The Best TSA-Approved Toiletry Bag
Nothing on this shelf is approved by anybody. What the rule actually specifies is a quart-size clear bag and 3.4 fl oz containers, so the useful question is which kit gets you through the tray fastest.
We have not tested this gear. Every figure here is compiled from published manufacturer specifications and published airline policies, and the arithmetic is public so you can check it. This page contains affiliate links — see the affiliate disclosure.
No toiletry bag is TSA-approved — the rule is about what goes in it: one quart-size clear resealable bag per passenger, containers of 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) or less. The BAGSMART Space Saver Pro is the only bag here that ships a separate transparent quart bag, which is the piece that gets pulled out at the checkpoint. The Peak Design Small Wash Pouch is the only one sized to the rule, at a published 1 L.
Manufacturer-published capacities and weights, compiled 3 September 2026, against the TSA’s published 3-1-1 liquids rule. We have not tested these bags.
| # | Product | Published capacity | Fits | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BAGSMART Space Saver Pro Toiletry Bag (Large)Travelers who want their liquids bag to lift out at the checkpoint | Not published | 11 of 11AA DL UA WN … | 5.6 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 2 | Peak Design Small Wash Pouch (1L)Carry-on-only travel with a minimal routine | 1 L | 11 of 11AA DL UA WN … | 5.9 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 3 | BAGSMART Blast 4.5L Hanging Toiletry BagCarry-on-only travel inside the TSA 3-1-1 limit | 4.5 L | 11 of 11AA DL UA WN … | 5.7 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 4 | humangear GoToob+ Silicone Travel Bottle (Large, 3.4 fl oz)Filling the 3-1-1 quart efficiently without overthinking it | 0.1 L | Not published | 0.0 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
| 5 | Peak Design Wash Pouch (2.5L)A toiletry bag bought once | 2.5 L | 11 of 11AA DL UA WN … | 6.5 | Check price on Amazon#ad How we earn |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price on Amazon rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.
“TSA-approved” is not a certification
There is no TSA approval scheme for toiletry bags. There is one for luggage locks — Travel Sentry and Safe Skies, which screeners can open with a master key — and that is the whole list. Locks that genuinely carry an approval.
What exists for liquids is a published rule, and it is short. One quart-size (about 0.95 L) clear resealable bag per passenger. Every liquid, gel, aerosol, cream and paste inside it in a container of 3.4 fl oz / 100 ml or less. The bag comes out of your carry-on and goes in the tray on its own. The rule in full, with the exceptions.
So a bag sold as TSA-approved is making a claim about nothing. What it can honestly do is make the rule easier to obey.
The kit, measured against the rule
| Product | Published capacity | Vs the 0.95 L quart | Quart bag included? |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAGSMART Space Saver Pro (Large) | Not published | — | Yes |
| Peak Design Small Wash Pouch | 1 L | Within 5% | No |
| BAGSMART Blast | 4.5 L | 4.7× | No |
| Peak Design Wash Pouch | 2.5 L | 2.6× | No |
| humangear GoToob+ (Large) | 3.4 fl oz | Exactly the container limit | n/a — it is a bottle |
The column that matters is the last one. A checkpoint does not care how nice your dopp kit is; it cares whether the liquids come out in one transparent bag without you unpacking the whole thing on the belt.
Why the clear bag is the product
Almost every toiletry bag sold as TSA-friendly is opaque, which means the liquids inside it have to come out and go into something transparent anyway. The BAGSMART Space Saver Pro is the one bag in this ledger that publishes a separate transparent bag sized to the rule as part of the product.
Everything else is a two-object system whether the marketing says so or not: a kit that holds your brush, razor and solids, plus a clear quart bag that holds the liquids and lifts out. There is nothing wrong with that — it is just worth knowing before you pay for a bag on the strength of a phrase that means nothing.
Sizing the bag to the rule, not to the shelf
Carry-on-only travel caps your liquids at 0.95 L total. A 4.5 L toiletry bag therefore cannot be filled with liquids by law, and most of its volume has to go to solids — brush, razor, toothbrush, medication, contact case.
- Peak Design Small Wash Pouch, 1 L. The only bag here sized to the actual constraint, at 6.2 oz published and a warranty with no stated end date. It is also $49.95, which is a lot for a liter.
- BAGSMART Blast, 4.5 L. Room for the whole routine, with a hanging hook — the single most useful feature in a hotel bathroom with no counter space. 10.6 oz published.
