August 11th, 2008
Sound Advice: Zip-top Bags for Travel
For anyone who travels in the US via air, you know about the 3-1-1. From the TSA Website: 3-1-1 for carry-ons = 3 ounce bottle or less (by volume) ; 1 quart-sized, clear, plastic, zip-top bag; 1 bag per passenger placed in screening bin. One-quart bag per person limits the total liquid volume each traveler can bring. 3 oz. container size is a security measure.”
Zip-top bags, however, are good for more than just your “3-1-1″. When you prep for a trip, stop by the food storage aisle and grab not only quart sized zip-top bags, but gallon sized ones as well. When you pack, place any kind of liquid/cream/gel product into the zip-top bags. Trust me on this. I can tell you from experience that zip-top bags can save your clothes from a sticky mess. The pressurization that causes your ears to pop can also cause plastic bottles to expand a bit…
In fact, I would recommend splitting your different types of items into separate bags. This one time (while recovering from bronchitis), a bottle of liquid cough syrup leaked during transport. Fortunately, the bag was sealed…unfortunately, a bottle of prescription pills were covered in cough syrup. That’s when I learned two valuable lessons: zip-top bags are my friend and it’s OK to separate my liquids from my creams. The large zip-top bags are good for other things in packing, by the way. I’m still on the old-fashioned side and wear pantyhose with my suits, so placing hosiery (or other delicate underthings) into zip-top bags means things arrive un-snagged and in mint condition.
By the way, if you ever decide you need to pack and take “Dublin Dr. Pepper” from one place to another, give me a shout. I’m well versed in transporting those old-fashioned 10-ounce glass bottles across state lines…. Happy (and safe) Travels!
August 13th, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I pack everything in ziptop bags, in various sizes. For example, I’m a fan of roller-ball pens, which have liquid ink (instead of the gloppy stuff in regular ball-points), so I keep them in a zippie bag inside my purse, even when I’m NOT on a plane. Ditto chapstick. Doing this also makes it easier to switch purses.
Finally, if you’re going anywhere where swimming might happen, a gallon-sized ziptop bag is a great way to transport your swimsuit - wet or dry. (Just make sure that you remove the wet suit from the bag ASAP.)