Gaiam Premium Reversible vs Lululemon The (Big) Mat: Which One Should You Buy?

The Gaiam Premium Reversible measures 68″ × 24″ and is 6 mm of soft PVC, printed differently on each side, for $39.98. Lululemon’s The (Big) Mat is 84″ × 28″ of polyurethane over FSC-certified natural rubber, for $128.

The Lululemon costs $88.02 more and adds 16 inches of length and 4 of width, which is about 44% more mat. The Gaiam is latex-free, less than half the weight and backed by a lifetime guarantee. GearLab tested the Gaiam and the standard-size Lululemon, and the scores are far apart.

The Gaiam is 68 inches long, the height of someone five foot eight, so taller people lying down run out of mat, and a deep lunge can land the back foot on the floor. The Big Mat’s 84 inches is a full seven feet, and its footprint is 2,352 square inches against 1,632.

The width gap matters for broad shoulders and wide stances, 28 inches against 24. Gaiam makes the Reversible in a single size, so a tall buyer who likes Gaiam’s prints has no longer version to step up to. The Big Mat’s catch is the room it takes: seven feet of clear floor is a lot to ask of a small apartment.

GearLab ranked the Reversible 15th of 19 in March 2026 with 54 out of 100, scoring it 6 for comfort and support, 4 for grip, 5 for materials and 7 for care. Its two pros were beautiful patterns and a mat that rolls out nice and flat. Its cons were poor cushion, slippery when wet and can stain clothing.

GearLab didn’t test the Big Mat. It tested the standard The Mat, which came fourth at 81 with the Best Mat for Mixed Fitness Routines award and scored 10, 7, 7 and 7 in those categories. Same materials, same surface, so read those numbers as a preview of the bigger mat rather than a measurement of it.

GearLab rates grip two ways. Its scored grip category, which is 30% of the total, gives the standard The Mat 7 and the Reversible 4, tied for second lowest in the field.

The wet and dry table, a separate measure, reads a little differently. Dry, The Mat leads 6.5 to 5. Wet, the Reversible’s 5 lands mid-table, about 11th of 18, half a point ahead of The Mat’s 4.5.

We wouldn’t buy the Gaiam on half a point. Slippery when wet is still on its cons list, and Amazon’s review summary is close to split, 293 positive grip mentions against 251 negative. GearLab’s write-up of The Mat is also warmer than its number, reporting excellent traction even when the mat was soaking wet.

The Reversible is the thicker mat at 6 mm, yet poor cushion is one of GearLab’s cons for it. Owners are kinder: Amazon’s summary counts 226 positive cushioning mentions against 32 negative and describes the mat as squishy and soft on knees.

GearLab’s point is that density can matter more than depth, and it compares a dense mat and a cloudlike one to memory foam and feathers of the same thickness. The standard The Mat, only 5 mm, earned GearLab’s top comfort and support score, a perfect 10 that only the Manduka PRO shared.

Gaiam puts a different design on each face, and you can practice on either. Design is the most-praised aspect on the Amazon listing, 927 positive mentions against 32 negative, and Gaiam had ten designs at last count.

The Big Mat flips to a textured natural rubber underside. GearLab lists double-sided for grip options among the standard mat’s pros and suggests choosing a side by how the day’s flow feels. Its only color at last count was black.

Printed Gaiam mats come out of the wrapper with a very strong odor, harmless according to Gaiam, which wants them aired for two to three days first. Owners are blunter, with 451 negative odor mentions on Amazon against 102 positive. GearLab adds that the Reversible can stain clothing, so wear something old for the first sessions.

The Lululemon’s trouble comes later. Sweat and skin oils soak into its top, and stains easily and needs deep cleans are both GearLab cons for the standard mat, though black hides most of it. GearLab gave the Reversible and the standard The Mat the same 7 for care and cleaning, a score that factors in portability as well.

The Reversible is 3.3 pounds by our data against the Big Mat’s 7.1. Gaiam’s own page lists no strap, though the Amazon listing title now mentions one. The Big Mat’s weight and 84 inch roll make it a mat that stays at home.

The Gaiam is latex-free PVC. The Lululemon sits on natural rubber, which means latex, so an allergy rules it out. Keep either out of long sun: Gaiam says its PVC fades and turns brittle there.

Gaiam backs the Reversible for life but hasn’t published the terms, so read it as defect cover rather than a promise against wear. Its durability mentions on Amazon run 222 positive to 102 negative. The Big Mat gets Lululemon’s open-ended Quality Promise, and GearLab heard from practitioners who got five or six years from the standard mat.

The Reversible lists at $39.98; check its price at Amazon. The Big Mat is $128 from lululemon.com and its stores. Skip Lululemon listings on Amazon, which are third-party sellers.

Gaiam’s plain Premium 6mm scored 62 and won GearLab’s Best First Yoga Mat for $29.98; see Premium 6mm vs Big Mat. For the smaller Lululemon against this Gaiam, there’s The Mat vs Premium Reversible.

Buy the Premium Reversible if you are under about five foot eight, your budget is closer to $40 than $130, or you love one of its prints enough to practice more. It is latex-free and light. Unroll it somewhere airy before the first class, and know it will slide once you sweat and feel soft in balance poses.

The Big Mat is the one for tall or broad people who practice at home and want the far better surface GearLab found in the standard size. Budget for the occasional deep clean, and for leaving it where you unrolled it.