Gaiam Dry-Grip vs Dry-Grip Long & Wide: Which One Should You Buy?

Gaiam sells its Performance Dry-Grip in two sizes: 68″ × 24″ for $69.98, or 78″ × 26″ for $74.98. Both are 5 mm of PVC under the same moisture-wicking topcoat, both are rubber-free and latex-free, and both carry Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee.

So this page is mostly about fit. What changes is ten inches of length, two of width, about three quarters of a pound on paper, the color choice, and five dollars. What GearLab and owners say about the surface applies to both, so we cover it once.

Gaiam’s copy says the Long & Wide is ten inches longer and two wider than standard mats, which holds for Gaiam’s own 68 inch lineup. Many standard mats from other brands run 71 or 72 inches, so next to a typical studio mat the gain is six or seven inches.

The surface area jump is bigger than either number suggests: 1,632 square inches against 2,028, about a quarter more mat for a list price about 7 percent higher. Most of the size upgrades we cover cost $10 or more. Gaiam charges five.

In savasana your head and feet both belong on the mat, and a long down dog pushes your hands and feet toward the ends, so you need some slack beyond your height. On 68 inches that slack runs out around five foot seven or eight.

The Long & Wide’s 78 inches works for people into the six-foot-four range. Under about five foot six, the extra length only takes up floor. In between, we would still size up, since five dollars is a small price for never thinking about where your heels land.

At 24 inches, a wide-legged forward fold puts your feet near the edges, and broad shoulders bring your hands close to the sides in down dog. Two more inches fixes that without making the mat awkward, and it is the width the Manduka PRO and Lululemon’s The Mat use.

The cost is floor space: about six and a half feet by just over two. In a small apartment, measure the spot before ordering.

GearLab tested the standard 68 inch Dry-Grip, not the Long & Wide. The topcoat and PVC are the same, so the results are a fair guide to both, but they are the standard model’s numbers: 62 out of 100, twelfth of 19, with 8 of 10 for comfort and support and 4 for materials.

The cushion is the highlight. GearLab called it ideal, good on the joints and firm for support, said the mat doesn’t budge on the ground, and thought it well suited to a stretching practice, while noting it is not the grippiest sticky mat.

One paperwork gap: Gaiam’s standard page says the mat is free of the six most harmful phthalates, and the Long & Wide page leaves that line out. We would expect the same PVC, but Gaiam doesn’t say so.

Gaiam markets both sizes as ideal for hot yoga. GearLab scored the standard mat’s wet grip 3.5 out of 10, second lowest of the 19, ahead of only the Primasole Foldable. Its dry grip was a middling 6.5. A bigger piece of the same surface won’t do better.

Owners are kinder: Amazon’s review summary, pooled across both sizes, says customers praise grip that stays put when they sweat. We trust the side-by-side test more, since plenty of owners never practice in a hot room. For heated classes, plan on a towel, or consider a mat built around sweat, such as the Manduka GRP Adapt 2.0.

Gaiam lists 4.25 pounds for the standard and 5 for the Long & Wide. GearLab’s scale put the standard at 5.4, more than a pound over Gaiam’s figure. As far as we can tell nobody has weighed the bigger mat independently, so take its 5 pounds as a best case.

Mats roll from a short end, so the Long & Wide rolls 26 inches tall instead of 24, and barely fatter, since ten inches is less than one extra turn. Gaiam suggests storing it in a bag, and one sized for 24 inch mats may not close over it.

The surface is the weak spot. GearLab’s materials score of 4 tied for second lowest in the test, and it warned that the surface dye can rub off, recommending you buff a new mat with a towel so it doesn’t mark your clothes. Amazon’s review summary adds reports of the top layer peeling away from the base.

Care is identical. Leave a new one unrolled for a couple of days so the smell can fade, wipe it with cold water and a little mild detergent, and store it away from sunlight, which Gaiam says makes the PVC brittle.

Gaiam doesn’t publish its lifetime guarantee terms; we would read them as defect cover, not a promise against wear. Its 30-day returns cover only unopened, unused gaiam.com orders, so you can’t test the fit and send it back that way.

The standard comes in black, purple and blue at gaiam.com; the Long & Wide is black only. That is the main thing you give up by sizing up.

List prices are $69.98 and $74.98. On Amazon both sizes share a listing, with the Long & Wide shown as Black (XL) and about 4.2 stars from roughly 2,560 ratings pooled across both. Its bullets describe the 68 inch mat even with XL selected, so confirm 78 × 26 in the details. Check the standard Dry-Grip at Amazon and the Long & Wide at Amazon for today’s prices.

Unsure about the Dry-Grip itself? Our Gaiam Premium vs Dry-Grip Long & Wide page weighs it against Gaiam’s $30 mat, which tied the standard model in GearLab’s test.

For most buyers, the Long & Wide is the one to get. Five dollars buys about a quarter more mat, room for people well over six feet, and width for wide stances. You give up purple and blue and carry a slightly bigger roll.

Get the standard Dry-Grip if you are shorter than about five foot six, your space or mat bag is tight, or you want purple or blue. Either way, buy it for the firm cushion, not for hot yoga.