To get the most out of your yoga practices, you must choose the appropriate yoga mat. The cherry on top would be to find one that you can travel with as well. We asked yoga teacher and author of “Yogalosophy: 28 Days to the Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover” Mandy Ingber for her advice on what qualities to look for in a mat. We make design, comfort, grip, and portability our guiding principles, taking extra care to consider things like a mat’s thickness, which can throw off your balance if it’s too bulky, and whether or not it feels like a Slip ‘N Slide (not in a good way) or makes it easy for you to maintain your poses.
Equipped with this inside knowledge, we conducted several yoga sessions to evaluate 40 various mats, taking thorough notes and paying particular attention to qualities like superior cushion and support balance, good grip, and transport-friendly characteristics. See below for our top picks for travel yoga mats.
Overall Best
The Aeromat Elite Pilates and Yoga Mat
Cost: $38 on Amazon
The Reasons We Love It
It seems cozy and comforting.
Things to Think About
Even though it was mild, the rubber scent was unpleasant.
Think of the Aeromat Elite Yoga/Pilates Mat as Goldilocks’ “just right” bed, chair, and porridge in the classic children’s fairy story when it comes to thickness. As you go from position to posture, there is just enough material to support and cushion your body without getting in the way or making it difficult for you to establish firm touch with the floor. Additionally, it has a textured surface that guarantees a firm hold, particularly in damp conditions. During testing, we managed to exert ourselves without our hands and feet slipping about. Additionally, the surface features an integrated mesh to assist your mat maintain its form. Sling one of the twelve soothing colors—think celeste, dusty pink, sea glass green, and chai—over your shoulder when you’re ready to pack up and leave (a harness is included with purchase). Because of its exceptional low weight, which is a must for any portable fitness equipment, carrying it about will be as effortless as a child’s posture.
The Details: .25 x 24 x 72 inches | PVC
Overall Best, Runner-up
JadeYoga Jade Voyager Mat
Price: $47 at Amazon
Cost $47 at AmazonWhy We Love It
No matter the stance, the excellent grip holds hands and feet in place.
What to Consider
Are you olfactory sensitive? There is a sturdy rubbery one that clings to this mat.
Having to continuously go in and out of a stance to wipe the perspiration from your sweaty hands or feet is the worst thing ever. The Jade Yoga Voyager addresses this in two ways: the rough natural rubber improves grip, and the opened-cell surface readily absorbs extra moisture. Additionally, weighing just over 1.5 pounds, this lightweight option is ideal for traveling with you, whether you’re going across town or across the nation for a health retreat. Additionally, it folds down to the size of a yoga block, making it much easier to store in a suitcase or shoulder bag. Even better, you’ll know you’re taking care of Mother Earth every time you use the mat because it not only eliminates synthetic rubbers (yes, no PVC or EVA) and replaces them with natural ones made from the latex sap of rubber trees, but the company also plants a tree for each mat that is sold.
Specifications:.06 x 24 x 68 inches; weight: 1.5 pounds; material: natural rubber
The Best Lightweight
lululemon The Lightweight 5mm Yoga Mat
Cost: $84 at Lululemon
The Reasons We Love It
This mat provides a strong, firm grip without being sticky, and it is incredibly lightweight to transport.
Things to think about
It tends to get slippery, so if you’re a heavy sweater, you might want to avoid it.
This thin, featherlike yoga mat is lightweight enough to carry with you wherever you go, yet it’s still strong and soft enough to support you in all of your poses, from headstand to camel. You can easily keep your balance in any of these postures and more thanks to the hundreds of tiny rectangular nubs that cover the top of the mat’s surface.
We discovered that this mat was really lightweight and simple to roll up and out. One thing to keep in mind is that perspiration cannot be absorbed by the closed cell design, which might make this mat even more slick. But cleaning the mat after practice was simple: just wipe it down with a moist towel to prevent germs, stains, and grime.
The Details: 26 x 71 x 19 inches | 3.3 pounds | Foam
Ideal for Hot Yoga
JadeYoga Travel Yoga Mat
Cost: $59 at Amazon
Reason We Love It
This mat has open cell construction to absorb moisture and a micro ribbed surface that provides grip for sweaty palms.
What to think about
This thin mat might not provide enough stability for practice sessions lasting many hours.
