Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip vs Lululemon The (Big) Mat 5mm: Which One Should You Buy?

Both of these are 5 mm thick and the similarity stops there. The Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip is PVC with a moisture-wicking topcoat, 68″ × 24″, at $69.98.

The Lululemon Big Mat is FSC-certified natural rubber with an absorbent polyurethane face, 84″ × 28″, at $128. It is twelve pounds of difference in list price and sixteen inches of difference in length, and those two numbers explain most of the comparison.

The Big Mat needs about seven feet by two and a half of clear floor. That rules out a lot of apartment living rooms and most studio cubbies, and it means the mat is a home fixture rather than something you sling over a shoulder.

The Gaiam at 68 by 24 inches is on the small side of standard. It fits anywhere and stores anywhere, and if you are near six feet you will find its length limiting. Gaiam’s answer is the Dry-Grip Long & Wide at 78″ × 26″, which closes most of the gap for a lot less than the Lululemon costs.

The Lululemon’s polyurethane face soaks moisture up rather than shedding it, which is the right approach for a warm room. GearLab scored the standard-size version of the same mat 6.5 out of 10 dry and 4.5 wet, so it is decent rather than a grip champion, and it took a Top Pick award for mixed fitness routines rather than for traction.

The Gaiam scored 6.5 dry and 3.5 wet, the second-lowest wet result in that 19-mat test, which is a striking figure given the name on the label. The topcoat helps at the start of a class and stops helping once you are properly sweating. Both mats want a towel in a heated room; only one of them is sold as though it does not.

GearLab gave the standard Lululemon 10 out of 10 for comfort and support, the top score in its test. That is not plushness; it is the combination of 5 mm and a rubber base that does not move under you, which makes standing work feel unusually settled.

The Gaiam scored 8, and it gets there differently, with softer PVC that has more give under a knee. On tile the Gaiam is the kinder mat for kneeling sequences. In a balance, the Lululemon is the more stable one.

The Big Mat is reversible: the polyurethane face for sweaty yoga, and a textured rubber underside for a drier practice or general training. For a household mat that gets used for more than yoga, that is genuinely useful and it is why the standard version took its award for mixed routines.

The Gaiam has one practice surface and a textured non-slip back meant to stay on the floor. Nothing wrong with that, it is just a single-purpose mat.

Lululemon lists the Big Mat at 7.1 pounds. Gaiam lists the Dry-Grip at 4.25, though GearLab weighed a sample at 5.4, so the real gap is probably closer to two pounds than three.

Either way the Big Mat is the awkward one to move, because 84 inches of roll hangs badly on a strap regardless of what it weighs. The Gaiam is an easy carry and stores in a closet corner.

The Lululemon is natural rubber with FSC certification and a polyurethane top. Rubber and PU both wear slowly, and the wear point is the absorbent face, which can go shiny under heavy use. It also means latex, so it is out with an allergy.

The Gaiam is PVC and latex free. Its grip comes from a coating rather than the material, and coatings wear off: GearLab scored its materials 4 out of 10, among the lowest in its test. Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee covers defects rather than a topcoat that has gone smooth, which is the failure to plan for.

$69.98 against $128. The Gaiam is on Amazon and each of its three colors carries its own price, so it pays to check all of them. The Big Mat is sold through lululemon.com and in stores, and it is not on Amazon, so it rarely moves off list.

The $58 buys size and better materials rather than a dramatically grippier surface. If you have the space and you practice several times a week, that is fair value. If you practice occasionally, the Gaiam does the same job in a smaller box.

Get the Big Mat if you practice at home, you have the floor for it, and you want a mat that handles sweat and doubles as a training mat. Eighty-four by 28 inches is more space than almost anyone else sells, and the rubber and PU will outlast a coated PVC mat.

Get the Dry-Grip if your space or your bag is small, if you need a latex-free mat, or if $69.98 with a lifetime guarantee is the right amount to spend. It is comfortable and easy to live with, and the only thing you have to be realistic about is what happens when you sweat.