Gaiam Dry-Grip vs Gaiam Premium: Which One Should You Buy?

Gaiam sells the Premium 6mm at $29.98 as its starter mat and the Performance Dry-Grip at $69.98 as the step up for people who sweat. GearLab tested both in the same 19 mat round. The Premium scored 62 out of 100. The Dry-Grip scored 62 out of 100.

They finished eleventh and twelfth, separated by nothing. That does not mean the mats are the same, because the categories underneath move in opposite directions, but it does mean the forty dollars is not buying a better mat overall. It is buying a different set of compromises.

Gaiam markets the Dry-Grip as a no-slip mat ideal for hot yoga with a topcoat that wicks away moisture as class heats up. GearLab measured 6.5 out of 10 dry and 3.5 out of 10 wet. That wet number is third from the bottom of the entire lineup.

The Premium, with no grip claims at all, rated 6 dry and 4 wet. So the mat sold for hot yoga is half a point better dry and half a point worse wet than the thirty dollar beginner mat. If you are buying the Dry-Grip specifically because of its name, that is the single most important paragraph on this page.

GearLab’s own summary of the Dry-Grip was gentler and just as clear: not the grippiest sticky mat, but a lovely choice for a stretch practice.

This is the real difference and it is a good one. The Dry-Grip scored 8 out of 10 for comfort and support against the Premium’s 6.5, despite being a millimeter thinner at 5 mm against the Premium’s 6. GearLab described its cushion as ideal: good on the joints, firm enough for support, and it does not budge on the ground.

The Premium is softer foam, which sounds better and behaves worse under a standing foot. GearLab noted that pressing a hand into it leaves the print for a moment and that it compresses over time. If balance poses feel wobbly on your Gaiam, the Dry-Grip is a genuine fix, just not the one the box advertises.

The Premium took 6 out of 10 on materials. The Dry-Grip took 4, one of the two lowest scores in a 19 mat field. That is a striking result for the more expensive mat and it fits the ownership reports: the surface dye can rub off, and GearLab recommends buffing the mat with a towel before the first use so it does not mark your clothes.

Amazon ratings tell a compatible story. The Premium holds around 4.5 stars and the Dry-Grip about 4.2, which is a real gap at this volume. Both mats compress and scuff with regular use; the topcoat on the Dry-Grip adds a wear surface the Premium does not have.

The Dry-Grip is rubber free, latex free and free of the six worst phthalates. So is the Premium, being PVC. That matters because almost every mat that actually grips when wet is built on natural rubber, which rules it out for anyone with a latex allergy.

If latex is a medical issue in your household, the Dry-Grip is one of the few mats sold on grip that you can use, and its cushion score makes it a reasonable buy on those terms. That is a narrow recommendation, but for the people it applies to it is the whole answer.

Both are 68″ × 24″, the shorter of the two standard lengths, so if you are tall neither one is doing you a favor. Neither includes a carry strap.

Weight is where the listings and the lab disagree. Gaiam states 4.25 pounds for the Dry-Grip; GearLab’s scale read 5.4. It measured the Premium at 3.3 pounds, matching Gaiam exactly. Assume the Dry-Grip is the noticeably heavier mat of the two, roughly two pounds up on the Premium, and plan your carry accordingly.

Both carry Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee, which is unusual at these prices and narrower than it sounds. It addresses manufacturing defects, not soft foam taking a set or a topcoat wearing thin, and those are the two things that actually end these mats.

Both also warn against sun exposure, which turns PVC brittle, and both ask for two to three days of airing before the first session because PVC comes out of the wrap smelling strong. Gaiam publishes a guide on removing the odor, which tells you how often it comes up.

List prices are $69.98 and $29.98, and neither holds. The Dry-Grip in particular has been running well under list on Amazon, which changes this comparison considerably, so check the Dry-Grip at Amazon and the Premium at Amazon before deciding. Colors on the same listing are often priced apart.

At list, forty dollars for better cushion and worse materials is a close call. At a twenty dollar gap it is an easy yes if you want the firmer mat. The Dry-Grip comes in black, purple and blue; the Premium in four reversible two-color combinations.

Buy the Premium if you are starting out or practicing gently. It is GearLab’s pick for a first mat, it is the softest landing for knees at this price, it holds up better on materials, and it costs thirty dollars. Nothing about the Dry-Grip makes it a better beginner purchase.

Buy the Dry-Grip if you want a firmer, more stable surface, or if you need a latex-free mat that grips reasonably well dry. Do not buy it for hot yoga: it rated 3.5 out of 10 wet, and a mat like the Manduka GRP Adapt 2.0 is in a different world for that.