Gaiam Premium Reversible vs Manduka PRO Travel: Which One Should You Buy?

The Gaiam Premium Reversible is 6 mm of printed PVC with a separate design on each side, 68″ × 24″, for $39.98. The Manduka PRO Travel is 2 mm of dense German PVC that folds, 71″ × 24″, for $74.

GearLab’s buying guide puts most yoga mats at 3 to 5 mm and advises sticking to that range unless you are after a travel mat or need more padding. These two are one of each, so the choice mostly comes down to where the mat gets unrolled: the same patch of floor at home, or hotel rooms, retreats and borrowed studio mats.

GearLab scored the Premium Reversible 54 out of 100, 15th of the 19 mats in its 2026 roundup. Its sub-scores were 6 for comfort and support, 5 for materials and 7 for care and cleaning. The listed pros were its patterns and how flat it lies once unrolled; the cons were poor cushion, slipping when wet and a print that can stain clothing.

No reputable outlet has tested the PRO Travel, and the full-size PRO’s 91 in the same roundup belongs to a 6 mm mat, not this one. For the Manduka we rely on its specs and a small pool of Amazon owners: 4.6 stars from about 120 ratings, the same average the Reversible holds from about 15,600.

For kneeling on hardwood or tile, the Reversible is the kinder mat, and its owners are pleased: 434 of 513 thickness mentions and 226 of 258 cushioning mentions in Amazon’s review summary are positive, with words like squishy and soft on the knees.

The PRO Travel has a third of the depth. Manduka calls its 2 mm light joint protection, and only one of the five owners who mention thickness in its Amazon summary counts it as a plus. GearLab’s buying guide files 1 to 2 mm mats as travel mats that won’t feel as good on your joints, and says you can double the mat over or add a folded blanket.

Dense 2 mm PVC barely compresses, and Manduka sells the PRO Travel on floor-like stability. Its underside carries a dot pattern that Manduka says locks the mat to the floor, and it calls it the only travel mat that supports inversions with confidence, a claim no one has tested.

The Reversible has no dedicated underside, since both faces are printed practice surfaces, and one owner notes it moves a little on the studio floor. Its 6 mm of soft PVC also leaves more to sink into on one foot; GearLab’s guide cautions that thicker mats leave more squish to balance on.

GearLab’s two grip figures for the Reversible don’t agree: its scored grip category gives 4 out of 10, while its standalone wet and dry chart gives 5 for each. The category score is one of the lowest in the roundup and the chart’s dry 5 is third from the bottom, though its wet 5 lands mid-table despite the slippery-when-wet con. Amazon owners split almost evenly, with 293 grip mentions positive and 251 negative.

Manduka tells you to break the PRO Travel in by practicing on it, and warns that the closed-cell surface may feel slick if you sweat; it suggests a hand towel, or a full mat towel for heated classes. Neither mat absorbs sweat. If that is your problem, our GRP Adapt 2.0 vs PRO Travel page covers the absorbent mat Manduka makes for it.

By the brands’ figures the two weigh within half a pound of each other, 3.3 pounds for the Reversible and 2.9 for the Manduka. Manduka pitches the PRO Travel as small enough, once folded, to pack in a carry-on. The Reversible rolls, and 6 mm of foam makes a thicker roll than most bags want.

One oddity: Gaiam’s Amazon bullets call the Reversible a foldable mat that rolls tight for storage. Gaiam’s own page says nothing about folding, so we’d treat it as a roll-up mat.

Gaiam listed ten designs at last count, one pattern per side, and design is the best-loved thing in its Amazon summary at 927 of 959 mentions. The PRO Travel comes in black, midnight, or black sage at last count.

Smell is the Reversible’s top complaint: 451 of 553 odor mentions are negative, some describing a chemical reek. Gaiam’s answer is two to three days unrolled before the first session, then spot cleaning with cold water and a mild detergent. The PRO Travel wants only Manduka’s mat wash or warm water, wiped dry.

Both mats come with a lifetime guarantee. Gaiam doesn’t publish its terms, and we’d expect it to cover defects only. Manduka’s PRO series terms cap it at about ten years of regular use and one replacement mat, and ask for a receipt from an authorized seller; Amazon counts only when Amazon is the seller and the shipper. Neither brand takes back a used mat bought direct.

Reversible owners are mostly positive on durability, 222 of 324 mentions, and the negatives describe tearing, in one case after a few weeks. Both are latex-free PVC; only the PRO Travel has OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certification.

The Reversible lists at $39.98 and the PRO Travel at $74. Check the Premium Reversible at Amazon, where each design is priced on its own, and the PRO Travel at Amazon.

If cushion is why you want the Reversible, note that Gaiam’s solid-color Premium 6mm lists at $29.98. It is another 68″ × 24″ Gaiam PVC mat at the same stated thickness, and GearLab scored it 62 and named it Best First Yoga Mat. Our Premium 6mm vs PRO Travel page runs this comparison with it.

Buy the Premium Reversible if the mat stays home, you spend a lot of time kneeling or on your back, and you like the prints. Owners find it soft and it costs about half as much. GearLab found its grip and cushion weak for regular practice, and it will smell at first.

Choose the PRO Travel when the mat must pack flat for a trip or lie over hotel carpet and rental mats. It is thin and firm, it needs practice before it grips well, and Manduka backs it with published terms. If you want Gaiam’s thinner print instead, see Classic Print vs PRO Travel.