Airport Security liquids Bag
 

As a relatively regular business traveller and sufferer at the hands of airport security (!) can anyone suggest where I can purchase a security compliant bag to carry my toiletries in?

Am getting a bit fed up with my tatty and ripped sandwich bag!!!!

Many thanks in advance. :ok:

YUP....

M&S do a cool little zip up see through bags with black trim. You have to buy the pack of 3 sizes and the middle sized one is the security approved one (it will have a little yellow sticker on it saying "suitable for airport security" or something to the effect on it) and I think costs about £10 or less!!!

It has saved my life as crew!

So do Boots

Thanks guys for the info - I will take a look at the Boots one. Interestingly enough, I have tried the M&S bag but it was rejected at security in Glasgow as they deemed it 'non-compliant' :ugh:

Has anyone got an answer as to why it has to be a re-sealable bag? After all, once through security, you can open it again.

Two questions spring to mind.

If you've had a colostomy, do you have to carry the bag in your hand?

What happens if the contents are over 100ml?

I also had my M&S bag declined at Glasgow security - was told that it had a volume of greater than 1 litre???

I have since been using www.securitywashbag.com

and have not had a problem at any airport so far, but don't hold me to that - you just never can tell with the muppet show who run airport security in the UK............. :O

Silly PPruner, it's the rule FOLLOW IT, or I'll get out my rubber gloves :=

Actually this is a very good question - I'm guessing they want it sealed so stuff doesn't fall out in the scanner.

I actually now use two 1L resealable bags as my travel 'washbag'. One with toothpaste, deodorant etc. and the other with my other 'bathroom' stuff. Much less bulky than a traditional washbag and I always have a spare bag (such as when my wife forgets).

The best bag I have found is sold by Muji. It is compliant, very strong and holds more than any other bag I have used. Just £3.95 (and available online).

http://www.muji.eu/pages/online.asp?...ub=79&PID=3402

Any bag that complies with the following, dated 2006 but lifted today from the EU Commission website, complies with the "EU regulations", in spite of what a moron with a little petty power might say. Whether or not you argue the toss is up to you!

Helpfully, other sources suggest that a bag of 20X20cm would have 1 litre capacity as it would with a uniform depth of 2.5cm, which sounds about right. But there is no regulation specifying those dimensions; all that's needed is is a re-sealable bag of up to 1 litre capacity, regardless of its other dimensions, within reason of course.

Many UK airports have a scam of forcing passengers to buy grossly over-priced "compliant" bags to replace ones which are perfectly compliant. To their credit, BAA does not join in this fraud and gives away bags to the needy, or they did when I was last there (LGW? Can't remember.) In the UK, the racket should be reported to the local Trading Standards office whenever and wherever encountered.

The securitywashbag seems to work very well because it has very similar characteristics to the sandwich bags that UK security seem to hold in such high esteem! I have never had any of the Gestapo from security even give it a second look!

I also like the safety clasp on the zip which means nothing's gonna leak out in my hand luggage with all that cabin pressure change! :D

Thread drift but an amusing moment (I hope) talk of pressure change ...

Last August I went from CPT to JNB and the cabin pressure was fine but JNB is at some 5,000ft. When I unscrewed the cap of my roll-on deodorant I met a new problem. The unit was almost empty and so the air inside the container was at sea level, which was applying pressure to the roller ball which was suffused with the liquid deodorant. As the cap came off, the ball was ejected several inches and the remaining liquid followed - all of which landed inside my still part filled suitcase.

You will readily understand the similarities of having a large ball ejected, with a long trail of white goo, which covers much of your clothing and leaves you with messy fingers ...:* :sad: :( :ouch: :eek:

Nice story PAXboy - sounds like a "Something About Mary" moment.......... :p

I have never had any grief from using the right size supermarket "Press to Seal" storage bags - box of 25 - 18cm by 20cm. My experience is that sandwich bags, which seal with a flap, like an envelope, are much thinner plastic and are probably intended for a one way trip somewhere, the contents eaten and the bag binned.

The clear sealable bag I used during my Xmas / New Year trip - going through Calgary, Edmonton, Gatwick, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Memmingen airports at various stages - was issued sometime in the past at a Canadian Airport, as it has the Canadian Govt logo on it and refers to the 100ml restrictions etc. Therefore it would appear to be be some sort of "officially sanctioned" bag?

However when going through security at Edinburgh airport, a member of staff there was very concerned about it as it was "non compliant" as it is a rectangular shape (fairly small in size, don't have it to hand right now), and she handed me a square-shaped bag and asked me to use it in future.

No other airport from the list above queried my rectangular bag - not quite sure what the issue was at Edinburgh?

