The Travelite® FAQ

Cosmetics consumer advocate Paula Begoun (who has authored a number of books on practical cosmetic tips and sells her own line of skin care and cosmetics), recently discussed the topic of how to pack your cosmetics for travel in her syndicated radio show. You can listen to an archive of her show here.

Paula explained that she flies between 150,000 to 200,000 miles per year for her job (since she oversees overseas manufacturing of her products), and that she has a standard regimen she follows when flying. Some of her more handy tips include:

Laying out everything you plan to pack, on your bed – this lets you see if you’re taking anything unnecessary, and also lets you see if you’re missing anything important.

Wearing sunscreen on the plane – this is something most people don’t think about. But when you are flying at 30,000 feet during the day, you are getting a lot of UV rays through the windows.

Wear shoes that expand – Paula talked about all the women she saw in the airport wearing high heels who are in agony because their feet swell when they fly. Paula recommends comfortable stylish shoes from manufacturers like Merrell and Clark, and orders her shoes from Zappos.com (so do I!). She warns against wearing flip-flips because they provide no support.

Wear loose, comfortable clothing – Paula is particularly keen on wearing jersey knits, and mentioned MyShape.com as a great Web site for purchasing comfortable clothes for full figures, and Missook for women with a bigger budget. While I agree that jersey knits are comfortable, I have to disagree with Paula here, because jersey knits are a pain to hand wash. Unless you plan to stay in a hotel with laundry machines, stick with travel-friendly fabrics like “scrunch cloth” from Orvis.

Wear easy-to-remove make-up on the flight – Paula recommends that you go ahead and remove your make-up once you settle down on your flight, using a baby wet wipe, which will take everything off except the stubborn mascara. Once your make-up is off, she recommends keeping your face moist with face cream to combat the dry air in the cabin.

Paula carries the following in her quart-sized resealable bag, which she keeps in her carry-on:

• Nasal decongestant spray (such as Afrin) – this helps you breathe easier and prevents pressure problems when your plane is about to land. If you are tight on room in your quart-sized bag, my suggestion is a nasal decongestant inhaler stick (like Vicks Vapor Inhaler). The stick is the same size as a stick of lip balm, and is a solid. Be careful: Both of these products clear your sinuses by shrinking the membrane, and you don’t want to use it all the time.
• Your favorite fragrance – this makes you feel a little more feminine. Be careful not to spritz on too much; the last thing people like to do is smell strong perfume in an enclosed cabin. Just a dab on your neck will do.
• Your entire full skin care routine, in travel-sized containers – Paula recommends toner, cleanser, moisturizer, etc. for her regimen.
• Travel-sized stick of deodorant
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Moisturizer for your hands, like shea butter or cocoa butter – the Body Shop has little travel-sized tins of their Body Butter that is perfect for this. She says your hands will only feel greasy for a short while, but that the extra thick moisturizer will keep your hands from drying out during the flight.
• Lubricating eye drops – since your eyes dry out as much as your skin does.
• Silicone serum for your hair – keeps hair from frizzing out. She recommends the Garnier Fructis Brilliantine Shine Glossy Spray, which conveniently comes in 3-ounce spray bottles.

Paula likes to remove all her make-up on the flight, and then go through her entire skin care regimen and put her make-up on before the plane lands. If you brush your teeth and get all your make-up back on, you will feel like a civilized person when you land, and you’ll be able to hit the ground running.

For the most part, I think she’s got the right idea. Since I recommend taking everything with you in your carry-on, though, it means you need to be a little more organized about what you pack in your quart-sized toiletry bag. For example, the silicone serum spray might be handy since it comes in a 3-ounce bottle, the reason Garnier sells the product in a 3-ounce bottle is because most people will only need two sprays to tame their hair. Nobody in the world will run out of this product during their vacation trip… so there’s incentive for the Travelite packer to transfer the silicone serum into say a 1-ounce spritzer bottle.

Maybe you do most of your travels by car, or you’ve just never had the chance to fly before. As much as I’ve flown, I still get little baby butterflies (hmm… caterpillars?) in my stomach right as we take off. I know it’s all physics and engineering, and that it’s safer to fly than it is for me to drive, but there’s always that bit of nervous excitement when we take off.

But before you can get to that seat for your flight, you need to “go through security.” If you’ve had to walk through metal detectors for school or music concerts, then airport security won’t be completely alien to you. But what can you expect, and how can you make the process as smooth as possible?

TSA-friendly packing tips

If you fly to or within the US, you will be screened by the federal Transportation Security Administration, established after the airplane attacks of September 11, 2001. What you pack for your flight should fall into these four categories:

Carry-on bags – these are the smaller bags you keep at your side and bring with you to your seat in the airplane. There are numerous restrictions associated with carry-ons, such as how large they can be, how much they can weigh, and what items are not allowed in them. Most of the tips at my Travelite site are designed to help you travel with just your carry-on bag. It’s perfectly doable, with a little planning. For the purposes of making it easier to get through your security screening, consider these:

• Avoid placing loose items in your main carry-on – the easiest way to organize these is with reclosable ziplock baggies. Go ahead, use them to pack your underwear and socks. Bring extras to store your dirty laundry a well. You can even find 2-gallon ziplock baggies, and they can fit a lot! Make sure to squish out excess air.
• Keep all your paperwork in one place – a manila folder works, although a stiff Priority Mail or FedEx envelope may be a better option if you have smaller slips of paper. Slip these into a big front pocket on your carry-on for easy access
• Even if you plan to stay with your carry-on, use a luggage tag to identify its owner. Consider including the same info inside the bag as well.

Check-in luggage – these are typically those bags and suitcases that are too big to bring with you to your seat on the plane. the TSA allows you to put things in your check-in luggage that are forbidden in your carry-on. For the purposes of a security screening, you don’t need to worry about your check-ins. However:

• If you choose to put a lock on your luggage, use the newer TSA-approved travel locks. These are clearly marked on the packaging, and allow TSA agents to open your lock with a master key should they need to.
• Use a luggage tag on the outside (it is fine if you used one with a cover that makes that requires lifting to see the info; the idea is that the information is there), as well as your personal info inside the luggage.
• Use a check-in bag if you need to carry items that are prohibited in your carry-on (such as knives and large scissors) or you have too many things to fit in your carry-on. Do not assume that you should always check in your luggage, or pack your check-in luggage to the hilt just because you can. Most airlines now charge a fee for even the first piece of check-in luggage, making it an expensive choice if you don’t need to take that much with you.

Toiletry bag – TSA has instituted a new “3-1-1″ policy whereby you can only take one quart-sized transparent resealable bag with you for your liquid and gel toiletries per person, and each individual container holding liquids and gels cannot weigh more than 3 ounces. Of the various things the TSA can nitpick about at the security screening, toiletries (believe it or not) is one of them:

• Most important: Your 3-1-1 bag must be within easy reach when you approach the security screening area, as you are required to place the bag in a tray for independent scanning through the X-ray machine. Don’t pack this in the bottom of your carry-on.
• Be mindful when purchasing souvenirs. That bottle of Caribbean hot sauce? If it’s bigger than 3 ounces and isn’t in your 3-1-1 bag, it needs to go into your check-in or it’s spicy condiment time for the TSA agents!
• Be careful when packing during your trip. It’s easy to accidentally toss in a bottle of shampoo or shaving cream in your carry-on at the last minute while you’re packing up from your hotel, but those will be confiscated.
• Although a quart-sized baggie is not very spacious, you don’t need to carry your entire set of regular toiletries with you. Think carefully about what exactly you want to take. Do you really need your body wash when you know the hotels you’re staying at provide bars of hotel soap?
• Limit the 3-1-1 bag just to liquid and gel toiletries. This may sound silly, but a lot of women are used to packing their make-up together with their toiletries. The thing is, your powder eye shadow, compact, and hair brush don’t neeed to go in the 3-1-1 bag. Once you completely isolate just the liquids and gels, you’ll likely be pleased to see that you can fit everything in the baggie.

Laptop case – you can pack your laptop in your main carry-on, or you can carry it in its own case separately. The airlines allow “one carry-on and one personal item,” and the personal item includes a laptop case (as well as other small totables like purses and camera bags):

• Make sure your laptop is charged enough to turn on if a TSA agent asks you to.
• Be prepared to remove your laptop from its case so it can be screened by itself in the X-ray machine. Some bag manufacturers make special laptop cases with a transparent pocket for your laptop; these must be approved by the TSA (the labeling will indicate this). Such bags let you lay the laptop sleeve open but keep your laptop in the bag through the X-ray machine, providing a little more security from laptop thefts.
• If you expect to be flying with your laptop frequently, consider purchasing travel-friendly cords that retract into a spool, minimizing cable clutter.

