Liquids and Carry on bags

There was a post like this awhile back..can't find it...

Long story short..I am going to Jamaica for the weekend for business and want to bring only a carry on. The stuff I use in "liquid" form now are:

1. contact lens solution

2. foundation

3. Leave in conditioner (I dont use regular conditioner)

4. Shampoo

5. Cologne and/or body spray

6. Moisturizer for the body

Other things I need to bring: toothpaste, gel deoderant, small tube suntan lotion, mascara. Do those things count as the "liquid" stuff? I dont want to find out the hard way at the gate. I also wanted to.

Suggestions on how to manage all this with the "4 bottle 3 ounce" rule? I am staying at a small mom and pop hotel on the island and doubt there will be liquid soap, shampoo, etc. It's not a major tourist area I am going to.

There's no rule that you can only have 4 bottles---as long as all items are in 3 oz. containers, and it will fit into a qt.zip-loc bag, then you're fine.

Everything you mentioned is considered a "liquid", with the exception of the deoderant.

I don't have a solution for you--I think this is one of the most stupid, inconvenient rules ever imposed on the traveling public!

Per the TSA website, if contact lens solution is more than three ounces or doesn't fit in your one quart bag, you just have to declare it to the TSA agent.

The previous posters are correct - it is not a 4 bottle rule, just nothing over 3 ounces and must fit in a quart ziplock bag. And your contact lens solution (and any liquid medicine) is not subject to the rule and just needs to be decalred.

For most items, 3 ounces is a LOT and much more than you need for a weekend. An you can get a LOT into the bag if you use small continers. Use a travel-size tube of toothpaste; put a weekend's worth of shampoo, conditioner, foundation, and moisturizer in small containers. There are also travel sized containers of deodorant which lasts several days. Your mascara will fit in there too.

The cologne/body spray may be a problem, depending on how it is packaged. You cannot do aerosols, but you can to the non-aerosol mist. You may be able to find the scent you want in a travel size (Bath and Body Works has most of the body mists in a travel size).

Consider just buying sunscreen when you get there (even a non-tourist area shoukld have that) so you won't be tempted to scrimp on it)

Have fun!!

There are travel sizes of just about everything you list. If you can't find them, there are small bottles for purchase that you can refill with your product.

Or even ask for sample sizes at the cosmetics counter, the perfume dept. almost always has those little foil packets of cologne to sample. Your dentist can give you a sample size of toothpaste, your eye doctor can give you a starter kit with small bottles of solutions. Your hair stylist often will have sample sized packets of shampoo and other products.

I keep these things packed all the time as I find you need the same products whether you are going for a night or 20, only the quantity will change. Whenever I get sample sizes of anything I think I can use for travel, it goes right into my kit, I keep the kit handy and don't store it away for just this reason.

Everything that you listed is a liquid or gel and must be put in the quart bag. You should be able to fit all of it in one bag even the contact lens solution but you may if needed leave that out and just declare it as mentioned above. You will be surprised how much will fit. I think I had at least 7 or 8 items in my bag on my last trip.

There's no rule that you can only have 4 bottles---as long as all items are in 3 oz. containers, and it will fit into a qt.zip-loc bag, then you're fine.

Everything you mentioned is considered a "liquid", with the exception of the deoderant.

 

I don't have a solution for you--I think this is one of the most stupid, inconvenient rules ever imposed on the traveling public!

That is incorrect. Gel deoderant counts, but if you buy a solid it does not.

Make sure you use a Quart ziplock and not a sandwich size ziplock. Much more room.

Travel size everything. Either buy it or condense it. Substitute solid or powder for your liquid items if possible.

look at minimus.biz for the hard to find travel sized items.

I think Magellens has a cake mascara.

Wal-Mart has an entire section of travel size toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, etc.

I have my quart size zip lock w/my liquids in. I also wear contacts, and in an additional zip lock, I put in my contact case, liquid cleaner (usually 1 oz) and my soaking solution, that is either 4 oz or 3.4 oz. I put in beside my zip lock w/liquids, and have never yet had a problem with it being separate. Could be the airports. Pittsburgh, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Phoenix, Miami, Cleveland, Akron/Canton, Honolulu. These are the airports we have flown from recently.

Hope this helps.

LUSH makes solid shampoo and conditioner. Solid deodorant, tooth powder (takes getting used to), solid sunblock sticks (Neutrogena, Bodyshop makes one), mineral powder foundation, cake eyeliner and mascara, solid perfumes (Sephora etc).

My DH had contact lens cleaning solution that you put in an activator case. The solution contained peroxide which, apparently, is an ingredient in homemade bombs! :eek: We were told that his contact lens solution tersted positive for explosives. It was confiscated and we were temporarily detained by theTSA until we were interviewed by police. Check the ingredients of all liquids. 3% or more peroxide is a No No.

Hmm..I didn't know that about the bottles. I thought you were limited.

I bought a small bag in Walgreens..4 empty bottles..one is a spray, the other three "mini" sizes.

The whole rule is ridiculous anyway. American airports are the most "reactive" and not "proactive" in terms of security.

Thanks for the input.

Hmm..I didn't know that about the bottles. I thought you were limited.

 

I bought a small bag in Walgreens..4 empty bottles..one is a spray, the other three "mini" sizes.

 

The whole rule is ridiculous anyway. American airports are the most "reactive" and not "proactive" in terms of security.

 

Thanks for the input.

