How to Pack for the TSA – Fitting it all in that Little Quart Bag

Post Updated 10/14/2019: Please take a look at our companion article, Tips for Packing Light – On Your Next Flight  

There are a few things about air travel that I don’t like, but chief among these is lost luggage.  A few years ago, James’ suitcase was lost and never caught up with us throughout a 3-week European vacation.  Since that time, we try to take only carry-on luggage.  Of course doing so presents some challenges, especially when trying to fit all those liquids into a little one quart bag.  James doesn’t really see this issue as a major problem. Like a lot of guys, he doesn’t need too much in the way of liquids.  So if I’m being real, most of the stuff in the little baggie is for me. 

When traveling for 1 week or less, it’s not such a big deal, I can do without some of my skin care and makeup for a short time.  But when traveling for 2 or 3 weeks – I need my stuff!  Of course you can always buy some of the things you need when you get to your destination.  Not a bad option if you are traveling in the U.S. or Canada.  But in Europe or elsewhere, trying to find a store and hunting down various toiletries or cosmetics is not how I want to spend any of my vacation time.

Over the years I’ve come up with some ways to minimize the number of liquids that I need to take on long trips.  First, I must say that I almost never bring along my own shampoo or conditioner.  They simply take up too much space, so I just use what is provided by the hotel, cruise ship, etc.  That said, I would like to share some of the methods and lots of products that I use in order to help you minimize what you have to put in your own quart bag.

Note: Included below are links to all the products that are mentioned.  However, these are not affiliates and we receive no compensation from any vendors.  (Trust me, these companies don’t even know that we exist.)  These links are all to items that we use on a regular basis and feel comfortable recommending.

Look for Products that Can Replace a Liquid

According to the TSA website, the items that must fit into a quart-sized bag include liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes, and no single item can exceed 3.4 ounces. So the first thing I try to do is to find alternate products that are either in a solid or powdered form so that they are not included in TSA restrictions.  Here are some that I can recommend.

•    Oral care – Instead of toothpaste or messy tooth powder, we always pack Archtek Toothpaste Tablets.  These tablets are very effective, easy to use and taste great.  Each bottle contains 60 tablets, and honestly you could divide them in half and they are just as effective.

•    Liquid Face Wash – There are 2 powdered products that I use interchangeably.  First is DHC’s Face Wash Powder.  The travel size contains only .53 ounces, but a small amount goes a long way, so this little travel size could easily last a month or more.   The second product is Biore Baking Soda Cleansing Scrub.  I typically decant a small amount into a plastic bottle.  Just like the DHC product, you do not need to use very much to get the job done.  In addition, the Biore product is also a mild exfoliant.

•    Toner – There are a number of toners that are available in a stick form, but I have yet to find one that is effective. I prefer to take my witch hazel toner.  However, rather than packing up a small bottle, I pre-moisten a stack of my own cotton rounds and place them inside a small acrylic jar.  I take enough for the entire trip, and since all the liquids are absorbed into the cotton rounds, this item does not need to go into the quart bag.

•    Sun Screen – We always take sunscreen and use it daily.  Although my favorite sunscreens are creams, there are several solid stick versions available including Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Face and Body Stick or their Beach Defense Sunscreen Stick.  Both are effective and work well in combination with makeup and other skin care products.  

•    Dry Shampoo – Most dry shampoos are found in aerosol form, but Bumble and Bumble’s Pret a Powder Shampoo comes in a 2 ounce bottle and it lasts forever.  There is a bit of a technique to using dry shampoo powders, you cannot use too much at one time.  But this product does a pretty good job and frees up space in that important quart bag!

•    Makeup Remover – There are several options for replacing liquid removers.  I have 2 products that I normally take with me.  The first is a solid product, Clinique’s Take the Day Off.  I normally use this product at home, but when traveling I take along the travel size.  It also lasts a long time since you only need a small amount.  The other item that I take is the Oil of Olay’s Daily Facial Cloths.  These little towels can be compressed tightly since they are dry cloths.  When you are ready to use them just wet them and they do a pretty good job of removing makeup, cleansing and exfoliating all in one.

