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.

According to the TSA (link), the bags need to have a sleeve or flap that folds out, and encases the laptop separately.

Illustrated samples of the types of checkpoint friendly laptop bags that the TSA has approved for use.

Some of the requirements for checkpoint-friendly laptop bags are:

• A designated laptop-only section
• The laptop-only section completely unfolds to lay flat on the X-ray belt
• No metal snaps, zippers or buckles inside, underneath or on top of the laptop-only section
• No pockets on the inside or outside of the laptop-only section
• Nothing packed in the laptop-only section other than the computer itself.

Although the TSA is not endorsing specific manufacturers or models, a few luggage and bag makers have are announcing their products now:

• Incipio’s QuickCheck line of simple sleeve bags – designed for Macbook laptops of all current models.

Incipio’s QuickCheck laptop sleeve.

• The Targus Zip-Thru Corporate Traveler – looks like an archetypal leather laptop case, but zips fully open to split the bag down the middle to lay flat, with the laptop on one side. Retail priced at $99.00.

The Targus Zip-Thru looks like a standard laptop briefcase, but you can zip it flat (right) and run the bag through airport X-ray with the laptop in its separate compartment.

• Skooba Designs Checkthrough – known for some of their neoprene (wetsuit) bags, Skooba has not yet announced a price for their product. Availability is listed as end of summer, and they are not taking pre-orders. You can, however, sign up to be notified of any announcements.

Skooba Designs Checkthrough bag, with the photo on the right showing the laptop portion with clear window.

What’s it all mean?

For one, it means that there are some people at the TSA that actually come up with some good ideas. That’s good to know, because a lot of people have negative impressions of the TSA based on their experience at the airport security checkpoints. Honestly, it’s about time we started moving towards some common sense. Putting your laptop in a checkthrough-friendly bag means less risk for banging up your laptop, a little more security from people just grabbing your laptop as it comes out of the X-ray chute, and less scrambling at the checkpoint when you have to get everything loaded up onto the queue.

I think the initial crop of checkpoint-friendly bags will get picked up by business travelers who do a lot of air travel and who must carry their laptops on their trips. I also anticipate that a whole slew of bag manufacturers will come up with some sort of product that they can say is checkpoint-friendly.

Just remember that the TSA is not taking on the added work of actually certifying any of these bags. All they did was provide requirements that a product must meet in order to have it house a laptop through their X-ray machines.

Unless you already travel with a separate laptop bag, my suggestion is that you don’t replace your regular carry-on just yet. Wait until you can purchase a standalone sleeve-type case, with D-rings that let you carry on your shoulder. It should be compact enough to be snug for your particular laptop, and it should allow you to easily pull it out from your carry-on. It will provide a lot more versatility, as you will still be able to use the carry-on of your choice (to which you tuck the sleeve in).

A laptop containing uncrypted data for 33,000 customers (of 200,000 applicants) of the program was stolen from a locked office in San Francisco International Airport on July 26, 2008 (link to news article). Whoever took the laptop has a lot of the information you supplied in your application form, including your full name, address, phone number, passport number, and date of birth.

According to the program’s spokesman, the data did not include your credit card information or your social security number.

That’s a big consolation, I’m sure (NOT).

For now, the TSA has suspended new applications for the program (read the TSA press release). The TSA has not said whether it is notifying all of the 33,000 persons whose information was stolen, or whether they will pay to maintain a year-long credit check for affected individuals. That would be asking too much, although I think that’s also pretty fair, considering this sort of thing should have never happened.

What do you do, when you give $100 and all your personal information to a government agency so you can clear security… and then they turn around and let your information get stolen? Besides causing some people to have even less confidence in the TSA (even though the laptop and the program are handled by a contractor), what sort of security risks are these people in now? It’s not too extreme of a stretch to imagine the possibility of these names being used for fraudulent purposes, but what if it winds up causing some people to get on the security watch checklist?

Some things just make me shake my head.

According to Delta, fewer than 20 percent of their passengers fit this bill. Delta is also increasing its handling fee for any special check-ins like surfboards or ski equipment.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I know airlines are scrambling, but come on—do airlines really want to so disenfranchise themselves from the traveling population? I mean, this just goes beyond offensive. I just cannot believe the gall of these companies.