Secondary screenings

Look at your boarding pass. There is a corner of the ticket that can sometimes include a notation that looks like “S S S S S S S”—this is the dreaded “secondary screening” code, and it can be added to your ticket for a number of seemingly random purposes. Perhaps you purchased your ticket with cash, at the last minute, just for a one-way trip, or some other behavior that caused the trigger. It’s also altogether possible that during your routine screening, you set off the metal detector, or the X-ray inspector found something unidentifiable in your carry-on. If you do get pulled aside for a secondary screening, relax, breathe, and be polite. The TSA agents are just going through their normal tasks, and your goal is to make the process as smooth as possible so you can get out of there and off to your gate. A TSA agent will pass a handheld detector wand over your body, and they may need to inspect every item in your carry-on (and this is where having everything organized will come in handy).

Things to avoid having on your body when walking through a metal detector

• Keychains and keyrings with keys – it’s easiest to stash this in your carry-on or purse. Many bags have keyfobs so you can snap your keyring in place and forget it until you get back and need to get to your own car.
• Belt buckles – OK so you won a rodeo and you wear your winning buckle proudly! Except through the metal detector. It’s easiest to remove these and stuff them in your carry-on, place in the tray with your shoes (more on that later), or loop around the strap of your carry-on. Don’t worry; your pants won’t fall down in the 10 steps you’ll take through security.
• A pocketful of change
• Big pieces of metallic jewelry
• Your watch – it might not set off the metal detector, but you might as well stash it.
• Your metal sunglasses/glasses
• If you have metal rods and such in your body, consider traveling with your doctor’s note indicating this. Chances are you will still be wanded, but the process is made a little smoother with a doctor’s note.

How to go through security

1. Before you enter the queue:
   • Remove all large metal objects from your body and place them in your carry-on (see the list above).
   • Make sure you can easily get to your 3-1-1 toiletry bag and laptop computer.
   • From your wallet, remove your official government-issued picture ID card, and keep it with your boarding pass in your hand.
2. As you approach the security screening area, you might see different signs for queues for business travelers, or for travelers with children. There are no strict laws regarding which queue to enter, although if you are new to the process, you should probably avoid the queue for the business traveler. They tend to be veterans at the process, and may be impatient should it take you a while to get yourself oriented.
3. Near the entrance to the queue will be a uniformed agent – hand your ID card and boarding pass to this agent. The agent will scan both the ID and boarding pass, making sure the names match, and that you match the photo on the ID card. Most of the time, the agent will also mark a notation on the boarding pass.
4. Once you get into the queue area, there may be several queues. Unless you are directed into a specific one by an agent, you can choose which queue to stand in. The multiple queues are there to expedite the screening process.
5. The actual processing area usually holds about four or five people at a time. The first thing you will be able to do is to grab a large plastic tub from a stack near the counter. You will need at least one, maybe two:
   • Remove your shoes and place them flat in the plastic tub.
   • Remove your 3-1-1 toiletry baggie from your carry-on bag and place it next to your shoes in your plastic tub.
   • Place any small electronics like your cell phone in the tub.
   • If you are carrying an empty refillable water bottle, place it in the tub to show them that it’s empty.
   • If you are wearing a light jacket, you can also remove it and place it in the tub if it still has room. If it’s already full, or you are wearing a thicker coat, use a second tub.
   • Use a second tub if you have a laptop. Place the laptop flat in the plastic tub, with nothing on top of the laptop. If you have a TSA-approved laptop case, unzip the case so that the portion containing the laptop can be laid flat on the X-ray conveyor belt.
6. By this time, you should be about ready to pass your articles through the X-ray machine:
   1. Lay your main carry-on bag flat and have it be the first item that goes through the machine.
   2. Place your “personal bag” (purse, camera bag, laptop case) laid flat as your second item through the machine.
   3. Your plastic bin(s) should be the last item to go on the conveyor belt.
7. Do not take your eyes off of your belongings until you have ensured that the last of your plastic bins has successfully moved into the closed X-ray machine mechanism, even if it takes an extra moment. Sometimes a TSA agent will pause the X-ray machine and even back up the conveyor belt for a closer inspection, so the belt may be momentarily paused. The idea here is to minimize the chances of anyone in the queue sniping your valuables, so take the moment to make sure your tubs have moved into the mechanism.
8. Do not place your ID and boarding pass in the tub! Hold onto these.
9. Now, it is your turn to walk through the metal detector, which is parallel to the X-ray machine. Stand on your side of the metal detector and look to the other side. There should be a TSA agent standing there facing you. If there is no agent there, or the agent is busy with someone else, wait your turn. Only when the agent is ready and acknowledges you, should you walk through the metal detector. Walk through calmly and continue walking.
10. Assuming you do not set off the metal detector, you are now clear to retrieve your belongings. A few more steps, and you are at the exit end of the X-ray machine conveyor belt.
11. You will see your main carry-on and your personal bag come through first. Let these continue to roll; your goal is to retrieve the items in your tub first:
    1. Put your keys, cell phone, etc. away in your pockets
    2. Grab your shoes, place them on the floor and quickly stick your feet in them. Don’t bother lacing them or strapping them completely for now.
    3. Grab your 3-1-1 toiletry bag.
    4. Check that your first tub is completely empty.
    5. From your second tub, grab your laptop.
    6. Now grab your main carry-on bag and your personal item bag. At this point you are probably carrying your main bag, your smaller purse/case, your 3-1-1 bag, your laptop, and your ID card and boarding pass. And your shoes are flopping on your feet.
    7. Optionally, place your now-empty tubs in the stack at the end of the counter.
12. You’re now done with the security screening. Most screening areas provide benches in the exit area; spend a moment to put all your items in order here, making sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

You’ve now successfully gone through an airport security screening! Now let’s go have fun on your trip!

The TSA has some helpful Web pages:

• Screening process
• “Checkpoint-friendly” laptop case information
• 3-1-1 toiletry bag

One of the inevitable activities you wind up participating in when you pack lightly is washing your clothes (if nothing else, your underwear). Oh sure, you can use the hotel bar soap and wash your undergarments by hand in the bathroom sink, but what do you do when you actually want to wash most of your clothes? Find the nearest laundromat? Use the expensive hotel laundry service? Both are viable options depending on your budget and time, but I’ve come across a product recently that has become a staple in my packing list: Charlie’s Soap.

The standard sack of Charlie’s Soap come with 2.64 pounds, which cleans a whopping 80 loads. Each sack is a reusable sack with a string tie, and comes with a green plastic measuring spoon. Image by Lani Teshima.

Charlie’s Soap advertises itself as being safe, non-toxic, fragrance-free, biodegradable, hypoallergenic, and most impressively, only requires a single tablespoon for a full load in the washing machine. And because it also rinses completely free without leaving a residue, it makes washing items by hand extremely easy.

When I travel, I fill up a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap into one of those tiny ziplock baggies (the ones you can buy at hobby stores, that are only about the size of a credit card). I mark the outside of the baggies with a permanent marker to note what it is, and I find that I can easily tote a few of these in my dry toiletries bag with ease (Psst: once you’ve used up your sack of Charlie’s Soap, you can then use the sack as your dry toiletries bag! Woo hoo!). It’s considerably easier than decanting a load’s worth of liquid laundry detergent into a travel-sized bottle (or buying pre-filled bottles of laundry detergent), and it’s way cheaper than buying a small single-load box of laundry soap at the laundromat.

Fill a little reseable plastic baggie with a tablespoon of Charlie’s Soap. Mark the baggie with a marker so you can easily tell what it is, and you’re good to go. Image by Lani Teshima.

Best of all, I find that it does a great job of washing lighter and smaller items in the hotel bathroom sink with ease. I fill up the basin with water and Charlie’s Soap, and I’m actually quite impressed at how much dirt winds up in the basin water. And since it doesn’t overbubble, I find that a quick couple of rinses in plain water will get out all the soap residue really quickly. When you’re done, you’ve got squeaky clean clothes to hang, that leave no perfume or artficial fragrance.

The fact that you’d be supporting a small mom-and-pop factory out of North Carolina is just icing on the cake!

You can purchase your own sack of Charlie’s Soap at Charliesoap.com. One sack (which lasts 80 loads) costs $15.49 and ships within the U.S. for $5.00. However if you’re sold on the stuff and you buy more than 2 sacks in your order, they waive the shipping fee and give you a few bucks off to boot.

