Fitness, protein, and supplement powders are a great way to pack in the nutrition, but outside of the home context, it can be hard to keep up with them. Powders are...powdery. They’re difficult to store without making a mess. They take up a lot of room. Carelessly stored, and it’s impossible to tell one from another. 

For all of these reasons and more, powders are notoriously troublesome to take on the road. Whether you’re on a holiday, business trip, camping expedition, or moon mission, it’s way harder to maintain a powder regimen than it is in the comfort of your own kitchen. 

This doesn’t mean it’s impossible. We’ll give you some quick tips that’ll make your nutritional powders much easier to manage on the road. 

Capsule Fillers Are Your Friend

If you take a powdered supplement, such as many of the ones offered by Garden of Life, a capsule filler can make your life a whole lot easier. Typically manufactured and sold in China (where traditional medicine makes nutritional powders ubiquitous), capsule fillers are plastic devices in several parts that let you package your powders in gelatin capsules. Capsules can be bought in drug stores or online in quantities of 1000. Most of the capsules hold about half a gram of powder. For powders you consume only a few grams at a time, this is an ideal solution, though powders you consume in greater quantities such as soy protein won’t work as well. 

Buy Protein Powder at Your Destination

It’s very cumbersome to lug protein powder in your suitcase. If you’re cultivating mass at the moment, we still want you to be able to take your protein powder on vacations and work trips. However, if you’re going to be gone for a short amount of time, just eat a bit more meat at meals instead of lugging around the protein tub. If you are going to be gone for more than a few days, just buy some protein powder when you arrive at your destination. You can even have protein powder or protein shakes from Orgain delivered straight to your AirBNB. Just remember to pack your blender bottle. 

Put Powders in Your Checked Luggage

If you insist on bringing powders on a plane, make sure to put them in your checked luggage (as powder baggies labeled in Sharpie tend not to go over well with the TSA). Make sure to triple bag these powders, or bring them in their original tubs. If you do choose to bag them, include a cardboard label or other identifying feature from the original package. Not only will this help you distinguish one from another when you arrive at your destination, it’ll also help prevent the TSA from opening up the bags if they do decide to search your checked luggage for some reason. 

Be Conscious of Heat and Moisture

If traveling by road, you may have to contend with hot summer days. If you store nutritional or protein powders in the trunk of your car, they may react to heat or moisture that’s present in this environment. Heat, especially, can cause certain powders to denature or cake together. Read the storage directions on each of your powders, and make sure to provide the proper environment for every one, even if it means using ice packs and multiple airtight plastic bags. 

Powders can be tricky to deal with, but if you depend on them, there’s a way to make your powder regimen work on the road. Plan ahead, think about every step of your upcoming process, and get creative. You can make road powder work, no matter your destination.