I hope they are at least paying their public relations people well because I’m sure they have a really tough job trying to spin these obscene new policies. One really has to wonder what they think about the ordinary customer.

What if you’re a family with a couple of young ones who are too small to warrant their own seats and are also too small to carry their own bags? Talk about punishing the people who can least afford this—they have no plans to charge first class, business, or elite frequent flyers and are allowing them to check in up to three bags.

More than a few people have been telling me they now just fly Southwest, in part because they are so incensed with these shenanigans these larger carriers are pulling on consumers.

My husband and I are heading to Vegas this month to catch Star Trek: The Experience before it closes (geek alert: thanks go to Wil Wheaton for publicizing about this in his blog) and guess what? We’re flying Southwest.

Those guys didn’t pay me to embed this video but… when I first saw it I thought it was pretty funny. Now it kind of just makes me sad…

Watch the TV commercial from Southwest.

We’re also taking our vacation in Europe later this year, and guess what? We’re flying Virgin Atlantic.

I’m still sitting on more than 150,000 miles on United, and I have zero interest in flying with them, even though my Economy Plus seating option is still valid through the rest of the year.

I’ll tell you what. I’m about ready to just gather up all of my frequent flyer miles and donate them to Operation Hero Miles.

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!

The first, titled “Travel light and elude fees with a well-packed carry-on,” is a standalone list-based article by Chantal Lamers that ran today (July 22, 2008) in the The Orange County Register. The article is based on an interview Chantal had with me, and should serve as a nice list of tips as you learn how to pack lightly.

The second is a more comprehensive set of articles under the banner, “The Art of Traveling Light,” which published this past Sunday in the San Francisco Chronicle. Staff writer John Flinn has put together a number of short, helpful articles, including:

• “Minimalist traveling a matter of mind-set and tactics” – provides a list of tips that should be helpful to everyone, but particularly men.
• “Packing light: Assembling the essential wardrobe” – more tips, separated into sections like “footwear” and “pants.”
• “Packing Light: Gizmos and gadgets for travelers” – covers electronics as well as things like drain plugs.
• “One woman’s key to smart packing” – staff writer Margo Pfeiff takes the helm for this particular article to provide a woman’s perspective. Some good quick tips here.
• “Traveling light means doing your own laundry – is a very practical and helpful article on how to do your laundry by hand in your hotel bathroom sink, especially if you’re a guy, since that’s not something guys generally do. Raise your hand if you’re a guy and you hand wash your fine washables in Woolite at home. Anyone? Bueller? [By the way, doing your laundry is one of the biggest keys to traveling light!]
• “What to expect with airline carryon fees” – may become outdated the fastest out of all of these articles, but it’s probably the most helpful. If you do nothing else, either bookmark this page or print it out, because it includes the current baggage policies for all the major U.S. domestic carriers.

Nothing completely new in these articles if you are already familiar with our travelite philosophy, but presented in little nuggets they are quite handy.

It’s also quite nice to see mainstream media give credence to this topic, which has traditionally belonged on the fringes. You should’ve seen the looks I used to get from people when I told them you could travel extensively out of one bag.

The e-mail listed the seller’s top recommendations for bags for summer travel. All but one were for rolling uprights (and the tenth in that top 10 list were packing cubes and pouches with the seller’s inhouse brand).

The wheels and handlebars of rolling uprights make moving around an airport with them a breeze, but the convenience comes at a stiff price. To me, rolling uprights are the SUVs of the luggage market. You might have a nice ride, but is it really worth paying $5.00 a gallon when you only get 15 miles per gallon?

Let’s take a look at what’s wrong—and outdated—about rolling uprights in today’s travel environment:

• The wheel-and-handle mechanism adds substantial weight to a carryon.
• The wheel-and-handle mechanism sacrifices internal capacity.
• Most rolling uprights don’t come with shoulder straps or even D-rings on the ends on which to snap a shoulder strap to; if you need to quickly walk up the stairs you are in for a real workout.
• The wheel-and-handle mechanism makes rolling uprights almost impossible to stow under a seat.
• The firm shape of most rolling uprights make them almost impossible to squeeze into a crowded overhead bin. No overhead bin space? Wave your precious carryon good-bye as the flight attendant hangs a check-in luggage tag on it.