- Peak Design Wash Pouch, 2.5 L. The middle size, and the right buy when you check a bag and the liquids rule stops applying.
- BAGSMART Space Saver Pro. BAGSMART publishes no capacity for the main compartment, only the folded footprint (12.2 × 9 × 4 in) and 14.1 oz. It is the heaviest bag here and the only one that solves the checkpoint.
Fill the quart properly and it holds more than you think
The container ceiling is 3.4 fl oz. Six containers at that size is about 20 fl oz, which is comfortably more shampoo than a two-week trip needs — the quart bag is rarely the real constraint once you stop carrying half-empty 8 oz bottles.
The humangear GoToob+ publishes exactly 3.4 fl oz at $9.99, which wastes none of the ceiling. The Matador FlatPak publishes 3 fl oz at 0.41 oz empty — the lightest way in this ledger to carry a liquid, at the cost of a little unused allowance. Every travel bottle, costed per fluid ounce.
The picks
- BAGSMART Space Saver Pro — the pick for the checkpoint. The only bag here that ships the transparent quart bag the rule actually specifies, and it rolls flat along the top of a carry-on. Its con: 14.1 oz, no published main-compartment capacity and no warranty term.
- Peak Design Small Wash Pouch — the pick if you buy once. 1 L, 6.2 oz, weatherproof 200D nylon and a warranty with no end date at $2.50 per covered year. Its con: $49.95 for a liter, and no clear pouch.
- BAGSMART Blast — the pick for a full routine. 4.5 L and a hanging hook at 10.6 oz. Its con: no warranty term published, and no quart bag.
- humangear GoToob+ Large — the bottle to fill it with. Exactly 3.4 fl oz at $9.99, published as TSA-compliant and FDA food-safe. Its con: no published weight or dimensions, and silicone holds smells.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry below shows the published inputs, the four axis scores they produce, and what you give up. The order is the computed order, not a commercial one.
1 · Travelers who want their liquids bag to lift out at the checkpoint
BAGSMART Space Saver Pro Toiletry Bag (Large)
The only toiletry bag here that ships a separate transparent quart bag, which is the piece that actually gets pulled out at security.
- Published size
- 12.2 × 9 × 4 in
- Weight
- 0.88 lb
- Capacity
- Not published
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty No warranty term published
Fits 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- Includes a separate transparent bag sized to the 3-1-1 rule
- 14.1 oz published for the large size
- Rolls to 12.2 × 4 × 9 in, which lies flat along the top of a carry-on
What you give up
- No warranty term published
- 14.1 oz is heavy for a bag that holds a quart of liquid
- No published capacity figure for the main compartment
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- Airline-fit breadth 10.0/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY
- Carry efficiency not scored — No published capacity, so weight per liter cannot be computed.
- Warranty & support 0.0/10 — no published term (0 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: BAGSMART published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. Retail-only pricing. Check the live price before buying.
2 · Carry-on-only travel with a minimal routine
Peak Design Small Wash Pouch (1L)
1 L is almost exactly the quart the TSA allows, which makes this the only toiletry bag here sized to the actual legal constraint rather than to a shelf.
- Published size
- 10.2 × 5.1 × 3.9 in
- Weight
- 0.39 lb
- Capacity
- 1 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.39 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $2.50/yr
- Published list price
- $49.95
Warranty Peak Design lifetime product warranty
Fits 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 1 L published capacity is within 5% of the 0.95 L quart limit
- 6.2 oz, the lightest published weight in this category
- Same lifetime warranty as the larger pouch
What you give up
- $49.95 for 1 L is the highest cost per liter on this site
- Too small for a full skincare routine or a shared bag
- No clear pouch, so the liquids still come out loose at a checkpoint
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 5.0/10 — $49.95 ÷ 20 yr = $2.50/yr; $49.95 ÷ 1 L = $49.95/L
- Airline-fit breadth 10.0/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY
- Carry efficiency 0.0/10 — 0.39 lb ÷ 1 L = 0.390 lb/L
- Warranty & support 8.0/10 — no stated end date (6 of 6); repair published (+2); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Peak Design published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026.
3 · Carry-on-only travel inside the TSA 3-1-1 limit
BAGSMART Blast 4.5L Hanging Toiletry Bag
4.5 L in a 10.6 oz bag that hangs — the smallest published toiletry volume here, which is the right size when the liquids rule caps you at a quart anyway.
