needing carry on packing tips for the females

[RitaFaye94]

If you have extra (or would go ahead & buy new bottles) ship the box down via UPS a week before & have it held at the desk. I did this last year with Pull UPs, snacks, wipes, etc. Shipped it on Monday, it arrived on Thursday and we arrived on Sunday. Didn't have to check the extra bag and it was much cheaper.

 

[bavaria]

Thank you for the suggestion. I just ran out to Walmart and bought small screwtop pots called iGo Travel Jars.

I suggest returning them. Several times I year I see those type of 'travel' bottles rejected at TSA because they do not have a product label with an official marking of contents. The manufacturers really made a profit after the liquid rules came into effect from those bottles, but quite often they don't pass approval.

Better to buy products in the travel section in marked, 'official' product bottles. If you don't like the brand, empty and refill with your own.

But be forewarned that many of us here report seeing those tossed at security.

 

[bavaria]

It may be worth it to just pay for that one checked bag...that way you don't have to worry.

Agreed. It is worth that much time and money (not to mention the environmental cost) to run around looking for bottles of products? My time is worth more than that, and the cost of buying all those small products can quickly add up to more than the $15 or $25 that it costs some travellers to check one bag.

The same holds true for shipping a box, if it costs almost the same in shipping and retrieval charges.

 

[Green Tea]

I suggest returning them. Several times I year I see those type of 'travel' bottles rejected at TSA because they do not have a product label with an official marking of contents. The manufacturers really made a profit after the liquid rules came into effect from those bottles, but quite often they don't pass approval.

Better to buy products in the travel section in marked, 'official' product bottles. If you don't like the brand, empty and refill with your own.

But be forewarned that many of us here report seeing those tossed at security.

I have never seen the little sized plastic bottles be a problem. If TSA cared what was in the bottles, they would be testing every single liquid that went thru the gate. if 3.2 ounces of whatever the bad chemicals were could create a hazard then we'd be flying with zero liquids. Im pretty confident if that were the case, then criminals would have figured out to buy a travel size head and shoulders bottle and replace it with something else. The bottle label means nothing. A 3.2 ounce bottle that says lotion may be lotion or may be shampoo you transfered. A 3.2 ounce clear bottle from Walgreens may have either as well. I have never seen an official TSA announcement that products must be in their original sealed containers. If there is one, please post it here because that impacts million of travelers a day.

 

[Lyndarella]

I have never seen an issue with bottles that don't have product names, but I use travel size that have oz. markings on them. I fill them as I wish. Remember the size of the baggie must be about 7" x 8". Each person can have one, (you can fill them as you wish, and they hold lots of small items!)

I think each person is allowed 2 carry-on items each. When I flew from MCO in Oct. many people were carrying several items, and no one stopped them.

We (two adults) flew to WDW for a week, and did not check luggage. We packed mix and match outfits, and washed one load of laundry. We took lots of instant food with us too!

 

[bavaria]

I have never seen the little sized plastic bottles be a problem. If TSA cared what was in the bottles, they would be testing every single liquid that went thru the gate. if 3.2 ounces of whatever the bad chemicals were could create a hazard then we'd be flying with zero liquids. Im pretty confident if that were the case, then criminals would have figured out to buy a travel size head and shoulders bottle and replace it with something else. The bottle label means nothing. A 3.2 ounce bottle that says lotion may be lotion or may be shampoo you transfered. A 3.2 ounce clear bottle from Walgreens may have either as well. I have never seen an official TSA announcement that products must be in their original sealed containers. If there is one, please post it here because that impacts million of travelers a day.

SEVERAL of us have seen issues with those unlabelled bottles, and reported it here in past. That includes those of us flying many times a week through various airports in America.

It is NOT 3.2 oz - the rule is 100ml, which equates to 3.4 oz in America.

Your personal opinion on the subject doesn't matter; what does matter is what TSA guidelines state, and what TSA does. While it may be a grey area, they have and do and will ask some travellers to discard those bottles.

I never said that the items had to be in 'orignal sealed containers' - I even suggested that one can transfer items. The issue is with the unlabelled travel bottles.

I frankly don't care what anyone here does, but there is so much misinformation on this site (and on this thread alone) that it really doesn't help anyone.

 

[Green Tea]

This is the TSA official rule.

http://www.tsa.gov/311/311-carry-ons.shtm

I wouldn't be concerned about the kid's toothpastes in the little travel approved size pots. Have them brush and enjoy.

 

[ironz]

I believe what Bavaria was getting at is that the new containers do not have the volume clearly marked on them, not a concern about a product name. The volume is what TSA is looking for.

And yes, 100 ml, which is about 3.4 oz.

 

[crashbb]

I believe what Bavaria was getting at is that the new containers do not have the volume clearly marked on them, not a concern about a product name. The volume is what TSA is looking for.

And yes, 100 ml, which is about 3.4 oz.

And some TSA agents will get hairy since you cannot PROVE that the container fits the rules (and, yes, they cannot prove that it doesn't, but they don't have to).

I have seen people's things get thrown out because they weren't labeled (and I've had my containers checked for labels).

