TSA carry-on rules have gotten complicated with all the conflicting advice flying around. I almost got into an argument with a security agent last month over a jar of peanut butter. He was right — it’s technically a liquid. I was wrong, and also hungry. So let me break down what the current rules actually say, because there’s a decent chance you’re confused about at least one of these.
The 3-1-1 Liquids Rule Still Stands
Nothing’s changed on this front, even though people keep hoping. Containers have to be 3.4 ounces or smaller. They all need to fit inside one quart-sized clear bag. One bag per person. That’s it. That’s the rule.
Medications and baby formula get a pass — you can bring larger quantities of both, but you should tell the agent about them before they go through the scanner. Probably should have led with this: the exceptions exist, but you need to proactively declare them. Don’t just toss your prescription bottles in the bin and hope nobody notices.
Electronics: Still Coming Out of the Bag
Laptops, tablets, anything roughly that size — pull them out and put them in a separate bin for screening. I know, it’s annoying. I’ve been doing it for twenty years and it still slows me down every single time. If you have TSA PreCheck, you can leave everything in your bag. That alone makes the $78 membership worth it in my opinion.
Food Gets Tricky
Solid food goes through security no problem. Sandwiches, fruit, protein bars, chips — bring whatever you want. The trouble starts with anything spreadable, creamy, or scoopable. Yogurt, hummus, peanut butter, that fancy dip you bought at the terminal shop before security — all of it counts as a liquid under TSA rules and falls under 3-1-1.
That’s what makes TSA rules endearing in a weird way. They’re straightforward once you know them, but the edge cases — is soup a liquid? yes — keep tripping people up. Check TSA.gov before you fly if you’re bringing anything unusual. Five minutes of reading beats five minutes of negotiating with an agent over your snack.