One thing about women: our clothes don’t always come with pockets. Or if they do, they’re small and more for aesthetic purposes. Unless you wear cargo pants with huge pockets, chances are, you carry a purse in order to keep your wallet, phone, and other items near you. But what if you don’t want to carry around a purse all the time? The product I’ll review today is the Baggallini Teenee wallet purse.

The Baggallini Teenee wallet purse.

The Teenee is a simple flap-based wallet with multiple pockets and a detachable adjustable strap that lets you carry it as an across-the-shoulder purse or as a belt bag. As wallets go, the Teenee isn’t tiny. Unless you have really big pockets, you probably won’t be able to tuck this into a pocket easily.

This wallet is deceptively simple. Before you even open the wallet, you can see that it has a zippered pocket in the front flap. It’s not huge, but it’s big enough to hold credit cards, change, bills, and so on. So let’s take a look inside.

The Teenee when you open its main flap to reveal the inner pockets.

The flap snaps shut with a little magnetic button. There’s convenience to that, since you don’t have to fuss to get the snap parts to match exactly in order for this to shut. The down side however, is when you have your Teenee stuffed to the gills so the magnets don’t quite touch.

I told you the inside was deceptively simple, yes? Let’s take a look at the actual pockets.

The transparent ID card holder.

First, there is the transparent ID card holder on the flap itself. The holder fits a standard driver’s license or credit card. You can choose to have your ID card faced up or down depending on how you’d like to show your ID to whomever you’re showing it to. I personally prefer to keep my ID in there so that the top of the ID is near the magnet. Since I wear my Teenee with the flap side out, when I open the flap to get to my money, all I have to do is present the flap to the cashier without flipping the flap or turning it around.

You can actually fit a few cards in the transparent window, so if you have things you like to get to easily, like an ATM card, the window may be a convenient place for you.

Note the little pen holder. Most retractable pens should fit in it just fine, with a couple of caveats:

• The elastic loop is quite loose, so if you have a very narrow pen, it may slip out.
• The elastic loop is centered on the wallet, so if the pen’s clip is short, you will need to slide it in considerably in order to clip it to the loop.

In my case, I use a Pilot G2 mini pen, as its clip seems to be at the right place to be able to clip onto the loop. I’ve never lost a pen this way yet.

Now let’s take a look at the pockets.

The internal pockets in a Teenee.

Hopefully you can see all the layers of pockets in the photo above. The very front pocket, where my pink cell phone is, is gusseted. It means you can fit items that are thicker. Cell phones certainly work, as do MP3 players. I’ve tested an iPhone in the gusseted pocket, and it fits just fine. If you have a thin digital camera, you may even get those to fit as well.

The pocket layer right behind the cell phone, if you look carefully, is the layer where I keep my money. I fold the bills in half and they fit just fine. I normally keep my change in there as well but be aware that because that particular pocket has no zipper, you might risk occasionally losing some change. I’ve gotten into the habit of taking out my change every few days to keep the wallet light, and it’s also one way to prevent loose change. There is a zippered pocket (we’ll get there in a moment) you can use to stash your change as well.

It’s really hard to see, but behind the pocket with the bills is another unzippered pocket layer. In my case, this is where I keep a tiny notebook (if you care, it’s a Moleskine Volant Mini extra-small softcover notebook). These are perfect for jotting down notes. It’s too small that you can’t see it in the photo, but you could also use a small Post-It notepad or something similar as well.

The back zippered pocket is large enough to easily fit a passport.

Finally, there is the zippered pocket at the very back. There is a ton of room back there, and for travelers, the most relevant is the fact that you can fit a standard-sized passport in that pocket. Because you can zip it up, it provides a little extra security as you hide it away. By the way, the zipper hides pockets on both the main body and the flap. I rarely use the flap side, since I’d hate to unzip the pocket and have whatever I’ve got stashed in the flap side fall out, but it’s additional space if you need to keep important things somewhere.

If you think we’re done, you’re wrong! We haven’t looked at the back of this thing.

The back of the Teenee has its own zippered pocket.

As you can see in this photo, the back of the wallet has an additional zippered pocket. This is very convenient if you need to keep something in your wallet that you want to get to relatively easily. Maybe you can keep your change there?

Now, let’s look at the rest of the back of this thing. There’s so much going on, I’ve actually labeled the parts for you:

The back of the Teenee wallet, with parts labeled.

In addition to the zipper you see running across the back for the pocket I just mentioned, there is a super-secret unnoticeable card slot right in front of the zipper. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d assume it was just the hem for the zipper! The clever thing is that this little card slot is sized to fit a credit card. Once I realized the convenience of this little card slot pocket, I’ve used it to stash BART (train) tickets and bus tranfers. Visiting a casino? I stash my loyalty card and hotel key in there. Visiting a Disney theme park? I put my Fastpass tickets in there. The Teenee would’ve been a full-featured wallet with everything else; there was no need for Baggallini to add this little card slot, but they did, and it’s quite handy (not to mention clever)!

Finally, let’s look at how you carry this thing. Each Teenee comes with a very thin adjustable strap made of the same color and fabric as your wallet. For most people, if you wore it across the chest with the strap fully extended, it will reach your thighs. The strap is that long. If you shortened it as tight as it would go, you would wind up with a tiny over-the-shoulder purse that lands around your elbow level.

If you want to carry this as a sling of any sort, you will want to put the strap on the D-rings on the top. If you want to shorten the strap and wear loosely around your waist, you will want to snap the straps onto the lower set of D-rings. Actually, you could really snap the strap on either set; it would be a matter of personal preference whether you want the wallet riding higher or lower on your waist.

If you are slender, you will find that the strap (even adjusted as short as it’ll go) is still too long for you to wear the Teenee straight across your waist. You will likely wind up wearing it on a slant. And if you’re very slender, you will need to make sure the strap doesn’t fall down past your hips. If this is the case, there are a couple of tricks you can use; the easiest being that you can just tie a knot into your strap to take up the extra length.

See that pair of vertical strapping you see going down the back of the wallet? Those are actually belt loops. So you can go without the strap altogether, and just loop your belt through it and wear it as a true belt bag. Obviously you won’t be able to access the back pockets easily, but wearing it this way (especially if you wear your shirt and jacket over it) would provide some added security.

Finally, since the strap is completely detachable, you could carry this wallet as a real wallet if you have a larger purse to put it in. It’s still smaller than some wallets I’ve seen, full of bulk and taking up a ton of space in the purse. If you want to switch between using it as a wallet-in-your-purse and carrying it as its own little wallet purse, I suggest you always keep the strap and wallet together. In my opinion, the best place for it is that back zippered pocket. It will add a little bulk to your wallet, but that way you will never lose the strap.

This wallet comes in a myriad of colors.

Promotional photo from Baggallini showing all the different colors available for the Teenee.

You could really have your pick of what color you want. There are some pretty neutral travel-friendly colors like black, brown, and khaki. There are some very springlike pastels, robust fall colors, as well as some fashionable colors like that bright red you see in the front. Regardless of the color you pick, all the zipper pulls, D-rings and other components use a brushed silver-toned metal, making these wallets nice enough for going out with. OK so it may not work for the most formal of parties or dinners (although you could probably easily replace the strap with your own wrist chain strap to get it “all dooded up” for a fancy event).

This particular wallet has been in the Baggallini line-up for quite some time. Periodically, they will introduce new fabrics and new colors. The ones they’ve offered in the past (and which you may still find some remaining stock online or in some travel stores) are microfiber, ripstop nylon, and an eco-labeled one that used a couple of plastic bottles each to make. The current fabric with the largest color offering is “crinkle nylon” (that’s the one you see in these photos).

Deborah wears a Teenee across the shoulder (the design is a harder-to-find giraffe print).

With all of these great pockets and features, though, I do have two very specific druthers:

#1: I am not pleased with the placement of the top set of D-rings on the back. I know why they did it. They wanted the short (quarter-inch long) strap that connects the top D-rings to be aligned with the belt loops below for aesthetic purposes. But I’ve actually taken the top D-ring straps apart (all in the name of research!), and there is no actual connection between those D-ring straps and the belt loops. The problem I have is that the top D-rings are very close together. When you wear the wallet across your chest, the straps look “cross-eyed” (for want of a better term) because they are knock-kneed and too close together. I would really prefer that they splinter off from trying to align the D-rings with the belt loops, and simply sew them at the very top of the wallet right into the exterior piping along the edges.

#2: As much as it can hold, it’s still a wallet and not a purse. I really wish they had a slightly larger size that would fit slightly larger digital cameras or a small Moleskine notebook. I’m thinking just an extra half-inch in width would do a lot to open things up, and still have it be small enough to be considered a wallet. [Hey folks at Baggallini, how's about a slightly larger version to augment your existing model?]