It's not just in the US, these rules are in force internationally. If you don't recall, the reason for the reduction in liquid allowance was terrorists mixing explosives once onboard a plane. Fortunately they were caught before they managed to explode the plane. When you put it into this perspective, it's not ridiculous at all, just a hassle for those of us who would never commit terrorist crimes.

Security is sometimes lax, sometimes over the top strict...you just never know. Even though I'm not thrilled with the limitations, I'm all for whatever measures can make the citizens of the world a little safer with air travel.

Most of the pre-packaged travel kits come with 3 oz. bottles. You don't need everything to be 3 oz., some of my liquids/gels are as small as .5 oz. and I have some left, such as eye cream. You also have to be careful with tubes or bottles that are partially used...more than one person has had to throw out their half used 6.2 oz. sized toothpaste. The container has to be 3 oz. or less, no exceptions if they happen to check.

I just remebered a tip that may be helpful, particularly for those who wear contacts. Someone suggested using old contact cases to hold creams and gels; I tried it and it really works. I can get a day's worth of moisturizer easily into one well of a case, and cleanser in the other. I have put foundation and cream blush into them, as well as shampoo, shower gel, lotion, etc. You can get LOTS of contact cases into the regulation bag. For a short trip, this is a great solution, and you have the convenience of having a day's work of product already pre-measured. You can wash and reuse the containers or just throw them away - Frugal me reuses mine - mark them with a Sharpie with letters/symbols to indicate what's in them.

If you take a 4 oz (smallest I've found) up to a 12 oz bottle of contact solution, it doesn't have to go into the quart bag. However, it DOES have to be declared to the TSA agent at the checkpoint along with your other liquids/gels or the contact solution/bottle will be confiscated when they find it. Info is found at the TSA's website.

Renu and Opti-Fresh both make a travel sized bottle (I think it's 2 oz). you can find them at Walmart or Target or most drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens. I'm not sure about other brands. Your eye doctor can probably give you sample/travel sizes.

34TigerLily, I use that same kind of contact lens stuff every other day--and I've never been questioned about it by the TSA. Isn't it amazing (and frustrating!) how the rules are enforced differently at different airports?

I know the rules are in force internationally. I generally travel 3-5 countries per year. My comment was that I think the US is always the first to be too reactive to a security issue instead of doing something more proactive. I say that as a citizen of two countries.

The tips have been great. I am a minimalist packer as a rule. 3 ounces of anything can last me awhile. This Jamaican business trip is a last minute thing. There's a lot of stuff I want to bring home so anything I can condense or not take is a good thing.

It's not just in the US, these rules are in force internationally. If you don't recall, the reason for the reduction in liquid allowance was terrorists mixing explosives once onboard a plane. Fortunately they were caught before they managed to explode the plane. When you put it into this perspective, it's not ridiculous at all, just a hassle for those of us who would never commit terrorist crimes.

 

Security is sometimes lax, sometimes over the top strict...you just never know. Even though I'm not thrilled with the limitations, I'm all for whatever measures can make the citizens of the world a little safer with air travel.

 

Most of the pre-packaged travel kits come with 3 oz. bottles. You don't need everything to be 3 oz., some of my liquids/gels are as small as .5 oz. and I have some left, such as eye cream. You also have to be careful with tubes or bottles that are partially used...more than one person has had to throw out their half used 6.2 oz. sized toothpaste. The container has to be 3 oz. or less, no exceptions if they happen to check.

It can depend on the TSA agent/counter you happen to go through any particular day as well. I know I've had my 3-1-1 bag out before and the agent tells me to put it back into my carry on without looking at it. When we went through London on a connection, we were all treated like terrorists and they examined every inch of our bags...not just the 3-1-1 bags.

Whether they are reactive or proactive doesn't matter, you have to comply with what they want or they throw your stuff out :)

I think it will take years for the US to catch up, if ever, to a different way of looking at security. They are more concerned with not offending anyone and they get that from US citizens, many people throw a roadblock because of their feelings and the gov't caves in to them. Just look at how many people don't want to obtain passports to cruise to a foreign port.

I always have my ziplock bag ready to be pulled out of my carry-on. Twice on our last trip, I forgot to get it out of the suitcase and the agents forgot to ask for it so you never know. Maybe it is because I have so much stuff in the bin. In fact I usually need two bins between my jacket, my coat, my shoes, my purse and my around the neck passport holder.

:D

Renu and Opti-Fresh both make a travel sized bottle (I think it's 2 oz). you can find them at Walmart or Target or most drugstores such as CVS or Walgreens. I'm not sure about other brands. Your eye doctor can probably give you sample/travel sizes.

If it's the stuff that's where the normal contact stuff is, the smallest I've found is 4 oz ( a piddly 0.3 oz over the TSA's rules). Pretty much all the brands, including the store brands have the smaller bottles. In the travel/trial size section, I've yet to find anything smaller at Walmart, Target, CVS, Walgreens, or KMart.

. . . as long as all items are in 3 oz. containers, and it will fit into a qt.zip-loc bag, then you're fine.

I know this is the rule for air travel. Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but do the same rules apply for cruise travel? Do I need to "down size" my stuff before we get on the ship?

I know this is the rule for air travel. Sorry if this sounds ignorant, but do the same rules apply for cruise travel? Do I need to "down size" my stuff before we get on the ship?

Not at all. You can bring full size products on the ship.

Bed Bath& Beyond sells a heavy duty QT size bag filled with several various sizes of empty bottles for $9.99. It also includes preprinted sticky labels, shampoo, coditioner, contact lense solution etc.