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Pack & Passport

Toiletries: the part of carry-on-only packing that actually goes wrong

Dopp kits, hanging bags, refillable bottles and solid swaps - chosen around the liquid rule you will meet at security.

A hotel bathroom counter with a washbag and toiletries laid out beside the sink

Almost every failed carry-on-only trip fails here. Clothes compress, shoes can be worn, electronics are small - but liquids are governed by a rule, and a rule does not care how neatly you packed. One 200 ml conditioner is the difference between walking through security and standing at a bin repacking your bag while the line watches.

So this section is organized around the constraint rather than around the product category. The bag matters less than what goes in it. Read the TSA liquid rules first if you have not flown carry-on-only recently, because two things people still get wrong - that the limit is per container rather than per total volume, and that the quart bag itself is a hard requirement at most checkpoints - decide what you should buy.

What the rule actually says

In the US, carry-on liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes must be in containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, and all of those containers must fit in one quart-sized resealable bag, one bag per passenger. The size printed on the container is what counts, not how full it is - a half-empty 6 oz bottle is still a 6 oz container and it will be pulled. Medications, baby formula and breast milk are exempt but should be declared.

Rules change, and they vary by country

Several airports outside the US have moved to newer scanners that relax the limit, and some have moved back again when the equipment was withdrawn. Always check the rules for the airport you are departing from, on the day, before you fly. Our TSA liquid rules page covers the US position and what to expect internationally.

Three ways to solve it

  1. Decant into refillable bottles. Cheapest, keeps the products you already like, and means the quart bag stays reusable trip after trip. Travel toiletry bottles is the page for this route.
  2. Buy travel sizes. Convenient, more expensive per ounce, and the only realistic option for anything you cannot decant cleanly. See the travel size toiletries guide.
  3. Switch to solids. A shampoo bar, a solid conditioner and a toothpaste tablet are not liquids at all, so they leave the quart bag entirely. This is the single biggest lever available and it is covered in solid toiletries for travel.

Choosing the bag itself

Two decisions. First, hanging or flat: a hanging toiletry bag earns its bulk in hotel bathrooms with no counter space, and wastes it if you mostly stay somewhere with a normal vanity. Second, clear or opaque: a clear quart pouch can go straight into the security bin, which saves you unpacking the main kit at the checkpoint. Many people carry both - a clear quart bag inside a larger dopp kit that also holds the solid, non-liquid items.

What to avoid is the beautiful leather case with a single unlined compartment. Toiletries leak. A wipe-clean lining and at least one sealed pocket are worth more than any material upgrade.

Start here

Everything in Toiletries

Before you buy, check the rules

Every recommendation here has a rule attached: a size limit, a liquid limit, or a battery limit. These are the pages that tell you what you will actually be measured against at the gate.

The kit that survives contact with a real trip

A workable setup looks like this: one clear quart pouch holding only the liquids you genuinely need daily, one small dopp kit holding solids, dental, medication and anything electrical, and nothing else. Everything decanted before you leave, not at 6am in the departures hall. Caps taped or the bottle squeezed and sealed so cabin pressure does not force product out.

The sizing lesson worth internalizing: most people carry two to three times the volume they use. A week's shampoo is about 50 ml for most hair, not 100. Measure once at home and the quart bag stops being a fight.

Once the toiletries are settled, the rest of the carry-on plan is straightforward - the carry-on only packing list has the full sequence.

Frequently asked questions

What is the 3-1-1 rule?
3.4 ounces (100 ml) maximum per container, all containers in 1 quart-sized resealable bag, 1 bag per passenger. It applies to liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes in carry-on baggage.
Does deodorant count as a liquid?
Solid stick deodorant does not and can go loose in your bag at any size. Gel, roll-on, spray and aerosol deodorants do count and must be 3.4 oz or less and inside the quart bag.
Do I need a clear toiletry bag?
You need a clear, resealable, roughly quart-sized bag for the liquids. The larger toiletry bag holding everything else does not need to be clear. Many travelers use a clear pouch inside an ordinary dopp kit.
Are shampoo bars allowed in carry-on luggage?
Yes. Solid shampoo, conditioner and soap bars are not liquids, so they are not subject to the 3-1-1 limit and do not go in the quart bag. This is the easiest way to free up space in it.
Can I bring toothpaste in a carry-on?
Yes, if the tube is 3.4 oz (100 ml) or smaller and it goes in the quart bag - toothpaste is treated as a paste, not a solid. Toothpaste tablets are an alternative that avoids the rule entirely.