Sweating is to be expected when doing hot yoga. Major water works may help you cool down, but it also exposes you to the risk of slipping and sliding over your mat, which is definitely not a good idea regardless of the position. Fortunately, the Jade Yoga Travel Yoga Mat’s open cell design, which absorbs moisture, and its micro ribbed surface, which provides an exceptional grip, help keep you literally grounded. After testing, we were enamored with this mat’s remarkable grip, which held up well even with our perspiring palms. Additionally, it seemed light and portable, and because of its rough texture, we believe it will remain rolled up throughout transportation. Feel good about the environment: the firm plants a tree for each mat sold.
Specifications: 68 x 24 x 0.125 inches; weight: 3 pounds; material: natural rubber
The Best for Beginners
NewMe Fitness Instructional Yoga Mat
Cost: $42 at Amazon
Reason We Love It
On the surface are seventy printed images of various positions.
What to think about
This mat molds to your body, leaving an imprint that is difficult to get rid of.
It might be frightening to be a novice in a room full of experienced yogis, but the NewMe Fitness Yoga Mat gives beginners the confidence they need to practice. This convenient yoga mat doubles as an asana crib sheet. Its large surface is covered with 70 printed images of various positions (such as crow, cow face, and corpse) along with their titles in both Sanskrit and English. Therefore, this mat can benefit you if you need a quick reminder during class or if you need assistance figuring out which exercise the teacher is requesting you to do (we’re talking about you, Chaturanga Dandasana!). Additionally, we noted that this inexpensive mat felt as sticky as mats twice as expensive and had excellent grip that held our hands in place. Additionally, it was quite simple to roll up and transport.
The Details: 68 x 24 x 0.2 inches | 2.6 pounds | PVC
Top Grip
Gaiam Premium Reversible Lunar Wave Yoga Mat
Cost: $35 at Amazon
Reason We Love It
It features an antimicrobial, waterproof layer that is moisture-wicking and nonslip.
What to think about
Choose a different mat if your wrists or knees require more support and cushioning because this one is on the thin side.
This mat’s dual-textured sides are covered with tiny raised nodes that give it a gummy feel and increase hand and foot grip, keeping you balanced and preventing slippage. The ultimate effect is an incredible grip that occasionally borders on being sticky. But don’t be fooled by those little nodes; they are small enough that they won’t interfere with your quiet time on the mat, not even while you’re doing Savasana and allowing the day’s work to sink in. Did we add that the exquisitely painted depictions of the moons in all of their shapes also have us in awe? FYI: According to Ingber, if you are a visually stimulated person, a mat with a stylish pattern, like this one, might enhance your practice. An added benefit of this mat is that it gives you access to a library of yoga-related internet resources.
The Details: 8 x 24 inches | 6 millimeters | PVC, latex-free
Best Reversible
Manduka Yoga Mat
Cost: $58 at Amazon
Reason We Love It
Its dual-hued sides give you the impression that you’re receiving two mats for the price of one.
What to Consider
You must be careful to wipe the mat down after using it since its surface is closed-cell, meaning it won’t collect perspiration or bacteria.
We adore how the dual-hued sides of this environmentally friendly Manduka mat give you the impression that you are receiving two mats for the price of one, in addition to being free of harsh chemicals. You can always rely on the mat’s hard, textured surface to provide stability through traction, regardless of the mood that drives your color selection that day (we love the lavender/fig combination). Additionally, there is an alignment stripe down the middle of one side that can assist beginners put their hands, feet, and entire body more accurately.
We think yogis who want a more restorative practice could benefit from a more cushioned mat, but this well-designed mat stood up in a range of courses, including flow, power, and hot yoga. Bonus points: it’s lightweight and simple to fold and roll up, making it a fantastic travel companion for yoga.
The Details: 68 x 24 inches | 2.5 pounds | TPE
Best Budget
Amazon Basics 1/2-inch Extra Thick Yoga Mat
Cost: $22 at Amazon
Why We Love It
At half an inch thick, this cushy mat is a godsend for those with sensitive joints.
What to Consider
The thickness makes it slightly tricky to transport.
It might be intimidating to spend a lot of money on a mat, particularly if you’re new to the sport and not sure you’re prepared to dedicate yourself to downward-dogging on a regular basis. Fortunately, this mat is incredibly cost-effective without compromising on important features like comfort, grip, and durability. The large cushioned surface is kinder on wrists for people who spend a lot of time pressing into their hands (think Crow or Wheel). Even while we were perspiring, we never felt like we were slipping as we performed handstands against the wall and planks. This is also a fantastic option for floor-based bodyweight exercises (hey crunches!) because of the generous padding.
The Details: 73.2 x 24.3 x 0.5 inches | 2.45 pounds | Foam
