Best Toiletry Bags
We tried toiletry bags from Away, Bagsmart, Calpak, and other brands to see which is best for your travel needs
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In my early 20s, I traveled with a Ziploc bag containing a toothbrush and toothpaste as my only toiletries. Yes, I was a maverick who only cared for my oral health back then. But as the years have gone by, my toiletries list has expanded to include other necessities (sunscreen, for one) and items that may not be essential to others but which I can’t live without (earplugs and eyedrops).
You know that feeling you get when a product’s design aligns perfectly with your needs (or really, your neurotic obsession for organization) and everything just clicks? That’s what I felt when packing my toiletries into the medium-size Nishel Travel Toiletry Bag for Women.
If you’re like me and hate having your items scattered in a jumble, this bag is an antidote to disorganization. It has several compartments, two of which have different-sized mesh pockets that I could slide bottles, tubes, and small jars into. In addition to the bag fitting everything on my toiletries list—which included personal care products, cosmetics, and medication—everything was neatly slotted in each compartment, which made it easy to access. (You can check out my full list of toiletries later in the article.)
The Nishel Travel Toiletry Bag for Women is a hanging organizer, meaning you can hang it on the bathroom door with every compartment laid out in full view. If you’re not using a bag with a hanging feature, you’ll need to put your toiletry bag on the sink, which can take up counter space. For that reason, I greatly prefer a hanging toiletry bag because it helps save space.
What impressed me was also its capacity. I was able to fit everything on my list into the bag and have some space left over. And unlike most of the other bags, I didn’t have to strain myself zipping it up. If you’re looking for a toiletry bag that you can carry outside instead of one to stuff into your carry-on or checked baggage, the outside of the bag looks almost like a purse and is quite portable.
But as great as this bag is, it has a few shortcomings. At $16 at the time of purchase, it’s the least expensive of the bags I tried. Unfortunately, that cheapness shows in the outside material of the bag, which I found to be slightly rough to the touch.
For the evaluation, I tried out the medium-size bag in black, and the black material felt like it was drawing in a fair amount of dust and lint, which I had to clean off continuously. The zippers of the bag are a shiny rose gold, which not everyone might be a fan of.
It’s not a bag that comes with claims of being waterproof, and it certainly isn’t. I did two waterproof experiments. In the first one, I ran the bag under a faucet to see whether the bag was capable of protecting its inside contents from spillage happening outside. After I poured water over the bag, a pocket of water seeped through and collected in the compartment on the side of the bag.
My second test was to see if it could contain any spillages that might occur inside the bag. When I poured a few ounces of water into a compartment inside the bag and shook it to see if water would come out, most of it came out of the bag’s zipper.
However, this bag is still the one to beat when it comes to capacity and organization. If you don’t mind the fact that the material feels a bit cheap and you care more about owning a bag that’s spacious, easy to use, and helpful for organization, this bag is the one.
The first thing I noticed about the Calpak Terra Hanging Toiletry Bag was how cute it is. The bag is made from recycled ripstop polyester, a fabric composed of thick, interwoven reinforcement threads that help prevent the material from tearing easily. It also comes in many vibrant colors. The one I selected for the evaluation was the canyon color, which in person looks like a soft peach. I liked the bag’s material, which was soft to the touch, and how shiny the laminate coating of the bag was.
It’s not a super big bag, and at first, I was worried that it wouldn’t be able to fit most of my toiletry items in it. However, I was gladly proved wrong when I was able to pack almost everything in except for two medicine bottles.
Its surprising capacity might be due to the fact that the bag has many internal and external pockets. There are several elastic bands in the bag where you can slide in your toothbrush or makeup brushes. The bag also comes with a hook that lets you hang the bag on doorknobs and save counter space.
Its many compartments make it helpful for organization, though it can be difficult to access smaller toiletry items buried deep in the pockets of this bag, especially if you have many items crammed inside.
One point in its favor, however, is that this bag is less stiff in its form and more malleable in shape. So if you don’t have that many toiletries to pack, you could squash it down a little when you’re stuffing it into your luggage and it won’t take up as much space.
Calpak claims that the bag’s interior is water-resistant, which I take to mean that if you were to have moisture, such as rain, drip onto the exterior of the bag, it wouldn’t seep through the fabric. And it’s true, when I sprinkled water directly onto the surface of the bag, the water didn’t get through.
