Gaiam Premium Reversible vs YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe: Which One Should You Buy?

GearLab’s 19-mat roundup for 2026 ranked these two side by side, and the order runs against the price tags. The YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe, at $21.99, came 14th with a score of 56. The Gaiam Premium Reversible 6mm, at $39.98, came 15th with 54.

Sales run the other way. The Reversible ranked 10th in Amazon’s yoga mat category when we checked, with 4.6 stars across roughly 15,600 ratings, while the YogaAccessories has about 2,860 ratings at 4.5 and sits far lower. Both mats are latex-free PVC foam about a quarter inch thick. The Gaiam costs about $18 more, and most of that money goes to things you can see rather than feel.

On comfort and support the YogaAccessories got 6.5 to the Reversible’s 6, and on grip 4.5 to 4. The Reversible took care and cleaning, 7 to 6.5, and they tied at 5 for materials. Comfort and grip carry 65% of GearLab’s weighting between them, so the cheaper mat won the two categories that count most, by half a point each.

GearLab credits the YogaAccessories with a low price, cushy padding and low weight, and faults it for slipping when wet, compressing over time and being too soft for secure balance. The Reversible’s pros are its beautiful patterns and how flat it rolls out. Its cons are poor cushion, slipping when wet and that it can stain clothing. Neither of the Gaiam’s pros is about cushion or grip.

The Reversible has a different print on each face, and Gaiam lists ten designs at last count, including Purple Illusion and Lunar Wave. Either side works as the top, so you can flip it when you want a change. GearLab’s verdict calls the patterns stunning, and Amazon’s review summary leads with the design too.

The YogaAccessories is plain by comparison: one of 36 colors at last count, three of them two-tone, and the only printing on offer is a custom logo or studio name. If a pattern is what gets you onto the floor, that has real value. Going by GearLab’s scores, though, the look is what the extra money buys.

Gaiam says the Reversible comes with its lifetime guarantee, which is unusual on a $40 mat. The product page doesn’t give the terms, and we would read it as cover for a faulty mat rather than a promise about cushion. On wear itself neither mat has an edge: GearLab gave both 5 for materials, among the lower scores in its lineup.

YogaAccessories publishes no warranty, only a 30-day window for returning an unused mat. The limited lifetime warranty and 74-inch length on its Amazon listing don’t appear on the brand’s own page. Against that, Gaiam’s guarantee is a modest advantage, but a real one.

Both are sold at about 6 mm, 6 mm for the Gaiam and 6.2 for the YogaAccessories. GearLab still separated them, 6 for the Reversible against 6.5, and put poor cushion among the Gaiam’s cons while crediting the YogaAccessories with cushy padding.

The words sound further apart than the scores. Both are soft foam that compresses under a knee, and GearLab calls the YogaAccessories too soft for secure balance, a note the Reversible avoided without scoring any better on support. For kneeling and stretching on a hard floor, the YogaAccessories is slightly kinder. For standing balances, neither is a good pick.

GearLab’s grip numbers don’t agree with each other here. In the scored categories the Reversible got 4 for grip, near the bottom of the 19, and the YogaAccessories 4.5. GearLab’s separate wet and dry table, though, rates the Reversible 5 dry and 5 wet, and the YogaAccessories 5.5 dry and 4 wet.

By the table, the Reversible holds up a point better once your hands are wet. By the grip score, it trails. GearLab doesn’t explain the gap and we can’t reconcile it, but both mats carry slippery when wet as a con, and both are closed-cell PVC. For sweaty practice, our IUGA vs Premium Reversible page covers a budget mat with an absorbent top.

Both are 24″ wide, but the YogaAccessories is 72″ long and the Reversible 68″. Lying down, the Gaiam fits you up to five foot eight and the YogaAccessories up to six feet. If your height falls between those, length settles this more reliably than any test score.

The Reversible weighs 3.3 pounds and the YogaAccessories 3.6, too close to matter on a shoulder.

Two printed faces mean ink on both sides, and GearLab lists staining clothing among the Reversible’s cons. For the Gaiam Dry-Grip in the same test, whose surface dye can rub off, GearLab’s advice was to buff it with a towel before first use, and that seems worth doing here too. Wearing black the first few times costs nothing.

Gaiam’s instructions for its printed mats admit to a strong, harmless smell out of the wrapper and suggest leaving the mat unrolled for a few days, and several Amazon owners mention the smell too. Gaiam also warns that long sun can fade the mat and make it brittle. The YogaAccessories Amazon listing specifies phthalate-free inks and dyes, and its owners are split on the smell.

List prices are $39.98 and $21.99. See what the Premium Reversible costs on Amazon and what the YogaAccessories costs on Amazon, or order it direct from yogaaccessories.com, where all 36 colors cost the same.

One more Gaiam deserves a look first: the plain Premium 6mm, listed at $29.98. It is also a 68″ × 24″ Gaiam PVC mat, GearLab gave it 62 and its Best First Yoga Mat title, and it comes in solid two-color pairs rather than prints. We cover how the Premium 6mm compares with this YogaAccessories on a separate page.

Go with the YogaAccessories if you want the better mat for less. It beat the Reversible on comfort and grip, the categories GearLab weights most, it is four inches longer, and it costs about $18 less. It slips once you sweat, it will compress, and its only cover is a 30-day return window.

Go with the Gaiam Premium Reversible if a particular print will get you practicing more, or the lifetime guarantee matters to you, and a 68″ mat is long enough for your height. You are paying extra for looks and coverage, which is fine as long as you know it.