•    Vitamin C – No, I’m not talking about an oral vitamin, but rather Vitamin C serums or creams that are used as an antioxidant for your skin.  Vitamin C in its liquid or cream form can be difficult to transport because the chemical compound is not really very stable and the product can oxidize quickly, especially if it is outside of its original packaging.  A skincare company called The Ordinary offers a powdered form of Vitamin C that can simply be mixed with any regular moisturizer.  So not only is it a stable product, but since it’s a powder it doesn’t have to go into the quart bag.

•    Nail Polish and Remover – First, I try to start every trip with freshly done nails and then typically I don’t worry about them after that.  I’ve never been a fan of transporting polish or remover because it inevitably leaked.  However, nail polish remover can easily be found in sealed packages.  Throw one or two in your luggage and you won’t have to worry about leaks.  For the polish, you could chose to take along nail polish strips like these offered by InCoCo.  These strips work better than a lot of polish (no chipping) and I often use them at home.

•    Laundry Detergent – I know many travelers will wash at least a few things out in the hotel sink, sometimes just using the complementary shampoo or body wash.  There are very small laundry detergent sheets available for purchase that are meant for camping, but I’ve experienced problems with them sticking together if they get at all damp.  There are also full sized detergent sheets, but they are generally pretty large since they are intended to be used in full sized washing machines.  However, I discovered Breezo Strips on Amazon.  Each strip is only 5”X2” and is intended to be used for a full load of clothes.  I cut each strip into 4 equal parts and that provides just the right amount of detergent for hand washing.  By the way, these detergent strips work so well that I frequently use them in my washer at home.

•    Hand Sanitizer – I am a big fan of hand sanitizer and you can be sure than any unused space in my quart bag will be filled with little bottles of liquid hand sanitizer.  However, if I don’t have a lot of room left in the bag, I will also pack some individual Purell Hand Sanitizer Wipes. They are easy to use and do not count as a liquid.

TIP: Did you know that your liquid prescriptions do not count as part of your quart bag?  In fact, liquid or cream prescriptions can be transported in their original containers in amounts greater than 3.4 ounces.  Just let the TSA agent know that you are carrying a liquid/cream prescription when they begin your screening process.

Decant Everything You Can into Smaller Containers

Of course there is not a suitable substitute for every liquid product.  I used to try to find travel sizes of the items that I use, but they do not always exist and when they do, they are frequently much more expensive per ounce than full sized items.  

So my goal is always to decant everything I can into the smallest containers possible.  It is easy to find travel jars, squeeze tubes and bottles because they are sold just about everywhere. However,  you have to be somewhat careful, because some of these products will leak.  I have purchased this set of silicone bottles that includes various sizes of containers, so there is pretty much an appropriate size for everything.  Thus far, I have never experienced a leak using these bottles.

TIP:  After filling your bottle, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top and then replace the cap.  This should greatly decrease the chance that anything will leak while in transit.

Lately, I have been decanting products into a couple different sizes of airless pump bottles.  I really prefer these types of containers.  They are a bit more sanitary and you can easily regulate the amount of product dispensed using the pump.  I have found that the 10ml bottle is perfect for things like moisturizers and the smaller 5ml bottles work perfectly for various serums, liquid foundation, primers and creams.  I even decanted my husband’s aftershave lotion into one of the 5ml bottles and he had plenty of product for our 3-week trip.

These airless pump bottles have been 100% reliable and leak proof.  They also keep air out of your products, which can be important when you are using products like Retin-A.  The best part is that all of these bottles can be refilled and reused!

So there you have it.  I hope you have found these tips to be useful.  Maybe you have some tips of your own?  Please feel free to leave a comment and tell us what works for you!