To get an idea of just how much you are giving up for those wheels, let’s compare two very similar bags: the JanSport Weekaway convertible travelpack, and the JanSport 19″ Upright rolling carryon. Both are part of JanSport’s popular SuperBreak series. They make comparing the formats easy since the two are nearly identical, except that the Weekaway has stowable backpack straps, and the Upright has the wheels and telescoping handle.

If you were to place these two bags side by side, they would almost be identical in size. The main difference you’d notice is that when empty, the Weekaway deflates into almost complete flatness, while the Upright maintains its shape due to its firmer skeletal structure.

The Jansport’s Weekaway convertible travelpack on the left, compared to Jansport’s 19″ Upright model on the right.

JanSport Weekaway travelpack specifications:

• Fabric: 600 Denier Polyester
• Weight: 2 pounds 4 ounces (1.0 kilogram)
• Dimensions: 20″h x 12″w x 8.5″d
• Capacity: 2700 cubic inches (44.2 liters)

JanSport 19″ Upright specifications:

• Fabric: 600 Denier Polyester
• Weight: 6 pounds 1 ounce (2.8 kilograms)
• Dimensions: 19″h x 13″w x 9″d
• Capacity: 1900 cubic inches (31.1 liters)

Take a look at their weight. The Weekaway weighs a tad under two-and-a-half pounds while the Upright weighs over six pounds—yup, the wheel mechanism adds almost four pounds to the Upright. Not all convertible travelpacks are as light as the Weekaway, since most use the heavier Cordura than the lightweight denier polyester of JanSport’s SuperBreak series of bags—but what matters here is the actual weight difference between the two, since the extra weight comes almost completely from the wheel-and-handle mechanism.

Finally, compare their capacity. The Weekaway can carry 2700 cubic inches, while the Upright can only carry 1900. The 800-cubic-inch difference is specifically due to the wheel and handle mechanism:

The convenience of wheeled luggage is costing you a third of your carryon space. This difference is startling.

There’s a reason automobile dealerships are having difficulty selling their behemoth SUVs this year. A lot of people have wisened up to the need to be more economical, choosing instead to go with a lighter vehicle that sips gas.

If you are traveling by air this year and you are trying to pare down what you pack and figuring out what to leave at home, take a moment to consider what you’re going to pack your stuff in. Unless you have physical limitations such as a bad back that makes wearing backpack-type straps uncomfortable, consider leaving your rolling uprights at home and dust off that old convertible travelpack you bought 10 years ago.

I just returned from a quick run to an office supply store and was reminded of one of the cheapest and most convenient “toiletry kit” pouches around: The pencil pouch.

The Pencil Pouch from Staples.

You can find pencil pouches in most office supply stores, but during this time of year as we creep into the “start of school” sales, you will likely find these in most larger box stores for a very affordable price.

Most of these types of pencil pouches have holes to put them in a 3-ring binder, and they all have a straight-across zipper. They come in a variety of colors, and many of them also have a loop or keyring for hanging.

About the only real difference other than color is in the front panel: Some have an open-air mesh format, while others use clear plastic. Some use both.

Either way, these pencil pouches are realtively small, but are long enough to fit things like eyeliner pencils and eyeshadow brushes. They are not pleated, but you should easily be able to fit most of your non-liquid toiletries in them just fine.

Best of all, when these are empty, they lie completely flat. They’re so cheap you might even consider using one of these to create your own in-flight amenity kit, with eyeshades, ear plugs, socks, and such.

When looking for a pencil pouch to use as a toiletry kit, make sure the zipper works pretty smoothly, and that the sides are hemmed well. These items are imported from overseas and don’t go through the same quality-control scrutiny you would see with expensive cosmetics bags.

Happy packing!

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.

It had been a long time since I flew such a long flight in coach, and it was one of the most miserable experiences I ever had traveling. To make matters worse, because it was a very full flight and I booked relatively late, I got stuck in a middle seat.