- Published size
- 10.24 × 5.9 × 4.72 in
- Weight
- 0.66 lb
- Capacity
- 4.5 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.15 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- Not published
Warranty No warranty term published
Fits 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- 4.5 L published capacity is honest about how little liquid you can legally carry
- 10.6 oz published weight
- Hanging hook, which is the only thing that works in a hotel bathroom with no counter
What you give up
- No warranty term published
- 4.5 L is too small if you travel with a full skincare routine
- No separate quart bag included for the security tray
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value not scored — No manufacturer-published price, so this axis is not scored.
- Airline-fit breadth 10.0/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY
- Carry efficiency 6.1/10 — 0.66 lb ÷ 4.5 L = 0.147 lb/L
- Warranty & support 0.0/10 — no published term (0 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: BAGSMART published specifications, compiled 3 September 2026. Retail-only pricing. Check the live price before buying.
4 · Filling the 3-1-1 quart efficiently without overthinking it
humangear GoToob+ Silicone Travel Bottle (Large, 3.4 fl oz)
The most capacity per dollar in this category by a wide margin — a published 3.4 fl oz for $9.99, which is exactly the 3-1-1 ceiling and nothing wasted.
- Published size
- Not published
- Weight
- Not published
- Capacity
- 0.1 L
- Weight per liter
- Not published
- Cost per covered year
- Not published
- Published list price
- $9.99
Warranty No warranty term published on the product page
Fits No published dimensions to check.
What it does well
- 3.4 fl oz is exactly the TSA container limit, so no capacity is left unused
- Published as both TSA-approved and FDA food-safe
- A locking collar on the cap, and silicone squeezes empty where rigid bottles do not
What you give up
- No published weight or dimensions, so two of our scoring axes cannot be computed
- No warranty term published at all
- Silicone picks up the smell of whatever lived in it previously
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 0.0/10 — $9.99 ÷ 0.1 L = $99.90/L
- Airline-fit breadth not scored — No published dimensions to check against carrier limits.
- Carry efficiency not scored — No published weight, so weight per liter cannot be computed.
- Warranty & support 0.0/10 — no published term (0 of 6); no published repair route (+0); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: humangear published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026. humangear publishes "from $9.99" across the three sizes rather than a price per size. The large is the size costed here.
5 · A toiletry bag bought once
Peak Design Wash Pouch (2.5L)
Skip this one. Not for a carry-on-only trip, and this is the page to say why. Its published 2.5 L is roughly two and a half times the 0.95 L of liquid you are legally allowed to bring through a checkpoint, so most of what you are buying cannot be filled with liquids at all. It is a genuinely excellent bag — weatherproof 200D nylon, a warranty with no end date, $3.00 per covered year — and it is the right buy when you check a bag. On the 3-1-1 rule, the 1 L version is the honest size.
2.5 L is more than twice the quart of liquid you are legally allowed to carry, under the only lifetime warranty in this category — $3 per covered year for a bag that will outlast the trips.
- Published size
- 10.2 × 6 × 4.4 in
- Weight
- 0.54 lb
- Capacity
- 2.5 L
- Weight per liter
- 0.22 lb/L
- Cost per covered year
- $3.00/yr
- Published list price
- $59.95
Warranty Peak Design limited lifetime warranty
Fits 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY. See the limits.
What it does well
- $3.00 per covered year against a warranty with no stated end date
- 2.5 L published against a 0.95 L legal liquid allowance — sized correctly, not oversized
- Weatherproof 200D nylon and a clamshell opening that lies flat
What you give up
- 8.7 oz is not the lightest here
- $59.95 published is several times what a retail-channel bag lists at
- No separate clear quart pouch included
The arithmetic behind the score
- Value 5.0/10 — $59.95 ÷ 20 yr = $3.00/yr; $59.95 ÷ 2.5 L = $23.98/L
- Airline-fit breadth 10.0/10 — Fits the published carry-on limit at 11 of 11 US carriers: AA, DL, UA, WN, AS, B6, F9, G4, HA, MX, SY
- Carry efficiency 3.4/10 — 0.54 lb ÷ 2.5 L = 0.216 lb/L
- Warranty & support 8.0/10 — no stated end date (6 of 6); repair published (+2); airline damage not covered (+0)
Weights and breakpoints are published on how we rank. Where an input is not published, that axis is dropped and the remaining weights are re-normalized.
Specs: Peak Design published specifications and price, compiled 3 September 2026.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price on Amazon rather than a number we cannot stand behind. See how we handle prices.