All in all, this is a wonderful little wallet for women. It’s great for everyday use, you can wear it as its own wallet-purse or stick it in a larger purse. Wear it at work so you don’t have to worry about leaving your wallet in your purse as it sits unsecured under your desk. Or tuck your passport in there and head out the door for some hands-free travel.

Guys could even use this as a belt bag. After all, guys often wind up with a wallet in the back pocket, spare change in the front, and cell phone in another pocket or clipped to the belt. You could use a neutral-colored Teenee to keep all of that in one place!

Best of all, you can buy the Teenee at most places for under $20. Whether that’s a special treat splurge or cheap enough for you to buy several different colors to match your outfit, I give the Teenee a huge “way to go” for designing so much creativity and practicality into such a “Teenee” tiny package!

Baggallini Teenee online at a glance:

• Official Web page at Baggallini
• Various models at eBags (they are often on sale for well under $20)
• Various models at Amazon

I went on a weekend getaway to Pismo Beach—perfect little spot. In addition to an afternoon on a walking tour of Hearst Castle, one of the things I did was visit San Luis Obispo’s downtown area, with its little coffee shops and retail stores geared towards the college students from nearby Cal Poly SLO.

One of the shops I visited was Bath and Body Works. If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s a relatively common retail store in shopping malls, and they sell nothing but toiletries. I always assumed they were a Body Shop knock-off, but their prices are actually considerably more reasonable.

Near the cash register, they had a big stand filled with little two-ounce travel-sized bottles of their products. Shampoos, lotions, conditioners and what have you. The big sign above the stand said “$1.” A dollar for a bottle—what a deal!

According to the salesperson there, this great dollar sale was officially ending today (Sunday); however, she said there was a chance that they would be allowed to continue their dollar sales in the stores because the two-ounce bottles were being replaced by three-ounce versions.

A two-ounce bottle of shower gel from Bath and Body Works. All of their bottles have the signature “cinched waist” near the top. Pick up these 2-ouncers while they’re on sale, and before they’re replaced with the giganto 3-ouncers. Image from Bath and Body Works.

“Three ounces is what you can carry with you at the airport,” the salesperson told me proudly.

So… you can wait until Bath and Body Works starts carrying the three-ounce bottles, or if you have a chance, visit your nearby store to see if theys till have the dollar sale. A buck is actually a pretty good deal for two full ounces, and they usually carry quite a few different fragrances and styles. Once the three-ounce bottles are introduced in the stores, I suspect they will probably sell for about $5 each, which I think is a little too expensive for little bottles.

Right now if you go to their Web site, they have a “3 for $5 Travel Sized Signature Collection” sale. The price isn’t quite as good as a dollar, but that’s not a bad deal at all.

Moleskine Volant notebooks hit store shelves in the U.S. Image from Moleskineus.com.

A few people have reminded me (and I have confirmed) that the colorful softcover Moleskine Volant notebooks have made it to the shelves of both Borders as well as Barnes & Noble in the US. If you were hoping to pick up these little notebooks, visit your nearest box book store!

“Ideally packed!”

That’s what a London Gatwick Airport security agent told me when my bag got tagged for a manual inspection. She was completely impressed because she couldn’t believe how efficient and well-organized my carry-on bag was!

[If you've ever had one of those, you know that they take everything out of your bag. It got flagged because I had a bag full of wires and electronics, so after that leg of the trip, I just removed that baggie and put it in the bin next to my toiletry bag, and I had no further problems.]

It’s been three days since my return home, and my body clock is still very off. They say it takes a day to adjust to each hour change, and it feels pretty close. I’ve managed to stay up a bit later each night and not wake up as early in the morning, but still, I was up by 5:00 a.m. today and am not able to snooze anymore.

So now that I’m wide awake, I may as well be productive and finally share with you how I managed to travel with just 13 pounds for my Europe trip.

Oh just a warning: Today’s post is going to be long. Grab a cup of coffee.

Details, details, details

First, the foundation: We were originally planning on traveling with another couple whom we’ve traveled with in the past, with an itinerary that included France, Germany, and Luxembourg. As a return favor for my providing a fair bit of translation and cultural knowledge about Japan on a trip we’d all made to Tokyo Disneyland a few years ago, our guide was going to be the husband of the other couple, who had spent a few years in France.

However in an example of how our current bad economy affects us in direct ways, Alex and I were hit with unexpected news: The wife, who is a small business entrepreneur, was forced to decide between going on vacation with us, and keeping her business afloat.

At that point, we could’ve decided to just scrap the trip altogether, except for one minor thing: I’d already bought Alex and myself nonrefundable tickets on Virgin Atlantic.

Getting over our disappointment at not being able to travel with our friends, Alex and I looked at each other with “Oh my god, what the hell are we going to do now?” drawn on our faces. With zero independent itinerary, zero French/German language skills, zero travel knowledge of the area, we were at a complete loss.

It wasn’t until a few days later that I’d had an idea: Check to see if Rick Steves had any tours that would fit our schedule. We were in luck. There was one tour that fit our schedule exactly: His Best of Rome in 7 Days city tour. [How many people chose to go to a destination because they looked over a list of tours and picked the one that fit their flight schedule?!?] The tour was spendy but since we were completely noobs we felt it was worth the price.

Once our main destination was set, everything else fell into place, with plans to spend a bit of time in London (since we were flying in and out of Heathrow), as well as in Paris for a few days so we could see both the city as well as Disneyland Paris.

If you’ve never seen Rick Steves’ PBS series on traveling through Europe, he is a firm believer in low-key immersion travel. Pack lightly, stay in smaller hotels run by locals, focus more on learning and absorbing the culture in smaller groups rather than being shuttled around like cattle and spending all your stops in tacky gift shops. Rick Steves also happens to be one of my personal heroes because he was the one who originally inspired me to learn to travel lightly. That, combined with the fact that Alex and I would be on all sorts of public transportation with our luggage, meant we were going to avoid check-in luggage at all costs.

Traveling with just my carry-on? No problem! Not even a challenge!

…except there was. It was called “Virgin Atlantic’s unusually small weight restriction for carry-ons.” If you read my previous entries, you know that we had to limit ourselves to no more than 13 pounds (6 kilograms). Most full carry-ons will probably run you at least 20-30 pounds depending on the weight of your bag, so getting our stuff together in the weeks before our trip became almost like a game for us.

We were successful, but not without a lot of adaptation and sacrifice.

My Packing List

I based my initial packing list on the one Rick Steves recommends for women. I provide the original list here, with my notes on how I adjusted it for the trip. Some assumptions I made included October weather in Europe, which ranged from the low-40s to the low-70s. Each item is followed by a description, and any pertinent comments (negatives are in red, positives are in green). Those I did not pack, are crossed out.

Clothing

• 1 pair of walking/comfortable shoes – This was the single, most important decision I was going to make. After reading the “Best Walking Shoes” section for personal recommendations at Rick Steves’ site, I chose a pair of Keen Seattle shoes. Since Keen no longer makes them, I had to do quite a bit of looking around online before finding one. I also took a spare pair of insoles with me, and swapped them out daily to keep my feet feeling less tired. At the end of the trip, I tossed the spare insoles away. These shoes worked out great for my feet, which are wide.
• 1 pair of sandals (weather permitting) – I couldn’t afford a second pair of real shoes, so I took a pair of Pocket Slippers from Magellan’s. They roll up and tuck into a little pouch that weighs just a few ounces. This was a waste of space for our particular trip since I only wore them on my flight to London. But they are keepers for future trips.
• 1 rainproof jacket – I picked up an LL Bean Storm Chaser 3-in-1 jacket, which has an inner fleece that zips out so you can wear it as a fleece jacket. And since the two zip up into one jacket, it was less I had to carry if I wasn’t wearing it. I applied Scotchguard on it to get a little more protection on it, although it should do OK in light showers. This jacket is terrific! Big pockets, zippable pockets, secret inner pockets, and comfortable. Highly recommended.
• 2-4 pairs of shorts/capris/skorts – I assumed it would be too cold to take shorts.
• 2 pairs of pants (one dressy, one casual), 1 belt – I wore one pair of slacks, and packed a second pair. The second pair was a Slinky brand from HSN.com, but it’s very similar to the Travelers line from Chico’s. That means no ironing, easy to wear.
• 1 swimsuit (packed in a plastic bag) – I assumed it would again be too cold.
• 5 1 pairs of socks (cotton blend) – The Keens can be worn with or without socks, so I chose to take just one pair of very thin Smartwool socks that I picked up from REI. Smartwool socks dry fast and don’t smell. I highly recommend them.
• 5 pairs of underwear (silk, lace, or micro-fiber dries quickest) – I took some that were the lighest I could find (if you are comfortable wearing thongs, they save a ton of space)
• 1 extra bra
• 4-6 shirts (long/short-sleeved, various colors) – Assuming it would be cold, I took 3 long-sleeve nylon/polyester shirts, a button shirt, and a layering overshirt. I really wish I packed for warmer weather. My shirts were way too hot in Rome. Lesson: Check the weather right before your departure, and be prepared to adjust your wardrobe at the last minute.
• 1-2 light cardigans for layering – Instead of a cardigan, I used the fleece jacket from the LL Bean 3-in-1. So glad I just used the fleece lining instead.
• 1-2 skirts (wrinkle-resistant) – With colder weather I assumed this wouldn’t work well.
• 2 dresses (optional) – No special dinners, and no space in my bag.
• 1 hat – My jacket had a hood, but I also took a neoprene Headgasket visor from Croakies. I kept the visor in my daybag and used it all the time. It worked out great, especially in those sunny days in Rome!
• Scarves (to wear with clothing or hat) – I took a warmer scarf. This is one of the best things I took, since you can wear it instead of packing it when you fly. The wider ones work as a wrap on your flight, too.
• 2 vests (optional) – Completely unnecessary, and didn’t miss not having them.
• 1 pair of pajamas (or long shirt to get you to the bathroom down the hall if necessary) – No room, no need.

