The Best Travel Mah Jongg Sets

A travel Mah Jongg set is a compact, complete American set, small tiles and slim racks in a zip case you can pack, with all 152 tiles the game needs plus the eight jokers. The whole bargain is size for portability, so the one question worth answering before you buy is how small is too small for you.

The one real tradeoff: tile size

Most travel sets use mini tiles, around 0.8 inch, versus the roughly 1.1 to 1.25 inch tiles on a full-size American set. Packed down, that is the difference between a set that fits a carry-on and one that does not. At the table it is a real tradeoff: some players love the compactness, others find mini tiles hard to read across four hands and fiddly to stand on the rack. If you play long sessions or cross-check the card constantly, hold a full-size set for that and keep the travel set for the road.

The complete travel pick

Yellow Mountain Imports' Mini Travel set (around $62) is the easiest travel set to recommend, because it is complete: 166 mini melamine tiles with the jokers, four acrylic racks, dice, and a wind indicator in a slim zip case. It comes from an established maker rather than a marketplace label, which is why it is our pick over the cheaper look-alikes. The catch is the one above, the tiles are mini, and there are no pushers.

If you want full-size tiles that still pack

If mini tiles are a dealbreaker, the alternative is a full-size set in a soft, padded case rather than a hard box, which packs far better than a wooden case. Soft-case American sets run higher than the mini sets but keep readable tiles. As always, confirm the listing is an American set with jokers, not a 144-tile Chinese set, before you buy.

And the card

A set is only half of it. You also need the current National Mah Jongg League card, bought from the League directly.