 

[Alesia]

I have never seen the little sized plastic bottles be a problem. If TSA cared what was in the bottles, they would be testing every single liquid that went thru the gate. if 3.2 ounces of whatever the bad chemicals were could create a hazard then we'd be flying with zero liquids. Im pretty confident if that were the case, then criminals would have figured out to buy a travel size head and shoulders bottle and replace it with something else. The bottle label means nothing. A 3.2 ounce bottle that says lotion may be lotion or may be shampoo you transfered. A 3.2 ounce clear bottle from Walgreens may have either as well. I have never seen an official TSA announcement that products must be in their original sealed containers. If there is one, please post it here because that impacts million of travelers a day.

The products do not have to be in their original containers, but they do have to be in containers that have their volume clearly marked. If the volume is not clearly marked, TSA agents can throw them away. Not a risk I would want to take.

 

[bavaria]

Google 'TSA unlabelled containers' (or 'unlabeled' for the American readers )

There is a famous situation where a screener refused to allow shampoo to pass, along with hundreds of reports on flyertalk.com

This is the frustrating thing about using a message board for facts; some people try and post out of kindness but really don't have the right information, and their attempt to be helpful can mislead readers or cause even worse situations.

Some readers may not like the hard facts, but they are all that count when it comes to air travel. Encouraging someone to take something which has a somewhat liklihood of not making it past security isn't really very kind at all (and yes, I realise that every day many of those bottles DO pass, but why take the risk, especially if not taking any alternatives in a checked bag?)

 

[DisneyCaliCouple]

Sorry if this is a stupid question to ask, but being that I have never flown before, the liquid rules confuse me. I clearly understand the 3-1-1 rule, but I do not know where to put this bag! I am going to have a checked bag and a carry on, so can I put the bag of liquid items in the checked bag? Or does it HAVE to go in the carry on? If I can put it in the checked bag, are the rules any different?

 

[henry72]

Sorry if this is a stupid question to ask, but being that I have never flown before, the liquid rules confuse me. I clearly understand the 3-1-1 rule, but I do not know where to put this bag! I am going to have a checked bag and a carry on, so can I put the bag of liquid items in the checked bag? Or does it HAVE to go in the carry on? If I can put it in the checked bag, are the rules any different?

The 3-1-1 rule is for liquids that you want to CARRY ON. So if you want to take your shampoo and check it, you don't need to worry about what size bottle it is or put it in a special bag. But if you want it in your carry on luggage, then it will need to be in the quart size bag and you need to keep it in a place that is easy for you to take it out when you reach security.

 

[crashbb]

You can put whatever liquids you want in your checked luggage*, the only time the 3-1-1 comes into play is if you want liquids in your carry-on.

Any (not medically exempted) liquid that is in your carry-on must be in the 3-1-1 bag. Any liquid in your checked luggage does not have to follow the 3.4oz rule.

*"whatever" is only referring to the 3-1-1 rule. There are, of course, restrictions on what you can put in your checked luggage. Plus, there's the issue of people who have had their items ruined by things that leaked out of other people's checked luggage.

 

[DisneyCaliCouple]

Oh okay thanks!

 

[jlewisinsyr]

As mentioned above, regardless of what you pack in your checked luggage, if its liquid, be considerate of your fellow flying peers and make sure they products are sealed in a water tight bag, if not double bagged as well.

 

[DisneyCaliCouple]

Of course! I would do that anyway, so it doesn't spill on anything - whether it's other peoples' luggage or my own. One can only hope every flyer is as considerate.

Like I said, I just wasn't sure if liquids were allowed in the checked bag. And thanks for those who cleared it up!

 

[antsss]

I'm glad this point about the volume on the label has been brought up. The empty bottles I bought do have labels with the volume clearly marked. I will leave those labels on the bottles after filling. Normally I would have removed the original label. Thank you!!

 

[BiancaBernard&Penny]

We're also wondering about how to manage this. My biggest problem is the kids toothpaste. They each use a different kind of toothpaste and I can't find travel sizes. Is it crazy to squeeze some into a snack size baggie. Is that even "legal"?

I did that last spring. I actually used a teeny baggie like spare buttons come in (2, I double bagged to be safe) It did go into my checked bag (with the scissors I used to snip a corner off the baggie to dispense like icing) If you are concerned about the baggie not having measurements on it, I imagine it could be placed inside a clear container that does have a measurement. Some type of jar?

 

[bavaria]

May I ask what is so special about the toothpaste that it cannot be foregone for a week? Prescription toothpaste (yes, it does exist) counts as medical and does not need to go into the 3-1-1.

While I fully admit to stocking up on Dentagard, it is because Colgate does not sell it in other countries and because the price of toothpaste in America is about 4x as much as in Germany (or most other countries). Having said that, I currently have a small tube of some other Colgate product in my 3-1-1 bag, and I survive.

I am truly curious because I was not aware that toothpaste was such a personally specific product that it cannot be substituted for a week, and because people are suggesting such great lengths to bring it. (And growing up I do believe that we all had one choice per brand - ie Colgate, Crest, Aim, etc only made one flavour/product each, and we survived; in fact many of us still have all of our own teeth! )