Can I fly with it?
Search an item for the carry-on and checked-bag answer, then read the TSA, FAA, or airline rule behind it.
31 items answered · every page dated and sourced
Answers people need most.
The items that come up before almost every trip.
Bring your power bank in your carry-on or on your person — never in a checked bag. This is not an airline preference; it is a federal rule.
Toothpaste is a paste, and TSA treats pastes as liquids. In a carry-on the tube must be 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less and fit in your quart bag.
You can carry one ordinary lighter — a disposable Bic-style or a Zippo-type absorbed-fuel lighter — in your carry-on or pocket.
Medication is welcome on a plane. Solid meds — pills, tablets, capsules — are allowed in unlimited quantity in carry-on or checked bags, no declaration needed.
Scissors are allowed in your carry-on only if the blades are shorter than 4 inches, measured from the pivot point.
Alcohol is a liquid, so in your carry-on every bottle is capped at 3.4 oz (100 ml) under the same 3-1-1 rule as any other liquid — a full bottle of wine or a fifth of vodka doesn’t fit.
The four rules that decide most items.
Learn these and you can predict the answer for things we haven’t written up yet.
Liquids, gels, and aerosols in carry-on: 3.4 oz (100 ml) per container, all containers in one quart-size bag.
Spare lithium batteries and power banks go in carry-on only; up to 100 Wh freely, 100–160 Wh with airline approval, over 160 Wh not at all.
Blades stay out of the cabin; scissors under 4 inches from the pivot and tools under 7 inches are the exceptions. Everything sharp is fine checked, wrapped.
Medication is exempt from the 3-1-1 limit in reasonable quantities; keep it in carry-on and tell the officer before screening.
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Primary sources only. Every answer is read from the TSA “What Can I Bring?” entry, FAA PackSafe, or the airline’s own policy — and links to it. No forum answers, no other blogs.
Dated on every page. Each item shows when it was last checked. Rules change; a date tells you how much to trust the page.
The officer decides. We report the rule. The person at the checkpoint has the final say, and we say so on every page. Read the editorial policy →