Gaiam Premium Reversible vs Gaiam Classic Print: Which One Should You Buy?

Gaiam makes both of these from latex-free PVC in the same 68″ × 24″ size, and both carry its lifetime guarantee. The Classic Print is 4 mm thick with one printed face at $24.98. The Premium Reversible is sold as 6 mm with a different print on each side at $39.98.

So the extra $15 pays for 2 mm more foam and a second design. The foam does less than you might hope, and the second print only matters if you will actually flip the mat. A third Gaiam sits between them on price, and it changes the answer for a lot of readers.

GearLab included the Premium Reversible in its 19 mat roundup and ranked it 15th. Its best sub-score was a 7 for how easily it cleans. Comfort and support got a 6, grip a 5 both dry and wet, and materials a 5. The testers liked the patterns and the way it rolls out flat, and listed poor cushion, slipping when wet and prints that can stain clothing as its flaws.

The Classic Print wasn’t in the test, and we won’t hand it the Reversible’s numbers. The two share a material and a surface, so the grip results are the best guide available for both. The cushion result points the other way: if GearLab found the Reversible short on padding, the Classic Print has less foam still.

On paper the Reversible has half again as much foam, 6 mm against 4. Soft PVC compresses a long way under a knee, though, so the extra depth is used up quickly. GearLab still listed poor cushion among the Reversible’s flaws and gave it 6 for comfort, half a point under the plain Gaiam Premium 6mm, which Gaiam sells at the same stated thickness.

One oddity if you read GearLab’s spec table: it lists the Reversible at 5 mm rather than 6, without saying whether that figure was measured. We go by Gaiam’s 6 mm. Nobody has published a test of the Classic Print, so its 4 mm is Gaiam’s number too.

Either way, 2 mm of soft PVC is noticeable under a knee on tile, but it doesn’t turn a thin mat into a thick one. If extra cushion is the main reason you are looking at the Reversible, the plain Premium 6mm further down is the cheaper way to get it.

Both are soft PVC, so both compress under a kneecap and both reach the floor during long holds on hardwood. The Reversible just gets there a little later. For a gentle home practice on carpet or a rug, either will do. Over tile, both benefit from a blanket doubled up under the knees, the Classic Print more so.

The Reversible’s comfort score of 6 sits below the Gaiam Premium 6mm at 6.5 and well below the perfect 10s GearLab gave its most cushioned mats. If your joints are the priority, neither mat here is a strong answer.

Less foam underfoot means less to sink into, so the Classic Print moves less in a one-legged balance and your ankle does less correcting. The Reversible’s extra 2 mm adds a little give, not a lot.

Neither is a firm mat, and if balancing takes up most of your practice, a dense rubber mat does that job far better than any soft Gaiam. Between these two, the Classic Print has a slight edge for standing sequences.

The Reversible does what the name says. Each side carries a different design, Gaiam lists about ten combinations at last count, and you can turn the mat over whenever you tire of one. Both faces are practice surfaces, so you also get a fresh top if one side gets scuffed.

The Classic Print has one printed top over a plain textured underside. Gaiam swaps those designs in and out, so the one you want could disappear from the lineup. If one pattern you like is all you need, it gets you there for $15 less.

About that clothing stain note from GearLab: it was recorded for the Reversible, but the Classic Print is also printed PVC, so we would assume the same risk until you know how your mat’s ink behaves. Dark clothes for the first few sessions are the easy precaution.

GearLab’s dry grip score of 5 for the Reversible was one of the lowest in the test, with only two mats scoring worse. The Classic Print uses a similar textured sticky finish, so expect similar behavior: enough traction for a beginner class with dry hands, not enough once you sweat.

PVC doesn’t absorb moisture, so sweat stays on the surface. If your practice runs warm, neither Gaiam will fix that, and our IUGA vs Classic Print comparison covers a sweat-absorbing polyurethane top for about $67.

The Classic Print weighs 2.1 pounds and the Reversible 3.3. Neither is heavy, but the Classic Print is the one to choose if the mat rides to class on your shoulder or goes in a suitcase. Gaiam’s own product pages don’t list a strap for either, though Amazon’s listing titles now mention one, so check the listing you order from.

Gaiam prints identical care notes for both. Expect a strong smell when you unwrap either one, and leave it spread out to air for two or three days before you use it. Spot clean with cold water and a mild soap, and store it away from windows, since Gaiam says long sun exposure fades these mats and leaves them brittle. The lifetime guarantee covers defects on both, not foam that packs down with use.

Individual prints on both listings often sell below list, and a discounted Reversible design can close most of the gap. Check the Premium Reversible at Amazon and the Classic Print at Amazon before deciding.

Then look at the plain Gaiam Premium 6mm at $29.98. It is the same family of sticky PVC at the same stated 6 mm, and it scored 62 in the same test, eight points above the Reversible, winning the Best First Yoga Mat title. If you want more cushion and don’t need two prints, it beats both mats here. Our Premium vs Classic Print and Premium vs Premium Reversible pages go into the details.

Buy the Classic Print if you want a printed Gaiam and one design is enough. It is $15 cheaper, more than a pound lighter and a little steadier in standing poses, and 2 mm of soft PVC is not much cushion to give up.

Buy the Premium Reversible if you want two patterns to switch between, or a sale brings it near the Classic Print’s price. And if you mainly want a softer mat, skip both and get the plain Premium 6mm, the Gaiam that GearLab recommends to beginners.