

If you’ve ever played the game Tetris, you’re in luck. The skills you acquired to pack all those shapes together neatly into a box will serve you well in packing your toiletry bag. The most important part of maximizing what’s in your toiletry bag is to choose 3 ounce containers that pack tightly together. From the photo above, you can see that I use round, thin containers. The benefit of these is that they pack flat, and I can stack them two deep when needed.

Many containers that you can buy for travel are cylinder shapes. Walmart, CVS and Long’s typically sell these in the travel size toiletry section of the store. These generally work fine. However, I have moved away from using them because they’re slightly bulky and don’t pack tightly.

These flat cynlinder liquid containers from Aveda pack tightly together in a travel toiletry bag

Instead, I opt for containers that are either long, skinny cylinders or rectangular shapes. These pack tighter, and it’s easier to get the zipper around them on the fly.

My personal favorite shape is the flat cylinder, such as the Aveda travel toiletry containers. These pack flat and tight. I recently scored these at a hotel and have reused them for months. It’s easy to refill them with your own supplies and then pack tightly into one bag everything you might need: shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, face lotion, hand lotion, cleanser and toothpaste.

Summary: Choose 3 ounce containers that pack together flat and tight.

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