Toiletries/Medicine

• Body soap/puff (washcloth); most European hotels do not supply washcloths –The single best wash cloth I have used all my life is the Salux nylon wash towel from Japan. Anything else makes me feel like I’m not getting clean, so I made sure to take one. It’s better than any scrubber ball because you can scrub your back easily. I also took a large Japanese bathtowel. These things barely take up any room because of their thinness and loose weave. I probably didn’t need the bath towel. I never travel without one! [Fortunately it weighs next to nothing.]
• Toothbrush/toothpaste/floss – I wound up not taking enough toothpaste with me but we made do with the baby containers of toothpaste we got from our Premium Economy amenity kits.
• Shampoo/conditioner – I took 1 ounce of shampoo and 0.5 ounce of Paul Mitchell leave-in conditioner. We augmented the shampoo with hotel shampoo, and it worked out perfectly.
• Brush/comb –I took a folding travel brush, which was small enough to carry in my day bag.
• Lotion –I took a tube of face lotion with SPF, which worked out fine.
• Vaseline (for feet) –Unnecessary; I just made sure I pedicured my feet nicely right before the trip.
• Razor (non-electric)/shaving cream or soap – I didn’t bother (since my leg hairs are almost nonexitent) but for most women it’s probably easier to get a professional wax before a trip. My husband just bought some razors when we got to Rome, and that worked out well. Alex used either soap or shampoo for his shave (after a shower so his skin was moist).
• Sunscreen, insect repellent –See lotion, above.
• Prescription drugs (in original container with your name and your doctor’s name, write down generic name) – I had a small prescription bottle with me that didn’t take up much room.
• First aid kit/moleskin/blister kit – I used a lot of Band-Aids preventively but I purchased them all when we got there.
• Feminine hygiene products –Assumed I could buy them during the trip if I needed.
• Deodorant – We actually didn’t take any. Shaving/trimming underarm hairs does wonders to keep the odor to a minimum. Given how warm it was in Rome, I wish we’d taken some. We used a lot of Febreze instead.
• Nail clippers/file/tweezers –I took a nail file and tweezers, and just made sure our nails were clipped before we left.
• Spare glasses and/or prescription, mini-eyeglass repair kit, or contact lenses and supplies –Neither of us wear glasses anymore, but we did take our sunglasses.
• Hand sanitizer – I didn’t take any, but I wish I had. I couldn’t find any in Rome, either.
• Vitamins –Didn’t take any.
• OTC remedies (whatever works for you): Pepto, decongestants, etc. –Took ibuprofen and acetaminophen; glad we did, since it took the edge off our sore feet at the end of the day.
• Clothesline, sink stopper, soap – These came in handy for washing our clothes in the bathroom.
• Baby powder (dry shampoo for hair) –Didn’t take any.

Money and Security

• Moneybelt: Passport, plane ticket, debit card, credit cards, traveler’s checks, railpass, driver’s license (if you’re renting a car) – Rick Steves tours make you sign an agreement saying, among other things, that you will use your moneybelt. This is not only for your peace of mind but also so the tour guide (and their travel office) doesn’t have to deal with the hassles of one of its customers having to deal with the U.S. embassy and banks during the trip. It was the one thing I made sure we followed, and our entire group in Rome did great during the tour, and nobody lost anything to pickpockets. We did have numerous attempts made on us, though!

Other things I took

• Guidebooks – I went to Kinko’s and had them cut the binding out of all our guide books. I then selected the pages and sections we needed, and rebound them into smaller books. This saved quite a bit of weight since we took guidebooks for Rome, Paris, and London. As we were done, we tossed the books.
• Moleskine notebooks – I’m one of those people who uses Moleskine books, so I took a Rome Citybook as well as a sketchbook.
• Drawing and writing utensils – Pencil, pens, small ruler, eraser, and so on… didn’t take up too much space but I wanted the opportunity to do some sketches.
• Various electronics, including an iPod Touch, a Sennheiser noise-cancelling headset, AC adapter. I tried to take items that were as small as possible, and I managed to fit them all into one liter-size Ziploc bag.

Things I wish I’d taken

• Addresses – I ran out of time, and wasn’t able to put together an address booklet of people I wanted to send postcards to. What would have been easiest was to hand write the addresses on a strip of adhesive mailing labels.
• A pair of capri pants –Given how warm it was, I probably should have traded my Slinky slacks for a pair of capris.
• Short-sleeve shirts – I really wish I’d swapped some of my long-sleeve shirts for short-sleeved ones. I was completely prepared for layered clothing for cold weather, not hot.
• More podcasts, books on tape (MP3 format), and albums for the iPod – I wound up mostly playing Bejeweled and Jewel Quest.
• A tiny digital camera – I didn’t take one because Alex was taking his SLR; as it turned out, he mostly took “photographs” whereas I would’ve taken more snapshots of things like our tour group (who were a terrific bunch, by the way).

Items packed for the Europe trip include Ziploc baggies for electronics, for miscellaneous junk (medicine, pens, earplugs, etc.), toiletries, clothes, a very thing Japanese bath towel, and a couple of Platypus brand collapsible water bottles.

What I picked up and brought home

One thing we collect when we travel, are refrigerator magnets of the places we visit. We adhere to a strict guideline (for example, we have to both go together, and we they don’t count if they are souvenirs given to us from friends). Normally, these barely take up any room, but after a while they add a bit of weight. I was prepared to carry them in my jacket pocket for our flight home if necessary.

Refrigerator magnets from some of the places we visited on our trip. Can you guess where all of these magnets may have come from?

One thing I was looking forward to was purchasing Moleskine Volant softcover notebooks—they are currently available only in Europe. I found these in a bookstore in London. Don’t let your eyes deceive you; the larger notebooks in the photo are the small index card sized versions. The smaller ones are slightly larger than credit cards. Each Volant packet includes a pair of notebooks of the same color scheme (one lighter, one darker). If you look carefully, the small green one is by itself; I unwrapped it and started using the lighter green one during the trip!

Moleskine Volants, purchased in London.

These weigh a bit so I was also prepared to just stash them in my coat pocket for my flight home.

Finally, I kept various paper receipts, tickets, and such so I could eventually put together a trip report and remember where I went. These take up almost no space or weight.

Used tickets and other small, flat souvenirs.

How I packed

Ziploc baggies – More than anything, I used a lot of Ziploc baggies. I normally use fabric ditty bags and cosmetic bags and such, but the only non-disposable one I used was my Paula Begoun makeup bag, to hold my toiletries. While the dimensions are approved for air travel, her bag is gussetted, which lets me carry way more stuff than in a Ziploc liter-sized bag. I used Ziplocs to separate clean underwear from used, to hold my electronics, to hold our fridge magnets, and so on. Where I would have used a net fine-washables laundry bag, I used a Ziploc bag. In addition, I went to a local craft store and picked up some smaller resealable baggies (2″x3″ and 4″x6″) for things like holding Band-Aids and Q-tips. Speaking of Q-tips, I normally take the little travel container but I did away with the container to save on weight. Instead, I counted how many Q-tips we were likely to use (1 per person per day, with a few extra thrown in), saving a fraction of an ounce.