Mind you, another member of staff at Edinburgh was insistent that my hooded sweatshirt had to be taken off, as it was a "jacket"?!

They are well known within my airline for being a bunch of jobsworth eejits at EDI security. That experience is completely typical.

The fact that it has to be in a bag at all is a complete nonsense, in my opinion. I just throw my stuff in the end pocket of my carry-on, transparent-bag-be-damned, and have not yet had any problems at all.

One way in which I minimise the problem is to take non-liquid products, particularly after the problem described above! Solid stick shaving soap and solid stick deodorant, then it's down to mini-tube of toothpaste but you can still get tooth powder and for the really frequent traveller, that might be a good idea. Just don't take any liquids at all.

Ahh but the stick deodourant and the solid shaving soap can be 'melted down in to a liquid and are not allowed' according to some of the jobsworths. I kid you not this sort of nonsense has come out of the mouths of our friends in 'security'. As for toothpowder I don't live in Victorian England and would like to keep my teeth when I retire.:}

I have avoided all these problems by [a] using whatever the airline gives me as a freebie, and [b] using the shops at my destination and thus supporting the local economy. ;)

The KISS principle works so far! And US "personal care" products are cheap.

I was told by UK security staff that the bag had to re-sealable for 2 reasons:

Firstly, so a "vapour test" can be performed on the contents if required. (not quite sure about this myself)

Secondly, so liquid items stay together and can be quickly studied on the X-Ray.

Ring any bells?

There is no guarantee that any security staff understand the reasons they do anything. I think the reason it had to seal was to stop people stuffing so much it was all falling out of the bag and making a nonsense of the 1L limit on volume for the bag. The vapour reason is becoming the common answer but in 2006 at our check point we had no vapour type checking machines available. As for 'keeping it all together' why does that matter. As the years march on the real reasons for the whole circus are forgotten and myths are repeated so often that they become the new reasons.

I ordered one of the SecurityWashbags as recommended - am very pleased with it. Excellent quality and has been accepted thru every airport security I have passed thru so far! :D

I came through BHX on Monday and unusually for me, had a shampoo bottle in my luggage (approx. 60ml). Security picked it up (fine), but then insisted on me placing it in a resealable bag to be re-scanned. I pointed out that as I only had 1 liquid item, I saw no need for it to be bagged (on it's own). However, the security Taliban on duty didn't agree. As I know BHX demonstrates it's 'cheap and chearful' credentials by charging 50p for two small plastic bags (what a blatant money making scheme that is!) I decided against contributing towards the BHX Christmas fund and so donated my half empty shampoo bottle to the delightful lady in question - happy days....

I use these from Lakeland Zip-Seal Freezer Bags - Lakeland, the home of creative kitchenware

They hold 1.5 litres (I've just checked with a jug of water). Nobody's complained it's too big, but I don't put a lot in it. They look about the height and width as the ones that were being handed out at Heathrow when I went through earlier this month.

I used to use plastic wallets with a plastic zip close, like a beefed-up "Ziplock" bag, from office stationery suppliers, but I found that the plastic was not flexible enough and would crack after a few weeks of weekly travel, usually while away - so even though they are cheap, they are too cheap.
I now use this bag from Eagle Creek which is made of a more flexible plastic, and so far no airport security has complained about it and it is showing no signs of wear after some months.

Just a foot note to this thread:

I travelled through a major regional UK airport last week. My securitywashbag was accepted fine but my wife's M&S bag was rejected :=

The officious security bod proudly announced that the M&S bags were no longer permitted as they had been 'proven to be greater than 1 litre in volume'.

Was wondering if anyone else had suffered similar?

I have to say - it's enough to make us take the train next time :ugh:

In theory, by placing all the smellies in a sealed bag and gases that leak are contained within the bag. As the bag passes through the scanners the sensor would detect this concentraion of gases.

This presupposes that one bag that passes through does not contaiminate the machine for later bags/

It presupposes that the sealed bag is not so totally sealed as to stop any gases escaping.

It is certainly the case that they want even a single item in the bag so that any aromas are captured.

Now Mrs PN is know for arriving at security with about 2 litres of essentials despite Mr PN having forcibly extracted a suitcase from her the night before. At LGW she passed about 4-5 items through in her handbag. These were spotted, a plastic bag was produced and they were bagged (post-scanner). Her handbag was then scanned with a hand-held sniffer and then the bag was also scanned. This was all done without hastle and quite pleasantly.

Naturally any terry would use an odourless solid that could be activated by ***** **** *** ** *** ******.

I have to query the need for all these liquids to be carried as hand baggage anyway. Neither the OH nor I feel the need to carry shampoo etc. into the cabin - it's all in our hold baggage.

