Are you aware that bath salts are miss used as a drug. Why would bath salts be in your carry-on. I actually find it odd that it was in carry on. But from what I see people post they put in their carry-on I find a lot of the items odd. I am use to taking 14+ hour flights and not carrying on but the required items for if I need to go one night without my luggage. But I travel a lot. I also sometimes don't take carry on other than my purse and laptop. Makes it so much easier when the overheads are filled with other passengers who bring excess carry-on on board. I wish the airlines would enforce the carry-on limit.
Don't give TSA a hard time, and just don't pack questionable items.
I always pack bath salts or bubble bath and have never thought a thing about them. After a long day in the parks I love getting into the jacuzzi in my condo for a long, relaxing, hot soak. Since I was doing carry on only that trip I packed the bath salts because they were not liquid and easily fit into the carry on. The bath salts were in a sealed labeled bag and had a very strong tropical coconut smell. No way could they have been used for drugs. lol But even if they weren't, TSA's job is to find possible weapons, not drug enforcement. The bath salts were right on top in the carry on and clearly labeled, so I was obviously not trying to hide them. I agree with you on wishing airlines would enforce carry on limits. I am a very organized, but very light packer. My carry on always easily fits into the overhead wheels first. I have never had to force it. My personal item always fits completely underneath the seat in front of me. I have never even come close to not having a carry on easily fit. I hate checking a bag, so do carry on only when possible, but always make sure my carry ons are legal size and light enough for me to handle. Before they got pulled out of DFW I used to fly Air Tran alot and had no problem paying for the more expensive seats up close to the front that guaranteed Boarding zone 1. Now I fly mainly American which allows you to pay a $9.00 fee to guarantee Boarding zone 1. I like to have my stuff with me so have no problem paying the fee in order to make sure I have room for my carry on, over my head. I just got back from WDW (Sept 14th-22nd) and did carry on only. I again had a bag of bath salts in my carry on (plus two travel size bubble bath bottles in my 3-1-1 bag). I don't take a bath at home without bubbles or bath salts, why should I on vacation? Bath products are one of my weaknesses and I'd pack fewer clothes in order to make sure I had my bath products, if I needed to. I wouldn't find it odd at all that they are in a carry on. What I find odd are people checking bags when they could easily do carry on (you save the checked bag fee, don't have to worry about the airlines losing your luggage, don't have to hang around waiting for your luggage to come out, your bags don't get all dirty and torn up from the baggage handlers, and packing and unpacking is quicker and easier).
I don't give TSA agents a hard time. I usually wear shorts (with no belt) and a fitted tshirt with flip flops, no jewelry, nothing in my hair, have nothing in my pockets, and never wear an underwire bra on flight day. I always have my 3-1-1 bag in an outside pocket of my personal item, making it easy and quick to put into the bin, in order to make getting through security as quick and easy as possible. I make sure I never have anything that would make the alarm go off and never have anything illegal in my bags. I am always pleasant and polite to them, smiling, saying hello, how are you, and thank you. There are some good TSA agents out there who take pride in doing their job well. However, I think we would all agree that there are also some idiot TSA agents out there who have no common sense and like to use their titles as a power trip. The one who gave me hard time about my bath salts reminded me very much of Barney Fife on the old Andy Griffith show. Even after his supervisor gave him a disgusted look, apologized to me, and told the guy to let me go, the other guy made a big deal of saying, "Ok I'll let you through this time, but don't try to sneak something like that by again." You could tell his supervisor was frustrated with him, as he just shook his head at him and gave him a disgusted look.