Best Leak Proof Travel Bottles
Between TSA rules, and the possibility of leakage ruining your clothing, traveling with liquids can be a hassle. But it doesn’t have to be so difficult. Reusable bottles are a lifesaver–and environmentally friendly! With a couple smart purchases, you’ll be breezing through TSA lines, and arriving leak free.
Here’s the best travel bottles –leak proof and unbreakable– updated for 2023.
1. Humangear Gotoob
Editor’s Choice
When it comes to keeping your liquids secure, don’t waste your time with plastic containers. Silicone makes the best travel bottles: they’re unbreakable — and when designed well, are leak proof.
Humangear makes the original high quality silicone travel size bottle.
Their 3 pack of bottles won’t leak, are easy to squeeze and refill, and are newly redesigned to be even more leak proof. The new design features their LoopLock, which locks the bottles to prevent leaks, and serves as a handy hook as well.
With the exception of the plastic caps, which should be hand-washed, Humangear’s silicone bottles are dishwasher safe in the top rack, and won’t hold onto odors–or apparently tastes. The Amazon reviews for these bottles include a traveler who washed out the remaining shampoo and filled their bottle up with liquor for a long flight! I haven’t tried that trick yet, but have been traveling with these for half a year now, and love them even more than the previous iteration.
(note that Humangear offers these new versions of their bottles, with a wider mouth and a handy loop, but you’ll find both the older and these new versions on Amazon. We prefer the newer version, and they’re fairly easy to identify by the more squared-off shape and wider mouth. The new version 3.4oz bottles are linked above, and you can find the medium 2.5oz here, and the mini 1.7 oz here)
2. Gemice Silicone Travel Bottles
Space Saving
I love my Humangear bottles, but they don’t always make the best use of space in my favorite toiletry bag. The tall, streamlined design of Gemice’s travel bottles means no awkward jenga-ing of bottles, allowing for maximum usage of your packing space.
They’re also available in an impressive array of on-trend hues. And as with the other silicone travel bottles, they’re leak proof, easy to squeeze, refill, and clean, all the features that will make your travels a little easier.
3. Beveetio Travel Bottle Variety Pack
Nice Variety
Beveetio’s travel bottle variety pack offers the best of both worlds, colorful, cute, and and functional!
The set includes a good variety of silicone travel bottles: 5- 2.9oz bottles, 5- 2oz bottle, 2oz spray and pump bottles, along with plastic cream jars (the kind I love with an extra seal piece that fits in between the container and the lid) spatulas and labels. They’re awesome for teens and adults alike.
4. Kemozaka Animal Travel Bottles
Literally the Cutest
Pack the kiddo’s toiletries in Kemozaka’s animal shaped travel bottles –or keep them for yourself, we won’t judge!
The set includes 4- 3oz bottles. They’re silicone and leak-proof, and just unbelievably adorable.
5. Lid Liner Jars
Our Favorite Jars
You’ll find these little plastic jars under various brands across Amazon. The little lid liner that fits into the jar opening prevents leaks (though I don’t recommend packing a thinner liquid like toner in them–they’re not 100% leak-proof).
The jars come in a 10 gram size I use for face lotions and a 1oz size that’s great for longer trips or body lotion.
I find these keep me from bringing along more than what I need, which is important when my sensitive skin necessitates traveling with quite a few products. Packing the smallest size possible really does make a difference in being able to go carry on only–and helps me combat my overpacking urges!
6. Gravel Travel Silicone Bottles
Compact and Space Saving
Another smart space saving option, Gravel’s 3oz travel bottles are short and squat, fitting in smaller travel bags and designed to fit perfectly against each other with no wasted space.
We love this clever design, and the natural speckled aesthetics are a nice change from the bright colors that tend to prevail in travel shampoo bottles.
Travel Bottle FAQs
While this can vary according to your specific needs, our overall favorite is Humangear’s GoToob. They’re durable, high quality travel bottles with leak-proof caps, and the soft silicone is virtually unbreakable no matter how much abuse your luggage is subjected to.
There are many reasons to use a travel bottle, including:
-TSA size rules for liquids. Travel bottles ensure that you stay within those limitations.
-Travel bottles save room. Even if you’re checking a bag and don’t need to worry about TSA size rules, travel size bottles ensure you don’t pack more than you need– and have plenty of room left for souvenirs!
-Good travel bottles won’t leak. While you normal shampoo bottle probably isn’t designed to be leak-proof, good travel bottles are! All it takes is one leaky bottle to ruin your clothing, so we think travel bottles are a great investment.
The TSA says: “You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item.”
Medications and food for infants and children are excluded from these limitations.
They’re sticklers about these rules (I’ve had them harass me about lip balm that I didn’t think to remove from my purse and put in the quart size bag!).
It’s important to understand that the 3.4 oz rule means that if you try to carry on a 6oz container that’s half full, it’s still against the rules.
Many items that you wouldn’t think of as liquids still fall under this rule. This can include items like lipgloss, toothpaste–and even peanut butter.
And if you have more 3.4 oz containers than will fit in ONE quart size bag, you’re similarly out of luck. Take a look at your liquid cosmetics and toiletries, and you’ll see how easy it is to fill up a quart size bag, even with travel sizes. Every bit of space counts! We recommend taking travel sizes when possible, and have a great roundup of travel size makeup to help you pack light.
The full TSA rules are available here.
There’s no limit to liquids if you’re checking a bag, so you only need to be concerned about what’s in your carry-on.
If you get to the TSA line, and are told that you have too many liquids, or your bottles are too large, you’ll be given a couple options:
-The first is for TSA to take the offending items and throw them away. As long as your liquids weren’t something dangerous, you should be free to continue on your way– minus your favorite shampoo or sunscreen.
-The second option is to leave the line, go back to the airline counter, and check your bag. At $25+ to check a bag, this isn’t always worth it, but you may want to consider checking your carry-on if your large liquids are expensive or can’t be found at your destination.
-Finally, some airports have post offices or UPS branches. You may be able to leave the security line to mail your liquids back home, or to your final destination. You can then return to security with your carry-on, minus the offending liquids.
While we don’t recommend trying to sneak through liquids that exceed the rules, there are some things you can do to maximize your packing while still following the rules:
One option is to take advantage of your travel companion’s liquid allowance. If your travel partner doesn’t need to travel with many liquids, you can transfer some of your items to their quart size baggie.
Alternately, you can arrange to share certain items with your traveling companion, cutting down on the liquids you need to bring.
You should also think about avoiding liquids when there’s a solid version available. Sub powder foundation for liquid, lipstick for lip gloss, and maybe try out a solid shampoo bar.
You might be concerned about using travel size bottles because you’re wondering if the small sizes will last for an entire trip. This really depends on how long you’ll be gone.
When it comes to things like shampoo and body lotion, a 3.4 oz bottle should be plenty for a one week trip, and you’ll need much less of items like face wash and face lotion.
Longer trips often call for a checked bag, and in that case, there’s nothing wrong with packing larger sizes of items you know you’ll use more of. Just leave room for souvenirs!
Beyond using leak proof travel bottles, it’s always a good idea to keep your liquids in a separate pouch or compartment of your toiletry bag.The same quart size bag that you need to use for liquids in your carry-on can help to contain any leaks, so long as you’re using a quality bag with a good seal.
