Most carry-on packing advice is about compression — roll instead of fold, buy cubes, sit on the suitcase. Toiletries are a different problem. The constraint is not volume, it is that you have to take them out, show them, and put them back, sometimes in front of a queue.
What the liquids rule actually says
Worth being precise, because a lot of product marketing is not.
TSA's 3-1-1 rule covers containers of 3.4 ounces (100 ml) or less, fitting in one quart-sized resealable bag, one bag per passenger. That rule is about the liquids, and it specifies a quart bag — not a branded case.
TSA does not approve, certify, or endorse products. Anything sold as "TSA-approved" is using a phrase that does not correspond to a real certification. We do not sell our cases as liquids bags, and for liquids in a carry-on you should follow the current rule as written.
Where a clear case genuinely helps is with everything that is not liquid: the electronics, the cables, the solid toiletries, the medication, the things an officer may want to see without you unpacking the whole bag.
Split by what happens to it, not by what it is
The useful division for a carry-on is not "toiletries" versus "electronics". It is:
- Comes out at security — the quart bag of liquids, the laptop, sometimes a tablet or camera
- Needed in the seat — headphones, charger, lip balm, medication, glasses, a pen for forms
- Not until you arrive — the rest of the toiletries, spare cables, anything bulky
Three cases, packed in that order from the top of the bag down. The one you need first is the one you reach first.
The in-seat case is the one that matters
The bag goes in the overhead bin, and then you are separated from it for four hours. Everything you will actually want should be in one small case you pull out before you sit down.
People consistently under-pack this one. A realistic version: headphones, charging cable and brick, any medication you take on a schedule, lip balm, glasses or contact case, a hair tie, and something to eat. It fits in a small case and it means you never stand up to open the bin.
Why transparent helps in an airport specifically
Two reasons, both practical.
First, at the checkpoint an officer can see the contents without you unpacking. That does not exempt you from any rule, but it removes the step where you dig through a bag on a metal table with people waiting behind you.
Second, in a dim cabin, you find things by shape and color rather than by feel. Reaching into an opaque pouch under a seat is guesswork.
Sizing for a carry-on
- Small case — the in-seat kit. Headphones, cable, medication, lip balm.
- Medium case — solid toiletries, or all cables and adapters in one place.
- Large case — everything that stays packed until you reach the hotel.
Measure before you buy. Our Size Guide lists interior dimensions for every case side by side, which is more useful than a category name.
One honest limitation
Our cases are not sealed and not waterproof. They wipe clean and they handle bathroom humidity, but they will not contain a shampoo bottle that opens in transit. Close bottles properly, and if something has leaked before, keep it in its own sealed bag inside the case. We would rather say this than let you find out over a suitcase of clothes.
The part that saves the most time
Keep the travel cases packed between trips. Not the suitcase — the cases.
The cable case does not need to be unpacked when you get home; it needs to go back on the shelf. Next trip, you lift three cases into the bag and you are done. Because they are clear, you can see at a glance that the charger made it back in, which is the one thing everyone forgets.
Our Makeup & Travel collection covers these sizes, and Build Your Set lets you assemble the combination you actually use.