Weighing every item, and taking only what I planned to use – I had to make some tough decisions about my wardrobe. In hindsight, I wish I’d gone with two short-sleeve shirts and a long-sleeve instead of three of the latter, but I really didn’t expect weather in the high-70s all week in Rome. That said, I still chose the most lightweight of my shirts; they were even lighter than cotton T-shirts. Every liquid toiletry item was carefully scrutinized. Did I need a full ounce, or could I manage with half an ounce?

Using the smallest version of everything – Instead of large and clunky AC adapters, we took a USB-to-AC adapter that was as small as a film canister. A laptop was out of the question, but the iPod Touch gave us the option to send email in wi-fi hotspots (including a free one in a small part behind the Notre Dame in Paris!).

Tom Bihn Convertible Cube/Shoulder Bag – This bag turned into my everyday daypack, and it was awesome beyond words (see one of my earlier posts for a full review). I carried this thing everyday full of stuff, and it never saw any wear or unraveling at all. I routinely packed two soda bottles, notebooks, and various other sundries, and the unstructured form meant I could just toss things in willy nilly and have everything settle in easily. I cannot speak highly enough of this bag as a travel daypack.

The Tom Bihn Convertible Cube/Shoulder Bag.

I used this bag as a packing cube when I flew, stashing a lot of the assorted things in my carry-on bag that would otherwise get loose or scattered around in my bag. It’s where I put my underwear, socks, and other stuff that I put in my Ziploc bags. And once I passed security, I’d move stuff around in my carry-on, moving my toiletry bag and electronics baggie into the packing cube. When I get to my airplane seat, I just remove the packing cube to keep by my feet for easy access, and stow my carry-on in the overhead bin. Easy as pie and a wonderful solution without trying to shove the carry-on by my feet.

Traveling with a partner

One huge benefit to having a travel partner is your ability to share some things during the trip. For me and Alex, that meant sharing toiletries. He actually managed to fly without a toiletry bag at all! Alex is a very low-maintenance traveler anyway, and he just shared things like shampoo with me (or used the hotel supply).

He kept his packing list as short as possible, and did a great job swapping out a lot of his clothes for travel-friendly items. A couple of items that worked particularly well include:

ExOfficio Trip’r line of travel shirts – He picked up a few from REI, but you can buy them directly from Exofficio online as well. The fabric is the typical travel shirt feel, but they make them in checkers and plaids, so you can completely avoid the “Hi, I’m wearing this khaki travel shirt” look altogether. The shirts are adequately vented, the chest pockets have zippers, and best of all, their buttons aren’t sewn on but instead, they are secured on with a little piece of fabric. It’s hard to describe; let’s just say you won’t worry about losing any buttons.

Very attractive ExOfficio Trip’r shirts are available in patterns that don’t make them look like ordinary travel shirts.

He also picked up a few pairs of travel-friendly underwear, which dried really easily on the clotheline.

One item that weighs down a carry-on bag for the guys is their big shoes. So for this trip, he took just the pair he wore on his feet (a pair of nubuck New Balance shoes). He made sure to break it in for a few weeks before the trip.

Alex’s biggest challenge was his camera gear. He has a pretty nice Canon digital SLR that he wanted to use for his trip, but wanted to avoid using camera bags that were too easy to identify (and which also tended to weigh too much). Up until right before the trip, he was planning on taking a Tom Bihn Large Cafe Bag, although we were a bit concerned since the fabric is thin for a camera.

At the last minute, he chose to take my Timbuk2 mini Metro Messenger bag, and that turned out to be a great decision. The biggest reason he changed his mind was that Cafe Bag doesn’t have the ability for you to  remove its shoulder strap; this turned out to be a huge disadvantage. In order to save even more weight, Alex used the luggage strap for his carry-on once we were in Rome, to carry his Timbuk2 bag with—he couldn’t do that with his Cafe Bag. The Timbuk2 is also pretty water resistant, which worked out well on one day in Paris when we met with some foul weather.

For packing purposes, Alex put all his smaller items (underwear, socks, etc. around his camera gear) in the carry-on itself so that the Timbuk2 bag was safely packed in the carry-on.

Timbuk2 Metro Messenger bag. Although this bag isn’t padded, it’s very sturdy, making it an option for carrying camera gear. If you bang up your camera in this bag, though, don’t blame me; do so at your own risk!

We had both planned to use the Outdoor Products Carryon Bag, however we discovered that the bag was actually too big for the items we put together to pack! Instead, I wound up using the discontinued Sierra travelpack from Uphill Down, and Alex used a discontinued travelpack model from MEI in Canada. We could have used the Outdoor Products bag but we both felt that we might be tempted to pack more stuff in it during our trip, so we abstained. I’m sure we’ll use the Outdoor Products bag in future travels where bag size—and not weight—is the limiting factor.

Final thoughts

All in all, the 13-pound weight limit imposed by Virgin Atlantic was an awesome challenge, and we wound up thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to test our packing abilities. For years, I’d become pretty complacent and not being particularly fastidious in my carry-ons since it had gotten to be old hat, so being forced to face a new test kept me on my toes and more excited about the trip than originally expected.

I don’t know that I’d pack that lightly again unless I’m forced to do so. I wouldn’t have minded taking a third pair of pants (or capris or skirt/skort), and maybe a T-shirt. That said, let me tell you—a 13-pound bag is a breeze to carry! I think in the future I may try to keep it down to around 15 pounds or so, just to make it easy for me to carry through the airport.

I opened my inbox this morning and discovered email from travel supplier Magellan’s (one of my favorite) with the following subject:

“Ultra-Light Luggage! Check it in, or carry it on.”

Ooooooh, I thought. Just what me and Virgin Atlantic check-in crew were looking for! I excitedly went to read the mailer, and I see that the luggage they are promoting is from Eagle Creek. Hmmm…. a new item, perhaps?

I click the link in the email.

The $149.00 Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote from the Magellan’s travel supplies online store. Photo from Magellan’s.

Kachow! It takes me to a page describing the Eagle Creek Hovercraft Wheeled Underseat Tote. Basically a MiniMe version of the rolling upright. At 13.5″ by 13.5″ by 9.5″, it’s definitely within carry-on limits. But then I check its weight:

Five and a half pounds!

Let me tell you, even with a gnome-sized carry-on, the wheel and handlebar mechanism just adds so much weight. And I guess we all have different ideas of how light “ultra light” should be. Thanks to a reminder from Skip, we’ll probably travel with a couple of Outdoor Products Essential Carryon travelpacks. Well made enough, light as a feather (under two pounds), and only $29.99 from Campmor. How can you lose?

The “Essential Carryon” travelpack by Outdoor Products. One of the most plain travelpacks on the market, this one is also one of the lighest, at under two pounds. Photo from OutdoorProducts.com

My plan to pack my carry-on lightly enough to fit Virgin’s strict 13-pound limit (for our upcoming trip to Europe) is going well! Once I finalize my list, I plan on packing everything and putting it on a scale, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be OK. The challenge is in seeing if we can do the same for my husband, who is considerably taller and larger than I am. However, over the years he’s devised his own carry-on system; he already has the concept down pat, so he will just need to make a few adjustments in his wardrobe to lighten his bag. His biggest challenge will be his camera gear, since he wants to take his digital SLR with him. Depending on how much spare room I have, I may carry some of his clothes just for the Virgin Atlantic segments.

Edited to add:

I’ve gotten some requests to provide links for those retailers who carry this product:

• Campmor.com: $29.99
• OutdoorPros.com: $36.86
• LetMom.com: $37.23
• Great Outdoors Depot: $39.95
• CampBound.com: $49.95

Note: Although prices vary widely, check each site to see which is the best deal for you. Some sites, like LetMom, had a promotion (50 cents shipping for backpacks) that may be worth shopping around. Some sites carry a lot of other good merchandise you might want to buy, and in most cases you save on shipping if you shop for more goods from one place rather than a few items from a number of different vendors.

Based on the blog comments and email I’m getting, there seems to be a lot of questions and concern about the use of bottles in carry-on luggage. Instead of having these hidden in email exchanges or buried in the blog comments I thought I’d revisit this topic again.

Kelle shared this experience:

One thing about using the empty bottles (as opposed to re-purposed ones) is that most of them do not have the volume actually printed on them, either via a sticker label on in the plastic mold. I once had several items well under the 100ml limit confiscated for this reason. The only empty bottles I have found that have the volume in the actual plastic are the Nalgene ones sold at outdoor stores like REI. Unfortunately, I don’t think they have an eyedropper…but maybe we can find an eyedropper lid to fit their bottles?

Nalgene water bottles are great, and even their smaller hard-plastic toiletry bottles can withstand a lot of abuse. I think they have a couple of features worth noting (both pro and con), including:

The hard plastic means you can’t squeeze them to press thick fluid out. So just like those old ketchup commercials that had you tapping the bottles repeatedly, expect a little frustration waiting for the thick conditioner to slowly travel its way down to the mouth.