However, the issue is that the bag is loosely sealed even when it’s closed and there’s a small gap where water could seep through between the top and the body of the bag. When I ran the bag under the faucet, some water would come through. And when I poured water inside the bag and shook it, water also came flying out. So if there’s seepage that’s happening outside or inside the bag, chances are it’ll get through the gap.
Despite the fact that the bag is slightly pricey—it was $56 at the time of purchase—it’s a purchase that’s worth it, in my opinion. It’s compact and capacious, and has many handy storage compartments. I am also most tempted to buy this one because of its beautiful design. When you find yourself oscillating between color choices (I went with the canyon color, but gosh, the glacier blue is also gorgeous), you know the product has you on the hook.
The Large Toiletry Bag from Away is the most expensive of the bags we evaluated, costing $75 when we purchased it. But here’s the thing: You get what you pay for. This toiletry bag is simple and sleek, and even the texture of its nylon body feels high-quality.
As you can see from the product title, the bag is pretty voluminous and it fits almost everything on my extensive toiletries list except for one bottle that’s on the bigger side. There’s a zipper pocket on the exterior and a few compartments inside, though not as many as the Calpak bag, as I’ve observed.
Still, I found that the bag has enough compartments to be useful for organization but not so many that it becomes overwhelming. It’s easy to access items inside, though I will say if the bag could open wider, that would make the process even more convenient.
Where the bag stands out the most is that it seems to be more waterproof than the others. When I poured water inside, zipped up the bag, and shook it, no water came out, which means if there was spillage happening inside the bag, it was likely to contain it. When I ran the bag under the faucet, there was a small amount of moisture that came through, but not much.
The colors of the bag are more muted than the Calpak bag’s, so if you’re looking for a toiletry bag that’s less flashy, this would fit you better.
The Béis Dopp Kit, which cost us $48 at the time of purchase, is pretty neck-and-neck with the Away Toiletry Bag for me when it comes to quality. I liked its soft color palette and the texture of the bag’s cotton and vegan leather exterior. This is a bag that you would enjoy holding because of how comfortable the material feels.
The bag is slightly bigger than the Away Toiletry Big and was able to fit in every item on my travel toiletries list. My favorite quality of it was that it can be opened wide enough that every item in the bag is in full view, which makes it easy to access. The bag is divided into a top and bottom compartment, and there are two side pockets in the top compartment.
The one drawback of the bag is that when it’s zipped up, the bag’s top compartment is in a stiff, triangular shape, which might make it slightly more awkward to squeeze into your luggage than a bag that’s rectilinear and easier to stack. It’s also on the bulkier and heavier side compared with some of the other bags.
Béis claims the bag is spillproof, and in my evaluation, I found that it’s good at keeping water on the outside from seeping in. When I sprayed water over the bag, the interior stayed dry. However, it might be less good at containing spillages that happen inside the bag. During my waterproofness test, the water I had poured inside dripped out from the zipper when I shook the bag.
Basic is the operative word here. The Sonia Kashuk Toiletry Bag comes in one color: black. It’s stripped down and doesn’t come with many extra features. The bag has only two compartments. I had to leave four items off my toiletries list to get everything to fit, so if you’re packing a ton of stuff or are looking for more organizational features, this might not be the bag for you.
The bag isn’t claimed to be waterproof or water-resistant. When I ran it under the faucet, moisture would seep through from the outside to the inside of the bag. And when I poured liquid inside and shook the bag, water dripped straight out from the bag’s zipper teeth.
But if you’re looking for something lightweight, this bag is the lightest among all the bags we evaluated at 4.6 ounces, so it won’t add too much weight to your luggage. And for those who are looking to not spend too much money, this $17 bag is basic, sure, but it’ll get the job done.
This bag, like the Nishel Travel Toiletry Bag for Women, is a hanging organizer, so it’s nice if you want to hang it over the bathroom door knob and save your counter space. At the time of purchase, it was around $24, making it more expensive than the Nishel bag, though its fabric feels equally on the cheaper, rougher side.
It felt smaller than the Nishel bag in capacity, though for both I had chosen to evaluate their medium-size offering. With the Nishel bag, I had room to spare even after I had packed in all of my toiletries. With the Bagsmart Bonchemin The Space Saver Toiletry Bag, I had to remove three medicine bottles from the bag so I could zip it up.
