pirossalma

+1

To try to do this with 5 bags (as mentioned in another post) is insane, but I have never had problem with two.

You can buy marked small containers very cheap - check your supermarkets "smaple/travel size" aisle. Whatever you find in those containers replace it with your sunscreen.

OR simply put everything in your checked baggage.

WillCAD

First, just in case you're laboring under a mistaken impression:

The 3.4oz/100ml rule only applies to liquids and gels that are in your carry-on. There is no quantity limit to products that you pack in your checked bags. You can put full-size shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, etc. into your checked bags. Those containers in checked bags are not even required to be in plastic bags, although it's a good idea to put all of your bottles into plastic bags anyway to prevent spillage on your clothes if the bottle gets squeezed open while the bag is in transit.

Now, if you ARE talking about carry-on liquids, here's the plan:

If you have a Target in your city, then you most likely have a Walmart as well.

Go to Walmart (yeah, i know, some people feel it's scrungy, others hate it as an "evil empire", whatever). Go to the cosmetics and pharmacy section. You might have to ask around a little, but every Walmart has a half of an aisle dedicated to "Trial and Travel" size products.

In that section you can also find very inexpensive EMPTY 3.4oz containers, both individually and in sets, designed to be filled by you with your own products. All of them are marked "3.4oz/100mm". Some of them are pre-marked with generic names like "Shampoo" and "conditioner", but most are simply marked with the size and nothing else.

To mark what the contents are, simply print a set of labels from your computer with the brand name of each product. If you wanted to get fancy, you could even search the web for graphics of the product and put them on the labels; it's easy enough to find logos for shampoos and toothpastes.

Lots of people travel this way and it works very well. There is always a small possibility of a rogue screener doing something dumb, but for the most part, these containers will work just fine.

You can also find 3.4oz containers at any luggage store or travel store, and in the luggage departments of stores like Walmart, Target, Sears, Macy's, JC Penny, etc.

lili

They shout at you to do so, but I don't. I go through there a lot MRing and visiting family and agree SFO agents can be difficult about many things.

It's been two years, 400,000 miles, and nothing has happened. There are actually quite a few people who just don't bother any more. As I mentioned before, when traveling with friends I do take out the baggie to avoid holding them up while the TSA does whatever it is they will do to punish me for my crime. Pat down?

I don't suggest anyone do this as it is obviously against the rules, just as it is obvious they don't care.

pirossalma

deleted

FearFree

I've been through SFO 10 times in the last 12 months, have yet to remove my baggie from my carry-on. Many airports (SFO included) frequently have the TSOs that seem to have nothing else to do but yell the same 3 or 4 phrases over and over ("no belts no shows", "lquids in baggie and out", "laptops in their own bin") but I have yet to have the baggie flagged, removed, inspected, or fondled whatsoever.

I opt out anyway, so a pat down as a punishment would be quite humorous.

squeakr

I actually almost LIKE SFO TSO's as they are rarely rude, like some of those in IAD or LAX. BUT whenever I have not taken out my baggie they ask me to do so. Same w/ Mr. squeakr.

bmjabber2

Can I squeeze as much as possible in quart bag or must all items have to be visible? Many of the items that I'd like to bring would be in center of bag and would not be seen unless bag is emptied.

How about liquids that I decanted from larger bottle? Must these be labelled?

Thanks.

Doc Savage

They don't have to be labeled.

You can generally put as much in the bag as will fit, but you might rarely run across a TSA smurf who will deny you and you'd have to abandon something.

Make sure the bag is the approved size, and that should not really happen.

Tizzette

I stuff probably 20 items of make up and toiletries, both wet and dry, in my 311. The 3 oz. travel size bottles hold more than I need so I repackage what I need into tiny sample containers and hotel shampoo bottles I have saved. You can't see what is in the middle of the bag and it is never a problem.

oceanside

does anybody know how many 3.4oz/100ml containers can fit into the standard sized baggie? I'm going to local Walmart to buy the containers but dont want to buy too many/few of them

WillCAD

If all of your containers are the full 100ml, you won't fit more than six or so in a quart bag.

However, some of the stuff in your 311 bag might be smaller than those containers, like travel size toothpaste or cosmetics, so you could fit more items in the bag.

Evaluate what you need, not what will fit in the bag, and then figure out how to distribute that stuff among your traveling party's bags. If you're traveling alone and have no checked luggage, evaluate what you need, and figure out what you can obtain at your destination. If you use brands that are available at Walmart and you're traveling domestically, you can get your stuff almost anywhere in the US.

gobluetwo

Another tip is to separate out your non-liquids into a different baggy. You don't need your dental floss, toothbrush, razor, etc. taking up space in your liquids baggy, if you have a lot of stuff or bulky containers.

Also, I've found that security folks are used to and don't care about the stray travel-sized personal hygiene items in a purse/backpack/etc., so that's another way to move things around. I routinely carry around lotion, mouthwash, and lip balm in my backpack and have never been called out for them in over 200 flights the last few years in 11 countries (US, Canada, Europe, Asia).

TWA884

Also, if you can find containers with a square or an oval footprint, you can fit more of those into a quart baggie than bottles with a round footprint.

Loren Pechtel

I use GoToob bottles (strong but squishy), they're labeled only with the ring under the cap that has very poor contrast, you have to look carefully. Nobody has looked at them. I've been trying to find some small stencils to label them neatly with but those seem to be extinct. The smallest stencils I've found are 1 1/2".

They're also in a translucent zipper bag, not a ziploc. Picking it up you can see it's full of small bottles but you can't see details. (I switched after having a ziploc break when being pulled out.)

RadioGirl

I've no idea what the instructions say now, but when the 3-1-1 nonsense was first introduced, they said that the containers had to fit "comfortably" in the zip lock bag. But it was really hard to tell if my toothpaste, face cream, etc were comfortable or not.