The TSA 3-1-1 rule is one of the most searched topics in travel — and one of the most misunderstood. This guide covers everything you need to know for 2026, so that your clear bag moves through security as effortlessly as you do.

Updated May 2026

Packing Your Clear Bag for the TSA 3-1-1 Rule: The Truffle Guide

There is a particular kind of ease that comes from sailing through airport security without breaking stride. No frantic repacking at the bin. No liquids confiscated. No line of impatient travelers behind you. All because of a clear, beautifully organized bag.

It all comes down to preparation. And it begins with understanding the TSA 3-1-1 rule.

Updated for 2026: What's New at the Checkpoint

A few meaningful changes at TSA are worth knowing before you pack:

REAL ID is now fully enforced. Your driver's license must be REAL ID-compliant (look for the star in the upper corner) or you'll need a passport to board domestic flights. Check before you travel, not at the checkpoint.

Shoes stay on. As of 2025, TSA no longer requires shoes to be removed at standard security checkpoints. One less disruption to your composure on the way through.

Lithium batteries travel with you. Power banks and spare battery packs must remain in your carry-on — never checked luggage — and many airlines now require them to stay on your person rather than in the overhead bin. Check your carrier's specific policy before you fly.

What the TSA 3-1-1 Rule Actually Means

The TSA 3-1-1 rule governs every liquid, aerosol, gel, cream, and paste you carry onto a flight. The rule is precise:

• 3.4 ounces (100ml) or less per individual container
• 1 quart-sized clear bag to hold all of them
• 1 bag per passenger — no exceptions

Any container larger than 3.4 ounces must travel in your checked luggage, regardless of how much product remains inside. A half-empty bottle is subject to the same rules as a full one.

TSA no longer requires your bag to be clear, but clarity is not about the checkpoint. It is about you. Finding your serum without unpacking everything at a hotel bathroom counter at midnight. Knowing at a glance which products made the cut before you zip your carry-on. Arriving organized, not rummaging.

Choosing the Right Bag

A disposable zip-lock bag technically meets the requirements. But there is a meaningful difference between the minimum and the considered, and that difference compounds every time you travel.

Truffle's TSA-approved cases are built for the woman who refuses to choose between beautiful and responsible. Our biodegradable TPU clear plastic is solvent-free and designed to last, not to be discarded after a single trip. The trim is crafted from recycled leather and rPET nylon made from post-consumer plastic, so the bag you reach for every time you fly is also one of the more conscientious choices you can make.

The clarity is intentional, not because security requires it, but because seeing everything at a glance is simply a better way to live. Your routine, visible and organized, from your vanity to your carry-on to the bathroom counter of wherever you land next.

The Clarity Jetset Case is the definitive expression of this, structured, refined, and built to travel with you for years. For a softer silhouette with the same integrity of materials, the Clarity Pouch Small offers an equally considered alternative.

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What to Pack — and What to Leave Behind

The art of the 3-1-1 bag is curation. You have one quart of space. Every item earns its place.

The Essentials That Always Make the Cut

Skincare — your travel-sized cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF. Decant your most-loved serums into travel-size containers rather than surrendering them at security.

Makeup liquids — foundation, concealer, setting spray, lip gloss. Powder products — eyeshadow, blush, bronzer — are not subject to liquid restrictions and travel freely in your makeup bag.

Hair care — travel-sized shampoo, conditioner, and styling products. If your hotel reliably stocks quality amenities, consider skipping these entirely and reclaiming that space for something you cannot live without.

Fragrance — a travel-sized atomizer or roller rather than a full bottle. Many fragrance houses offer travel sizes; it is worth seeking them out.

Oral care — travel-sized toothpaste qualifies as a gel and lives in your 3-1-1 bag.

Strategies That Create More Space

Switch to solid formulas where you can. Solid shampoo, conditioner, soap, and moisturizer bypass the liquid rule entirely — they travel in your main bag, freeing your quart bag for items that have no solid equivalent. The category has expanded significantly in recent years, and the quality has followed.

Embrace travel sizes and samples. The deluxe samples, gift-with-purchase miniatures, and travel-sized editions of your favorites are not just charming — they are strategically useful. A collection of well-chosen minis allows you to maintain your full routine within a single quart bag.

Decant thoughtfully. Reusable travel containers allow you to bring precisely the amount you need of any product — no more, no less. Fill them the night before you travel, and your 3-1-1 bag is ready before you've thought about anything else.

Audit before every trip. Products accumulate. A lip gloss that expired last spring, a serum you never reach for, a dry shampoo you replaced — none of them deserve space in a bag with real estate this valuable. Edit ruthlessly and pack only what you will actually use.

Packing the Bag Itself

Even within a single quart, organization matters.

Lay taller items flat rather than standing them upright, so the bag closes cleanly and lies flat in your carry-on. Group by category — skincare together, makeup liquids together, hair care together — so you can find what you need without unpacking everything at your hotel.

Check every cap before you zip. A cap that is not fully secured at sea level becomes a leak at 35,000 feet. Give each one a firm twist, and consider a small square of plastic wrap beneath the cap of anything particularly precious. The extra thirty seconds at home spares you a very different kind of unpacking experience on arrival.

Place your 3-1-1 bag at the very top of your carry-on, accessible without opening the main compartment. At the security checkpoint, it comes out in a single, unhurried motion.

The Rest of Your Carry-On Beauty Kit

Your 3-1-1 bag handles your liquids. The rest of your beauty routine deserves equal intention.

The Clarity Mini Jetset Case is the perfect companion for powder makeup, brushes, and the cosmetics that don't fall under liquid restrictions — a dedicated space that keeps your beauty kit entirely separate from your toiletries, exactly as it should be.

For touch-ups on the go, the Clarity Clutch Small holds your essentials between the checkpoint and your destination — lip balm, a compact, your boarding pass, your phone. Everything within reach, nothing out of place.

The Standard Worth Keeping

The TSA 3-1-1 rule has been in place long enough that most travelers know it exists. Far fewer have mastered it. The difference lies not in the rule itself but in the preparation — the right bag, the right products, the right system.

A Truffle Clarity Jetset Case kept stocked and ready to travel means you are never packing from scratch. Your routine is already curated, already organized, already waiting. When the trip presents itself — as the best trips often do, with more spontaneity than notice — you are ready.

Explore the full Truffle TSA-Approved collection and arrive the way you mean to.

The TSA 3-1-1 rule applies to all domestic and international flights departing from US airports. Regulations are subject to change — always verify current requirements at tsa.gov before you travel.