While the Nishel bag has mesh pockets to keep items in place, this bag has elastic straps that you can slot bottles and jars into to prevent them from sliding out. It’s a great idea in theory, but I found the process of having to find the right size bottle to fit through the straps to be cumbersome, and it ended up taking me a longer time to pack my toiletries into this bag than any other bag.
The quilted polyester on the outside of the bag is water-resistant, according to the manufacturer. When I sprinkled water only on the fabric, water would bead on the surface, but it didn’t seep through. However, I noticed water still came through the bag’s zipper when I poured water over the entire surface of the bag and when I spilled water inside the bag and shook it.
Is it worth buying? I don’t think so. It’s similar to the Nishel bag but inferior. This bag does everything the Nishel bag does, too, just a little worse. It’s not as capacious, and its organizational features feel less useful.
TSA Rules About Toiletry Bags
Knowing what toiletry bags are acceptable for the TSA and how many liquids and gels you can carry in your bag might be confusing. So here’s a breakdown of the regulations. If you plan to pack toiletries into your carry-on, follow the 3-1-1 liquids rule. That means any container size of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes shouldn’t exceed 3.4 ounces (or 100 milliliters). That applies to toiletry items such as toothpaste, shampoos, hair products, and other personal care items. All of these items must be in one single clear bag that’s quart-sized or smaller. The limit is one bag per person, according to the TSA.
So if you’re planning to pack a toiletry bag that’s not clear into your carry-on (for instance, any of the toiletry bags we’ve tried), it can only hold toiletry items that are not liquids, such as disposable razors, says TSA spokesperson Daniel D. Velez. All liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes have to be in a clear bag.
If the container exceeds 3.4 ounces in size, regardless of the amount of liquids inside, it should be in your checked luggage. In that case, it can be inside a toiletry bag of any color.
Velez says the exceptions to the 3-1-1 liquids rule include medication and infant and child nourishment. For instance, the TSA will allow larger amounts of medically necessary liquids, gels, and aerosols in your carry-on, but you must declare them to TSA officers at the checkpoint for inspection.
“Formula, breast milk, toddler drinks, and baby/toddler food (to include purée pouches) in quantities greater than 3.4 ounces or 100 milliliters are allowed in carry-on baggage and do not need to fit within a quart-sized bag,” Velez says. According to the TSA, they are considered medically necessary liquids.
How We Evaluated Toiletry Bags
To evaluate the bags, I packed in an extensive list of toiletries. On the list were shampoo; body wash; oral care items such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental floss; skincare items such as sunscreen, facial wash, and moisturizer; cosmetics including powder, concealer, foundation, mascara, highlighter, and brushes; lip balm; deodorant; a razor; a comb; eyedrops; ear plugs; nail clippers; feminine hygiene products; medication; and basic first-aid items, such as bandages and ointments.
For myself, I usually pack a pared-down version of the list in my travels. But for this evaluation, I wanted to stretch the capacity of the toiletry bags and see if they’re able to handle a larger amount of toiletries.
My assessment of the toiletry bags was made based on these criteria.
Capacity: I tried packing everything on my list in the toiletry bags to see if it’d all fit or if I’d have to leave some items behind. Most of the bags I evaluated were one size only, but for those that offered different sizes, I tried out the medium-size one so that the capacity of the bags would be on a more even playing field.
Organization: I looked at how useful the bags were at organizing the toiletries into different sections and judged the bags on how well they held or kept secure items of varying sizes.
Ease of use: For this, I focused on how easy it was to pack the toiletries into the bag, how long it would take me to find and access a certain item inside the bag, and how smoothly the zippers on the bag functioned.
Water resistance: I judged the bags’ water resistance in two ways. First, I placed the bag under a faucet of running water for a few seconds to see if it was capable of preventing water from seeping in. In a separate test, I tried to simulate a spillage inside the bag by pouring a few ounces of water into the bag, zipping it up, and shaking the bag to see if any liquid would come out.
It’s worth noting that any claims of waterproofness and water resistance from manufacturers generally refer to the fabric or material of the toiletry bags and don’t seem to account for any leakage that might occur from the zipper.
Aesthetics: I looked at how pleasing or fun the bag’s design was and how the material felt when I touched and used it.
