Travel With My Foam Roller: Easy Or Impossible?

Recently I took a trip to Arizona with my family.  Prior to this vacation I had suffered an injury to my shoulder. 

During the recovery period my chiropractor recommended foam rolling a few times per day.  

My first thought was, now what, can I travel with my foam roller? 

Well, the short answer is yes!  

I have always been a bit of an over packer, so suitcase space is limited. 

You know with the much-needed cute outfits and the shoes to match. 

Who has space for anything else much less a huge foam roller?

After a little research I was able to come up with some great options for my stubborn trigger points. 

No, they did not take up a lot of space and I had no problem with the TSA agents at the airport.

So, if you are planning a trip soon and need to take along a foam roller, I will show you what worked best for me. 

Hopefully this is helpful to someone that is in the same situation I was in. 

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Choosing the Correct Foam Roller to Pack

Since I needed the foam roller for a larger area – my shoulder and upper back – I didn’t want to settle for a mini roller.

Not only are they shorter but they are also thinner.  For me, the mini roller just doesn’t work as well.

Taking along my full-sized foam roller really was not an option, did I mention I love to over pack?  There is just no room for that big thing.

So, I had to do my research.  Some people recommend taking a hollow foam roller and putting some clothes inside to utilize the space.

I tried this but it still just took up way too much space in my luggage.

I then found a collapsible foam roller that was under $40.00.  That sounded perfect! But would it be big enough and strong enough?

According to the literature it was able to hold up to 280 pounds.  Really could that be right?

After receiving the item, I tried it out and it was amazingly strong.  It is also textured so it works great on all of my trigger points.

When fully extended, the collapsible foam roller was only slightly shorter than the standard foam roller.  So, for me, it was a much better option than the mini.

The measurements for the collapsible foam roller when compressed is 5.4 inches in diameter and 5.2 inches in length.  When fully extended it measured 13.8 inches in length. 

My normal foam roller is 17.6 inches, so yes smaller but it works great on larger areas.   

Other Options for Foam Rolling While Traveling

Since we all have smaller trigger point areas that would benefit from other options, I did take along a few other tools of the trade.

You know the good old tennis ball and handheld foam roller.  They’re both very small and travel well.  Other options you could try would be a metal water bottle and a golf ball.

We all have items around the house that we have used in a pinch. Just grab what works best for you.

Can You Fly With Your Foam Roller?

Since I was flying there is always the concern of having trouble getting through TSA. 

The collapsible foam roller not only fit well in my suitcase but it only weighed 2 pounds so there was no issue with added weight. 

I personally didn’t have any issues with going through TSA with this foam roller.  They didn’t pull me aside to question me it just went right through!

As for the handheld foam roller and tennis ball, again there were absolutely no issues.

If you are concerned, you could skip the handheld foam roller (I guess they could consider this a weapon) and use a water bottle.

But again, I didn’t have any issues with it.  As far as taking along a golf ball, tennis ball or lacrosse ball.  There were certainly no issues with those.

Conclusion

Take your foam roller with you when you travel whether you’re driving or flying.  It’s a great tool to have especially after a long drive or flight.

Try foam rolling before you head out for your trip and again when you arrive at your destination.  You will not regret it.

Of course, you can also use it the entire time you are gone.  If you are sitting at the beach, sitting in meetings all day or if you are headed out for a more active adventure.

The foam roller could really save you and keep those trigger points in check.

I will definitely travel with my foam roller in the future.