At worst, we could [shock horror] buy some on arrival at a shop. That's what we usually do - why is it so important to carry the stuff into the cabin anyway? Is there a shower on your aircraft?

TTB, one reason is the additional cost for hold baggage on some airlines so it is both cheaper and more convenient to have hand lugage only.

Yes you can buy what you need in a shop; shampoo, shower gel and shaving cream, but Mrs TTB, and certainly Mrs PN, will not want to take the risk that they cannot find the right colour nail varnish, hair spray, shampoo, deoderant, perfume, nail polish remover, toothpaste, lipstick, lipsalve, sunscreen, insect repellent, hand gel etc etc.

Dear Pontius, you make a fair point. I forgot the scurrying Executives whose lives are so hectic that they cannot afford to wait for hold baggage, and thus clutch their small world to them in a small bag.

Mrs TTB is not a painted woman, however. Being ex-RAF, she is perfectly capable of surviving 7 hours without the need for a mobile beauty salon. Natural beauty and a robust persona will suffice. ;)



BTW, are you perchance formerly XP or XW? Feel free to PM.

Medicines are where it can get interesting. You are allowed more than 100ml, and part filled bottles of more than 100ml, provided they have a proper prescription label from a pharmacy on them. They obviously can end up filling up a 3 litre bag, let alone a 1 litre! Depending on where you are, the muppets can vary from being helpful to downright obnoxious - LHR T5 had been the worst. When the dose is 2.5ml, and exceeding it can lead to fainting, demands to 'taste it' need to be refused. Explaining that a collapse at the top of the escalator and what would happen to people further down just about got through to the muppet - who was not a native English speaker, incidentally.

The TSA seem to be on top of this problem, incidentally.

So if the pharmacy is in Tehran, what then?


Slightly related subject

Does anyone know if there has been a legal challenge in the US to the TSA's 'no fly rule' on the basis that it should need a court order, and is illegal without? I'm surprised the ACLU hasn't gotten into that one.

TTB,

In my case, the airline I work for strongly discourages us against putting bags in the hold, due to the way one aircraft type is loaded. As crew, on the average three day short haul trip, we change aircraft approximately every two sectors, often on pretty tight turnarounds and bags are difficult to locate quickly. As a result, we have to carry all the extra liquids needed for the trip, in hand luggage. For this reason, the company actually went to the Dft to confirm that the M&S bags were acceptable. They agreed that the bags, did indeed, fit all the requirements and gave us the green light.

Sadly, while they may be accepted by the DfT, "They 'aint at Manchester", according to the vile, nasty little swamp rat of a failed wheel clamper, who I suspect spends his time off counting how many hairs he has managed to grow "down there". It appears that Manchester have their own rules, but then again, as this character was keen to point out, his girlfriend manages just fine and she has to go through security every single day to work in the Ethiad lounge. What a hero, God bless her! I'm assuming she's not night stopping in the lounge though? :rolleyes:

And if you do go through and get forced into buying one of their rip off bags for £1, despite the fact that the person in front of you, has just been cleared without question, with exactly the same bag, then don't even think about using that as an excuse. Apparently, inconsistencies in security are not this supervisors fault, or his problem.

Finally, if you are tempted to stand your ground and argue, be aware that if you are crew, this one will helpfully remind you of your responsibilities with regards to an ontime departure and suggest that you cough up quickly before you make the flight late, as you aren't going anywhere till you do!

However, never fear. At least you can rest easy, knowing that your £1 has supposedly gone to charity. You won't find out which one though, as that appears to be priviledged information.....:*

Ain't you the lucky one. I have psoriasis and my handbag always contains handcream, lip balm and antibac gel as a minimum. Usually a prescription item, or two, when travelling in case my checked bag goes missing. In the space of a "normal" day's travelling without them my skin can crack, split and infect enough to ruin the next week. Particularly when I am dehydrated because I can't carry any water with me!

I love that useless security regulation LOL.

Between DXB and LHR, yes.

I apologise unreservedly to all of you with medical requirements that entail the carriage of various 'potions and lotions'. I had failed to consider that aspect when I started dribbling on my keyboard.

Crawling away in a sideways manner :oh:

for short haul distances.... The Man in Seat Sixty-One... shhhhh.....

Short-haul ... a possible option for some.

Long-haul ... a farce, and I had noted your caveat! Taking the quoted 6 days each way to NY, which is not where I need to be, I therefore add 2 weeks to my planned [and regular] 3 weeks, and then another 2 days getting from NY>DC and back. My 3 weeks in the DC area is now getting close to 6 weeks away from home.

JSL,

Won't the company support you in blaming the security muppet for the late departure and demand compensation from the airport? Or don't the company care about their employees?