How Much Is Three Ounces?

Five 3-ounce bottles fit comfortably inside a 1-quart bag
with room for your travel toothpaste

Okay, let's assume I'm not asking the obvious. Three ounces is 90 mL, the amount of any one liquid or gel you can take in a carry-on bag (all liquids together to fit inside a 1-quart plastic bag). Anyone who's traveled in the past nine years is familiar with TSA's rules.

What I'm really asking is how far will three ounces get you? Will three ounces of shampoo be enough for a two-week trip? A two-month trip? Will three ounces of face wash last as long as three ounces of shampoo? I don't know the answers to these questions - but I wish I did. Knowing exactly how much lotion and body wash I need would really help me pack light. So I'm going to answer my own question: I'm going to put three ounces of essential bath products to the test and see how long they last.

Before I can conduct my experiment, I have to locate 3-ounce bottles. There are a wide variety of products on the market, including a set of four bottles by Eagle Creek ($15) and another set of four by Bed, Bath, & Beyond ($5). In the end, I've decided to order my bottles individually (and much more cheaply) at PlasticTravelBottles.com ($0.98 a bottle and a flat shipping rate of $1.99, but be warned: they only accept PayPal and they ship from Singapore, so order well in advance).

All bottles full on Monday morning, November 29, 2010

Here they are, all set to go: shampoo, body wash, face wash, toner, and lotion. As of today, I will use only these 3-ounce bottles until their contents are gone - and I'll let you know, one by one, as the contenders drop. To provide you with some context for comparing my results with what you're likely to experience: I use shampoo and body wash once a day, face wash and toner twice a day, and lotion all over once a day. I'm 5'6" and have short hair.

Just to underscore the importance of packing the correct amount of liquids - my five 3-ounce bottles actually weigh 19 ounces when they're full, rather than the 15 you would expect. Liquids are heavy, so it's definitely best not to overpack.

All right, I think we're set to go. We'll see just how much three ounces really is!

Copyright 2010 Sara Harding