Calf Massager

a water bottle or a flashlight could do double duty. or a big stick?

I've found that a tennis ball works really well as a stand-in foam roller while backpacking.

I guess it depends on what weight tolerance you have for your calf relief – 'lightweight' means different things to different people, always helps to be as specific as possible.

If I had constant tightness/soreness, I'd carry this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Stick-Massage/dp/B00JBJAQ7I

Weighs about 8oz I think, give or take (mine's packed up right now so I can't weigh it), but it works. And it works well.

If the water bottle doesn't work for you, there's an item called a Goose Bumps massage ball that I think is fairly light. My massage guy just showed me one this week, as a suggestion for something to loosen up my very tight hamstrings (which don't get stretched enough even though I can bend and put both palms on the floor with elbows significantly bent). I just ordered a set of two – when they arrive I can let you know the weight if you are interested. PM me, if so. I could sell you one at my cost if I don't need them both.

+10 Doug – the Stick is a wonder drug, except it's not a drug. My wife is addicted to it. Though for backpacking I would either MYOG or buy a smaller one or improvise with a water bottle, or maybe buy some small plastic rings that fit on your trekking pole to convert it into The Stick.

It was recommended to us by a friend who ran in the Olympics.

Thank you all for your help! I have one of the "goosebump" balls that I use for my plantaris. I hike in shorts a lot and if I try to massage with anything that doesn't roll (ball, waterbottle) it just pulls on the hair. I found the "Little Stick" on Amazon. It's 14" and shipping weight is 7oz, so I'll give that a try. If that doesn't work I'll try one of the massage roller balls.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=massage+roller+ball&sprefix=massage+roller%2Caps%2C283

I sometimes just use a wooden dowel (12" long, 3/4" diameter). It weighs 1.5 oz. I cut it from a length of dowel I bought at the hardware store. (I did have to sand it a bit).

It might be better to attack the source of the problem. A lack of fitness is half of it. A lack of stretching may be the other half. But it all needs to be addressed slowly and over time. A little bit of ouch is OK and expected, but not too much!

Cheers

Taking a magnesium supplement on trips helped with my muscle soreness issues.

…or maybe I misunderstood your question?

That's one happy looking calf Andy ;-)

Put on some nylons and roll away with the water bottle.

I find that my best massage tool for my body (or someone else's) is my fingers as long as I can reach the area in need. You can use pressure, you can drag to stretch the muscles, etc. I try to start light, work my way into it, and experiment. They are also great multipurpose tools that add no extra carry weight. And no extra cost.

The problem isn't muscle soreness, it's that my calves get tight and pull too much on my Achilles, and this causes pains into my feet. It's not lack of fitness-kind of the opposite. When I was a national champion track cyclist up until 6 years ago, with very strong calves, this was a daily problem. Back then I could just massage the area because I had tools available and no hair on my legs. Now I have to remedy the problem in different ways while on hiking trips with hairy legs. Stretching my calf more than verrrry gently just makes the foot pains worse. I do little massages by hand, but I need more force and less hair pulling.

That calf looks very happy!

I use a stick too, at home.

I've also thought, like EJ, that the rings or similar rings could be used on trekking pole staff to convert it to The Stick. If someone comes across a source of rings that fit (most trekking poles are similar diameter and they probably can have a bit of slop) definitely post here, I'd be keen to get some, without having to pull my Stick apart.

Sources of those rings could be thin PVC tubing from a plumbing or home improvement store or polypropylene tubing from a plastics supplier cut into pieces (for example, TAP Plastics in the SF Bay Area). Any set of light thin round tubing that will roll over your trekking pole will work fine. That's all The Stick is. I'd like to make a set of rings like this for the Ms. to use with a trekking pole.

> but I need more force and less hair pulling.
All very odd.
Shave legs?

Cheers

Try taking a small amount of an oil or lotion to massage with.

Thanks for the Stick recommendation. My Achilles tendons are the tightest my PT has ever seen, and therapy doesn't seem to help much — so when I do any sort of long walking even just at work I get calf cramps and Achilles and foot pain all night. This is sheer hell on a backpacking trip getting in and out of a sleeping bag.

I've had some success with a big foam roller, but couldn't take it hiking (and the water bottle never worked for me). So the Travel Stick looks like a good thing to try. So thanks.

http://www.orthlab.com/night-splint-socks-c-6

Have you tried a product like this to help fix the problem? I had them make me up some orthotics since they are just down the road but otherwise I have no affiliation with them. You could probably find something similar locally.
A physiotherapist and/or podiatrist could put you onto a path for recovery where you will be able to maintain flexibility with just some light stretching every day or two. My hamstrings used to be wicked tight from too much cycling. Physio got me past the initial injury and yoga has helped to recover to a level of flexibility that I didn't even have before.

I've worn orthotics for at least 20 years. When I had a mild case of plantar fasciitis I used a boot (applies a constant, gentle stretch to the calf and Achilles) during the day and it was helpful. I retrieved it from the closet so I can try it again for this tight calf problem. My TravelStick arrives today and I'm looking forward to trying it, and probably bringing it on the trail. I will also look at putting some PVC pipe segments on my hiking pole. MYOG!

Warren, as a cyclist, I'm a little surprised you haven't used compression socks to help in recovery between workouts. I'm an old marathoner and take a pair with me on most every hike I take, including a PCT thru- hike last year. I used them almost every night on the trail to help recovery while sleeping. They are very light weight and will keep the swelling down to a minimum, which in turn helps blood flow to your tissues where it's needed for recovery. I find that compression will cut recovery time by nearly 50%.

Almost 10 years later… an ultralight gear company is now manufacturing 2 oz massage rollers that are specifically designed to mount to a trekking pole.

https://adotecgear.com/product/hikers-helper-massage-roller/

Though I do wonder if any of the previous commenters found another solution. I imagine that carrying a very small piece of PVC to slide over your trekking pole and function like The Stick would work well enough, and at less weight.

I have a problem with one of my calf muscles also. For a while, I carried a Nalgene in a dual purpose role, for water and to use as a roller. Worked great as long as you can work out a relatively flat surface to roll on. Recently, I started carrying a small cork ball. It doesn’t work quite as well as the Nalgene, but it much lighter.

https://www.garagegrowngear.com/products/cork-massage-balls-by-rawlogy?_pos=1&_sid=f419c8ed6&_ss=r

Some use foam golf balls.