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If I want to bring a packet of wet wipes with me on a plane, do I need to put them into the one-quart ziploc bag with all my other 3 ounce liquid containers? The TSA 3-1-1 Liquids Rule page doesn't mention wet wipes.

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    @pnuts Well you could say that wet wipes contain a liquid. Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:47
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    @pacoverflow your body contains liquids.. Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:48
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    There was a comedian who foresaw that with the liquid rules becoming tighter and tighter passengers will soon be asked to go to the bathroom before security screening.
    – JoErNanO
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:52
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    @JoErNanO If that happened, I will pee in the clear bad, I will make sure it is 100ml. Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:53
  • I don't think their x-ray can tell such things contain liquid in the first place. I used to travel with ampoules of liquid medicine, after a couple of times where I didn't get them told I realized they didn't see them--and I quit telling them. I was never questioned about it despite sometimes carrying a total of about a quart of liquid. Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 2:33

4 Answers 4

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The other answers are correct, but they rely on the assumption that wet wipes are not liquid, gel, aerosol, cream, or paste, without any evidence that the TSA would accept that. As you correctly pointed out in a comment, wet wipes contain liquid.

How can we check whether the liquid contained in wet wipes causes them to fall under the 3-1-1 rule? Try the Prohibited Items page of the TSA web site:

http://www.tsa.gov/traveler-information/prohibited-items

Here, there is a box with the text "When I Fly, Can I Bring My...?" If you type "wet wipes" into the box, and click the "Go" button, you will get a pop-up window informing you that

You may transport this item in carry-on baggage or in checked baggage. For items you wish to carry-on, you should check with the airline to ensure that the item will fit in the overhead bin or underneath the seat of the airplane.

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    Fantastic answer. I typed "toothpaste" into the search box and it mentioned the 3-1-1 rule. So this is proof that wet wipes are not subject to the 3-1-1 rule. Thanks. Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:55
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    I typed human body and I got "Item not found" ;) Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:56
  • +1 for a pretty nifty tool. I checked it with random queries like test tube to see if items that can't be found in the database might be considered as allowed/forbidden but I did not manage to find any false negatives/positives.
    – JoErNanO
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:57
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    @Phoog you should participate in the answerathon. See Travel Meta.
    – JoErNanO
    Commented Mar 2, 2015 at 20:58
  • Which is really interesting to me because wet wipes actually contain alcohol of some sort (at least ours do) Commented Mar 3, 2015 at 13:16
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Thankfully wet wipes are not yet subject to the 3-1-1 rule. The rule applies to:

Liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes

Wet wipes don't fit in any of these categories.

I always travel with wet wipes in my carry-on and I have always been allowed on the plane with them.

Nevertheless, what happened twice in the last week (May 2016), as I was flying domestically within Schengen, was that my packet of wet wipes was mistaken for a water bottle by the officer behind the X-ray scanner. My bag was therefore hand checked by another officer who let me go without problems and with the wipes. This is to say that recently security checks might have been tightened and, if travelling with wet wipes in your carry-on, your luggage could be subject to a manual check by airport security. This happened at Luxembourg airport and Rome Fiumicino.

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  • It's perhaps worth noting that TSA rules are not in force at Luxembourg airport or Rome Fiumicino.
    – phoog
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 14:22
  • It is not the TSA that does the checks in Europe, but most or even all of the rules are the same or very close alike. Changes can happen at different times.
    – Willeke
    Commented May 18, 2016 at 17:00
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I routinely travel with pre-moistened wipes of various kinds in my carry-on bags. Not only does the TSA not consider them a liquid, but neither do U.K. security (e.g., at LHR), which is far stricter than the TSA. While wipes contain liquid, they are not themselves liquid. Put more simply, there's no visible liquid when examining a moistened wipe.

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I would assume so. Since baby wipes are allowed, according to the TSA website, I do not see the difference between baby wipes and wet wipes.

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