As it turned out, the man sitting in front of me liked to recline. For pretty much the whole trip (even during meal service). Every time he chose to recline his seat, he never bothered to check behind his seat, and would slam his chair back… right into my forehead. Worst of all, there was so little room from the end of my seat to the back of his, that once he would recline his seat, there was no way for me to get to my carry-on by my feet without putting my head in my seatmates’ laps (both strangers, by the way). My only salvation came on my right side—the elderly woman weighed barely 100 pounds and she was traveling with her equally elderly husband, who weighed about the same. They clung to each other for most of the flight and would get up to take breaks and use the restrooms at the same time, which meant I had elbow room on my right, as well as clear access to the aisle and to my bag. Unfortunately they had very large bladders and they only got up about every 4 hours.

Choosing a good seat can be its own science, and one Web site you should bookmark to make the task easier for you is SeatGuru.com.

Seatguru.com, founded in 2001 as a way to share information about airline seats.

SeatGuru is ingenious in its simplicity and practical application. It lists all major air carriers, and you can scroll down to find the various aircraft models they use. Select the particular aircraft your flight will likely be on, and voila—You see a seating diagram!

A sample seating diagram from SeatGuru.com.

Of particular interest for those who are traveling with just their carry-on is that SeatGuru tells you if there is no overhead bin or underseat space for your bag.

The site offers much more information, however. For example, what exactly is “seat pitch,” how does it differ from legroom, and why is it important for you? Why would a bulkhead seat work for some (more legroom) and not for others (no underseat storage space)? The site even helps you find out how to figure out what aircraft you are likely going to be flying for your flight.

Even if you use an online reservation system to book your flights, don’t just rely on the seating diagram the system offers you when you select your seat. Open a second browser window and find out exactly what you are signing up for.

Here are just a couple of things I consider when selecting a seat:

• An aisle seat doesn’t always work for me if I plan to stow my main carry-on under the seat in front of me, since there is an intrusive reinforcement bar that sticks down some inches in from the aisle, effectively narrowing the unblocked space I have by about 4 or 5 inches. If I choose an aisle seat, I have to be prepared to stick my carry-on in the overhead bin.
• Bulkhead seats are nice for the long-legged, but don’t really work if it’s important for you to stake out the overhead bin space for your carry-on. You will have to intrude into someone else’s overhead space (although at this time, airlines do not reserve that space for the seats below).

If you manage to pack absolutely everything into your carry-on bag but you still plan on accessing some of your belongings during the trip, you need to make yourself a little ditty bag to hold those items. Sometimes it’s as easy as using a one-gallon Ziploc resealable bag, although you can use any other lightweight bag. Pack whatever you might want to use during your flight, such as:

• Reading material, puzzle books, magazines
• Reading glasses
• Some snacks
• Ear plugs
• Eye mask
• Travel journal/diary
• Writing instrument
• Personal headset (and MP3 player like an iPod)
• Inflatable neck pillow

In addition, you might want to bring out your toiletry bag so that you can access your lotion, eye drops, and so on. The idea is to minimize your need for reaching up and dragging your carry-on bag, since you might not be in a good position to do so. If you keep all of your in-flight needs in one place, you can quickly slip it out as you are getting settled in your seat. You will likely be able to just put this in the seatback pocket in front of you (especially if it’s a plastic baggie, as it will slide around and possibly out of your reach).

The idea is to try to make your small environment as comfortable as possible, especially for a longer flight. Instead of listening to the same music loop over and over again, consider downloading a bunch of podcasts (I personally love the tales from NPR’s This American Life, and those shows are all an hour long), or listening to an unabridged book on CD (you could even download one from sites like Audible.com, or copy it into your MP3 player so you don’t have to lug a portable CD player around).

Had I had such a small seat pack with me on that flight to Singapore (instead of stashing everything in that unreachable bag by my feet), I wouldn’t have been so miserable for most of that flight.

I wound up having to take another business trip to Singapore the following year. For that trip, I made sure to get a seat in their (slightly more) roomier Economy Plus seat (with an added 3 inches of pitch! Woot…).