You do not want to be the one that has your carry-on sent down the back conveyor belt to be opened and inspected by a TSA agent at the airport. Well… at least I don’t so I am always very careful about what I pack in my carry on and personal item. Unfortunately, not everyone has the most honest intentions so the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has strict rules to keep us safe. Make sure to review the list below to ensure that you are able to breeze through security by packing right and avoid packing any of the TSA luggage restrictions.
Do NOT Pack These Restricted Items in Your Carry-on
While some items are essential to pack in your carry-on, there are TSA luggage restrictions on other items or they are simply impractical to pack. Avoid packing these items in your carry-on bag:
- Sharp objects like box cutters, corkscrews, and knives
- Sporting goods like golf clubs, baseball bats, and pool cues
- Firearms, ammunition, firearm parts and/or realistic replicas
- Liquids, gels, or pastes over 3.4 oz (100ml) like shampoo, sunscreen, perfume
- Aerosol sprays like hairspray, spray paint, air freshener, and self-defense sprays
- Fire hazards like strike-anywhere matches, torch lighters, flammable adhesives, and fireworks
- Large electronics like drones, hoverboards (check regulations)
By keeping prohibited and impractical items out of your carry-on, you’ll sail through airport security and have ample room for essentials. Checking restricted items also helps prevents confiscation by airport security, delays at security checkpoints and hefty fines. Packing oversized or oddly shaped items can be awkward and difficult to store in the small space under airplane seats. Sporting goods, large electronics and other bulky items are better off being checked.
For a complete list of what is OK to pack in a carry-on and what is not (and I mean literally every item you can imagine – there are 51 pages of listed items!) go to this TSA page. You can look up anything you want to check on before you travel. It’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to TSA luggage restrictions.
I covered what you should pack in your carry-on in my previous post, Packing Your Carry-on: The Ultimate Guide for Stress-free Travel. Read it and find out what essentials you need to pack to have with you while you travel.
What Goes in Checked Luggage?
Your carry-on should contain your most vital belongings and the items you want instant access to while you are traveling. However, checked luggage has plenty of room for bulky necessities and items you don’t need until you arrive at your destination. Here’s what should always go in a checked suitcase:
Pack Clothes and Shoes in Checked Luggage
Save space and weight in your carry-on by packing the bulk of your clothing in your checked suitcase. Only pack what you might need the first day in your carry-on. Unless, of course, you are traveling with only a carry-on and then all your clothes will be packed in it. Sometimes, I like to just have a carry-on so I can skip the wait at the luggage return carousel all together.
Check Larger Toiletries
Toiletries over 3.4 oz like shampoo, lotion, hair products, cosmetics and skincare must go in checked baggage. Only pack travel sizes or small quantities in your carry-on. If you buy the good stuff, it breaks your heart a little to watch them throw away a full bottle of perfectly good product. I’ve seen it happen to more than one traveler over the years.
Make sure you have it all in a leakproof bag though. The luggage handlers do not handle luggage with gentle hands. It would be awful to open your suitcase and find your shampoo bottle busted. You would have shampoo all over your clothes. They will smell good, but you don’t want that to happen.
Better yet, you can opt for solids like this solid shampoo bar and solid conditioner bar. Then, you do not have to worry about your items being confiscated or about spills – and they take up less space. Win-Win! I prefer to use these when I travel and I love that they are natural, paraben and sulfate-free. They also have yummy smelling natural hand-made soaps.
Pack Towels and Linens in Checked Bags
If you are taking bulky items like towels, pillows and blankets, they take up too much limited carry-on space. Check them in your suitcase instead. However, don’t pack your travel pillow – you will want that on the plane.
Check Non-Essential Electronics
Pack items like hair dryers, curling irons, electric razors and straighteners in your checked suitcase. However, nothing with a lithium battery can go in your checked luggage. They are considered a fire hazard. So… power banks and e-cigs do not go in checked luggage. I also wouldn’t pack anything fragile like your laptop or a game system in checked luggage. Again, luggage handlers are not also gentle with our bags.
Stow Sports Equipment in Checked Luggage
Golf clubs, tennis rackets, rollerblades and other sporting goods won’t fit in the carry-on size limit. Check them in your large suitcase. Some of these items can be used as weapons and are prohibited to carry on the plane. They also just take up a lot of space are are usually awkward to store.
Check all Weapons or Ammunition
You are permitted to pack guns, ammunition, BB guns, air pellet guns, knives, personal defense weapons and sprays, but there are strict guidelines on how to pack them. All firearms must be must be unloaded and packed in a locked hard-sided container. Ammunition must be securely packed in fiber, wood or metal boxes, or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. Some of these items must be declared to the airline at check-in. Please check with TSA to get the exact details before flying with weapons.
Visit my YouTube channel, Travel with Traci Jo, channel to watch videos of my personal travels and for more tips.
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