Fammart journal
Toiletry and makeup bags for flights, dorms and the gym
Fly with a quart-sized clear bag of liquids in containers of 3.4 ounces or less, and pack the full-size bottles in the suitcase that goes in the hold. At a hotel, a hanging toiletry bag keeps those bottles off a small counter. For a dorm or gym shower, carry a mesh caddy and wear protective footwear on the floor, as CDC advises for public showers and locker rooms.
The quart-sized bag at airport screening
TSA allows a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on. Each item has to sit in a travel-sized container of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less. Anything in a larger container belongs in the bag that goes in the hold, and TSA adds that taking the small bag out of your carry-on speeds up screening.
Read the size printed on each bottle before it goes in, since the rule is written per container. TSA calls the bag quart-sized and prints no inches for it, and its item pages leave the final decision to the officer at the checkpoint. A pouch you can see into, zipped shut and packed at the top of the carry-on, is the easiest one to lift out at the belt.
Our clear toiletry set is two pouches with a clear PVC front and water-resistant polyester trim in a checkered pattern. The large one measures 10.5 x 3.2 x 6 inches with two mesh pockets inside, and the small one 5 x 5 x 2.6 inches with one. On travel day the small pouch takes the 3.4-ounce bottles, while the large one rides in the suitcase with brushes and full-size skincare. Both wipe clean with a damp cloth.
Sunscreen in the carry-on and in the hold
Sunscreen follows the same line in the cabin. TSA's sunscreen page allows it in a carry-on at 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less. In bags that go in the hold it may be larger, up to the FAA limits on toiletries and aerosols that the page cites:
- No more than 2 kilograms (70 ounces) or 2 liters (68 fluid ounces) per person in total.
- No single container over 0.5 kilograms (18 ounces) or 500 milliliters (17 fluid ounces).
- Spray nozzles kept capped.
In practice, an 8-ounce bottle of lotion passes the single-container limit and a 20-fluid-ounce family pump bottle does not. Packing for the beach at the other end? Our guide to packing a beach bag covers where the sunscreen rides once you land.
Which bag for which trip
Most trips need two bags, one you open often and one that stays packed. Match them to the place you will be washing up.
| Trip | Bag | What goes in it |
|---|---|---|
| Flight, carry-on | A clear pouch for screening | Liquids, gels and creams in containers of 3.4 oz or less |
| Flight, suitcase in the hold | Hanging toiletry bag or the large clear pouch | Full-size bottles, within the FAA limits TSA cites |
| Hotel room or cruise cabin | Hanging toiletry bag on its hook | The week's bottles and brushes, off the counter |
| Dorm with a shared shower | Mesh shower caddy tote | Shampoo, body wash, razor, keys on the loop |
| Gym locker room | Drawstring mesh shower caddy | Bottles, plus a towel of your own |
| Makeup at a dresser or desk | Wide-open makeup bag | Brushes in the PVC-lined front pocket, the rest in view |
A hanging bag for a hotel bathroom
Hotel counters run small, and a hanging bag uses the wall instead. Our hanging toiletry bag folds to 11 x 8 x 4 inches and opens to about 36 inches long. Its retractable metal hook goes over a towel rack, a shower rod or a door hook.
Inside, four zippered compartments with clear PVC and mesh pockets keep the bottles in sight, and elastic straps hold them upright. A separate wet pocket on the outside takes a damp washcloth on checkout morning, away from everything dry. At 11 ounces with a carry handle, it is light enough for a gym bag as well as a suitcase.
Makeup on the dresser
Makeup works better in a bag that stays open on its own. Our wide-open makeup bag measures 9.8 x 6 x 7 inches and unzips all the way, so the whole kit is visible at once. A reinforced base and stays in the sides keep it standing on a counter or a hotel sink.
Brushes go in a front zip pocket with a PVC lining, apart from the powders. The main compartment adds two slip pockets and one zipper pocket, and the water-resistant fabric wipes clean.
Dorm showers and the gym: a caddy and shoes
A shared shower raises a different question. CDC lists athlete's foot as a form of ringworm, a fungal infection that spreads through shared towels and shared surfaces such as locker room and public bathroom floors. Using public showers or locker rooms without protective footwear is on its list of risks. Its advice is direct: wear protective footwear in those places, and do not share towels, socks or sports gear.
So the walk down the hall takes three things: your shoes, your own towel and something to carry the bottles in. A caddy handles the last part, so nothing gets set down on a wet floor or balanced on a soap dish.
Our mesh shower caddy tote stands 10 inches tall on an 8.67-inch square base. It has two handles, a main compartment for full-size bottles and seven side pockets, each 7 inches tall, for a toothbrush, razor and comb, plus a key loop for the room key. Its bottom is mesh, so water runs out after the shower instead of pooling, and the whole caddy folds flat when the semester ends.
Between showers
Hang the caddy on a hook or over the door, where the mesh can dry, rather than shutting it in a closet wet. If you would rather carry a hard basket, our foldable shower basket measures 11.2 x 7.9 x 5.9 inches, has drainage holes on the bottom and sides, and folds down to 2 inches high. Every option, mesh and plastic, sits on the shower caddies shelf, and the rest of the range is in the shop.
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