They tend to have wide mouths, which makes transferring thicker fluids into them really easy. Be careful when you try to pour thinner liquids out, though, because you can easily glop out too much.

A 2-ounce Nalgene bottle (left) and its smaller 1-ounce cousin on the right. [Photos from REI.com]

If you like regular Nalgene bottles for drinking water out of, you will really like the general look and feel of the small toiletry versions.

The Nalgene drop dispenser bottle, however, is a different matter altogether. Take a look:

A Nalgene dropper bottle. [Photo from REI.com]

I’ve played with the dropper bottle, and unlike many others with a snap-top tip, this one actually snaps on pretty snug. That said, it’s still a snap-on, and I do not trust it one bit! I still say the screw-top dropper bottles with the separate dispenser tips are a much better bet. Kelle, for my buck I would still recommend the small eye dropper bottles I reviewed the other week.

Lynnette posted:

I’ve been told that items need to be in their original bottles. That, depending on the TSA, items in these generic bottles will be taken…even if the ounces is clearly marked on the bottle. Have you found this to be true?

This kind of goes with Kelle’s comments about her bottles having been confiscated. Now, it seems to me that there is one unwritten rule with the TSA, and that is:

Not all TSA agents are completely knowledgeable about the intricacies of the administration’s rules.

Some agents will take things literally, some agents will refuse to use common sense, some agents will try to come up with their own interpretation of the rules, and some will plain come up with their own application for the rules. Sucks, I know.

So with Kelle, it sounds like a TSA agent decided that—because her toiletry bottles didn’t have original labels on them showing net weight—the bottles would not be allowed in her carry-on, even though, according to Kelle, it was obvious that the bottles were smaller than 100ml. In Kelle’s case, there isn’t a whole lot you can do, because the TSA agent decided arbitrarily on his own that the bottles must have been larger than 3 ounces. [Had the bottles been 100 milileters, technically, it would not be 3 ounces, but 3.38140 ounces, and there is a very grey area because some TSA agents will allow that slight discrepancy while others will not.]

Lynnette wasn’t sure if the TSA would confiscate bottles simply because they were generic.

I’ve scoured the TSA Web site, and here are the exact words they use:

All liquids, gels and aerosols must be in three-ounce or smaller containers. Larger containers that are half-full or toothpaste tubes rolled up are not allowed. Each container must be three ounces or smaller.

Notice how exacting and particular the wording is. And this is the phraseology they use across the board, uniformly. And nowhere in that phrase does it state that liquids must be in their original container.

The thing is, you might run into a TSA agent who has had a bad day, who has irritated hemorrhoids, is itching to pick on a hapless traveler, or otherwise wanting to just impose his authority. The trick here is to use as small a bottle as you can. That means that it’s far better to carry two 1-ounce bottles of the same shampoo, than to carry a single 2-ounce bottle. Using this strategy also lets you toss the first bottle away when you’re done, lightening your load. Even better? Just take one 1-ounce bottle. Don’t bother with the second. Better than that? Consider foregoing altogether and buying shampoo at your destination, or purchase a bar of shampoo from stores like Lush and avoid this altogether.

Personally, I’m now down to using nothing larger than a 1-ounce bottle. For a lot of things like toothpaste, I don’t even take that much with me, remembering that I can always buy more stuff when I get to my destination.

With the TSA’s current “3-1-1″ rule that prohibits air travelers from carrying bottles of liquid larger than 3 ounces (slightly less than 100 ml), a lot of people have started saving their bottles of hotel shampoo or various travel-size samples they come across.

While those smaller bottles and containers will definitely pass muster at the airport security checkpoint, I personally don’t think they’re your best option. For my money, the best thing to do is to transfer your favorite liquid products into eyedropper bottles.

You can either reuse bottles of eye drops you have in your medicine cabinet, or purchase empty ones. The empty ones you purchase are usually transparent, making it easier to see how much liquid you have left. Recycled eye drop bottles are usually not, making them better candidates for storing photosensitive facial serums and such.

Why do I think eyedropper bottles are so much better?

• The opening is very small, letting you control how much you disburse at once.
• The small opening with a separate twist cap means it’s practically impossible for them to leak.
• The air pressure caused by trying to dispense your liquid through a small opening means it’s significantly easier to get thick liquids out without excessive tapping.

Sample eyedropper bottles of various popular sizes. From left: 1 ounce (30ml), 0.5 ounce (15ml), 0.45 ounce (10ml), all over-the-counter eyedrops, and a half-ounce transparent bottle (purchased as an empty bottle).

How to make your own perfect toothpaste in a bottle

I’ve never been a big fan of tube toothpaste. My favorite is the liquid gel toothpaste from Colgate. Now, I realize you can buy toothpaste powder to avoid having to put your toothpaste in your 3-1-1 baggie, but I’m not a big fan of brushing my teeth with powder; it feels a bit too abrasive for me.

Instead, what I do is tranfer my favorite toothpaste into an empty eyedropper bottle.

A regular bottle of Colgate toothpaste and an empty half-ounce eyedropper bottle.

Step 1: Start by removing the outer cap and the inner dispensing tip.

Start by removing the cap and inner dispenser cap.

The inner dispenser cap is the secret to these bottles, so make sure you don’t lose it.

Step 2: Carefully suqeeze the liquid from your main bottle into the dropper bottle.

Squeeze your liquid into the dropper bottle.

The easiest way to ensure that you can get all the liquid into the dropper bottle while minimizing spillage is to squeeze the dropper bottle and slowly let it expand as you inject liquid into it. The expanding dropper bottle “sucks up” the liquid you are pouring in.

Once the bottle dropper is filled (not quite to the brim; you want enough room for the dispenser tip to fit without spilling), press the dispenser tip until it snaps into place, then twist the cap closed.

Step 3: Take a permanent marker to a mailing label and write down the contents of the bottle.

Write down the content of the bottle on a label.

If you are labeling a bottle that you know will get wet regularly (such as shampoo), use weatherproof mailing labels like this one from Avery. Otherwise, your standard mailing label works just fine.

Weatherproof White Labels from Avery won’t dissolve if your bottle gets wet.

Step 4: Stick your label onto your bottle. To prevent the label from being crooked, align the end of the label against the vertical seam that runs down one spot on the bottle.

Carefully place the label onto your dropper bottle.

Complete! Ta-da! You now have your very own dropper bottle full of toothpaste!

Your own dropper bottle of toothpaste.

One big advantage of using a dropper bottle for toothpaste is that the dispenser cap ensures that you will always get a perfect line of toothpaste to squeeze onto your brush. You will have less waste, and the bottle will stay clean without extra toothpaste clinging to the bottle’s threads.

Before you wonder if a half-ounce bottle is enough, try this test: When you buy your next tube or bottle of toothpaste, use a permanent marker to write down the first day you start using it. Use this same tube/bottle until it runs out, and note the finish date. Figure out how many days it took to go through the full container, and divide it into the size of your container. Chances are, half an ounce of toothpaste will last you at least a couple of weeks. If you’re very fastidious and prefer to brush after every meal, consider taking two of these dropper bottles of toothpaste. When you’re done with one bottle, just toss it in the trash and your 3-1-1 bag just got lighter!

Tips for transferring from a tube (vs. a bottle):

If you like the thicker toothpaste from a tube, it might not be as easy to pour your toothpaste into a dropper bottle. If this is your situation, carefully take your dropper bottle (with the dispenser cap removed), and carefully insert the opening into the mouth of your toothpaste tube. Chances are your dropper bottle will fit, and you can carefully squeeze your toothpaste into the bottle. Make sure you start by squeezing the extra air out of your dropper bottle and expand is as you squeeze in the toothpaste.

You can use dropper bottles for all sorts of liquids, and use different sized bottles based on your need or length of trip. Want to take your favorite fragrance but you don’t want to take a glass bottle on your trip? Carefully transfer your cologne into the tiniest dropper bottle (such as the quarter-ounce size). The cap will stay on and you won’t have to worry about broken glass. And the dispenser cap means you can carefully dab one drop on your wrist!

The biggest advantages about using dropper bottles is that you don’t have to try to find travel-size bottles of your favorite toiletries, or settle for odd-smelling conditioner because that was the only thing available at your local drugstore, and you will wind up with a ton of more space in your 3-1-1 toiletry bag!

On the left, a regular 3-1-1 baggie with regulation-sized liquid bottles. On the right, the exact same items, with some adjustments to containers including using dropper bottles.

These bags both contain bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hair spray, daytime face lotion, sunscreen, liquid foundation, facial cleansing lotion, clear nail polish, and toothpaste.

Travel toiletries in the back, with their smaller siblings in the front.

By converting a few of these products into dropper bottles, we’ve been able to save quite a bit of space.

Finally, forego the disposable baggie, and go with a transparent plastic toiletry bag with a real zipper. The big benefit to those is that they are pleated, meaning you can fit a a lot more items in there.

Minimized toiletries in a zippered toiletry bag.

It looks cavernous in there! Now you have more room to add extra bottles (which you can toss as you go), or add extras like a folding hair brush.

One more thing: This isn’t just for air travel. A small on-the-go kit like this is a great little pouch to keep in your purse (hey, you can brush your teeth after that onion lunch and not worry when you step into your afternoon meeting), or keep it in your gym bag.

Happy toting!

Mary C. recently wrote to me with the following:

I am so glad that you have started up your Web site again. I have checked it consistently for years hoping to see something new. You have always had the most wonderful suggestions for traveling light. My husband and I have been traveling with carry on bags since the Denver International Airport started up its new baggage system which tore up or lost bags consistently. We never check anymore and I am always looking for ways to reduce what I carry.

Can you please do an article on small toiletry kits? Since we cannot put our liquids into the kits any longer, we really don’t need to tote much on our trips. All the kits I see online are so large that they take up most of your carry on bag. I cannot be the only person that wants a kit that is small, has a hanger for convenience, and easy to access. It would be very interesting to find out what type you would use on your travels.

Boy, I sure remember all those horror stories about that baggage system when Denver’s new airport first opened. Although I’m sure they’ve ironed out those wrinkles, I’m glad that gave you the opportunity to start packing lightly.

From left to right, some examples of typical toiletry kits:
Travelon Independence Bag Toiletry Kit, Lewis & Clark’s Hanging Toiletry Kit, and The Body Shop Hanging Wash Bag.

As for small toiletry kits, you ask a great question. You wanna know a little secret? I don’t use toiletry kits!

The problem with products sold as “toiletry kits” is that they tend to include the whole kit and caboodle. Most of them have extra pockets, a built-in hanger, a mirror, and many more features. On top of that, because toiletries are designed to hold bottles and tubes, they are by nature crafted to be able to stand up on its own. A good toiletry kit should be sturdy enough for you to let sit on your hotel’s bathroom counter, like a box of facial tissue.

The problem, as you’ve already encountered, is that they’re simply way too big for traveling with lightly.

I know what you’re thinking. “Lani, if I have to stuff all the liquid items into tiny bottles in a quart-sized plastic bag, I have so much else that can’t fit, that’s not liquid, that has to go somewhere. I need a toiletry kit!”

Not so fast. Let’s take a look at what you can do to pare down the contents of your toiletry kit.

Minimize what you need to pack in a toiletry kit

Blow dryer/curling iron/hair straightener – How important are these for your hairstyle? Is there a way you can wear your hair so that it doesn’t need to be blow-dried, curled, or straightened? Better still, can you talk to your hair stylist about getting a wash-and-wear style for your trip? If you are traveling for business, your hotel room will likely have a blow dryer. If not, a quick call to the front desk will patch you through to someone who can bring up a blow dryer for you, usually at no charge.

If you absolutely refuse to go without a blow dryer, you can do two things: A) Get a very small travel-sized blow dryer, and B) Pack it in a (clean) sock so you don’t need to take up precious room in your toiletry kit.

Electric razor/beard trimmer – My suggestion is to just buy a disposable razor at your destination. If you wear a beard or mustache that needs trimming, you can either take care of that before your trip (trimming everything shorter than you normally would, and letting it grow out during your trip), or just purchasing a small pair of scissors at your destination. Remember that you can also take a blunt pair of scissors with you, and that round-tipped trimming scissors designed for babies will do the trick for most beards and mustaches.

Hairspray aerosol can – I really discourage travelers from using aerosol cans. Even the smallest ones designed for travel are still pretty bulky. While the finer mist from an aerosol can provides a nicer finish, consider if the hassle of carrying one beats the convenience of using a very small travel-sized pump spray bottle (or an even smaller hand-sanitizer pen-sized mister filled with hairspray liquid).

Shaving cream – If you’re used to your can of shaving cream or gel, you might be surprised to learn that there are a lot of great alternatives, not the least of which is ordinary soap!

Anti-perspirant/deodorant – In addition to smaller travel-sized versions of these, you can also use “deodorant crystals.” Brands like Crystal Body Deodorant are often found in health food stores, and are basically mineral salts that inhibit bacterial growth in your armpits. These are neither liquid nor gel, and need not be packed in your transparent plastic baggie.

Tip: To minimize body odor, consider trimming your body hairs before your trip. Guys, you might feel awkward imagining trimmed armpit hairs, but taking them down to a short length (for example, half an inch) will make it harder for bacteria to thrive. You can do the same with your… other regions! Left-handers with no family member willing to help trim the left armpit (or the right for right-handers) might consider actually shaving the area before the trip. Just do so a week or so before the trip to give it time to grow back. Make sure to use a new razor and wet the area well to avoid painful snags or ingrown hairs. An electric beard or hair trimmer would be easiest here.

Hair brush – If you have too much hair that you cannot use a small comb, consider getting a travel brush that folds in half. There are a couple of popular styles (this one, from Magellans, being one of the most popular), but the common feature is that they usually fold in half. Getting a hair brush with a handle that folds away or collapses is a great way to save space in your toiletry bag.

Folding travel brush from Magellans.

Manicure set – Instead of taking a large grooming set with you, pare it down to the minimum: Nail clippers with a built-in nail file, and a small pair of tweezers. I don’t like to cheap out on tweezers. I prefer the more expensive ones from Sephora or Tweezerman (with the slanted head), because they are so exact as to make removing slivers and eyebrows easy. They don’t lose the grip on what you’re tweezing, and they pull cleanly so you it doesn’t hurt anymore than it should. Everything else related to manicures, I suggest leaving at home. If you’re worried about chipping your nail polish, simply go au naturale but get a nice glossy buff instead.

Make-up – If you removed your electric gadgets and bottles of liquid, most likely what you will be left with is your make-up. Although this one probably deserves its own entry, for now my suggestion is to go with minimal make-up and using smaller containers.

Now that you’ve pared your toiletry kit packing list down to the minimum, half your battle is over, and you no longer need a large bag! Now let’s take a look at some options for a smaller toiletry kit.

Sample toiletry kits

My favorite is the Eagle Creek Pack-It system, because they have so many sizes and variations that you’re sure to find one that fits your needs. A couple of their items stand out:

Eagle Creek Pack-It Cosmo Pouch – Designed specifically to hold cosmetics, this very simple pouch is what I use. It’s lined with polyurethane so I don’t have to worry if I spill a bit of eyeshadow powder. This pouch is pleated and you can get a surprising amount into it. Its only drawback is that if you have a lot of tiny items (lip balm, eye drops, tweezers), you might have to hunt around for them at the bottom of the bag.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Cosmo Pouch is a simple elegant solution for your non-liquid toiletries.

Eagle Creek Pack-It Sac – A very similar item is their Pack-It Sacs in small or medium. The main difference is that the pleating isn’t as wide, the material on the outside is a laminated mesh (so still leakproof), and the sac comes with a little keyring clip on the side, which can be convenient if you want to hang it off of anything (although since the clip is small, you will need something else, like a carabiner, to clip it on anything substantial, like your camp site’s public shower stalls.

Other manufacturers have similar products, including Jansport (with its Spillproof Sak Set). If you’re looking for one Web site with a lot of affordable options, take a look at MEC out of Canada. They have a lot of items, including their On Sight Universal Pouch, On Sight Mesh Organizer, or their truly simple Cactus Creek Ditty Bag.

The Cactus Creek Ditty Bag from MEC is probably the simplest toiletry kit you can own. And at $3.75 (Canadian), it’s cheaper than a Grande Mocha from Starbucks!

In a true pinch, consider using a gallon-sized Ziploc baggie. You can see everything, and you can’t beat its price!

But I want to be able to hang my toiletry kit…

Here are two tips if you want to be able to hang your toiletry kit:

• Loop a carabiner keyring off of the your zipper
• Carry a folding travel hanger from which to hang the kit off of

Depending on the sac/pouch you get, some of them will allow you to hang them and still keep the zippers open. Give each one a look to see which work best for you.

Cheap carabiner keychains will let you hang your toiletry kit.

Just remember, regular toiletry kits have too many bells and whistles, like hangers, mirrors, etc. since their goal is to give you “more bang for your buck” when all you need is a small case.