Hugger Mugger Earth Elements vs Lululemon The (Big) Mat: Which One Should You Buy?

The Hugger Mugger Earth Elements is 5 mm of closed-cell TPE, 72″ × 24″, for $83. Lululemon’s The (Big) Mat stretches its standard 5 mm build, a polyurethane top over FSC-certified natural rubber, to 84″ × 28″ for $128.

The thickness matches. Past that, the Lululemon weighs almost exactly three times as much, covers about a third more floor and costs $45 more, and only the Hugger Mugger is latex-free. Where the mat will spend its time settles most of this.

In GearLab’s March 2026 roundup the Earth Elements finished ninth of 19 with 70 out of 100. The Lululemon it tested was the regular 71″ × 26″ The Mat, fourth at 81 and winner of Best Mat for Mixed Fitness Routines. The Big Mat shares its materials and surface, so expect the same feel, but GearLab never put the Big Mat itself through its tests.

The standard mat led comfort and support 10 to 7 and grip 7 to 6, and they tied on materials at 7. The Hugger Mugger took care and cleaning 9 to 7, tied for the best care score in the test. That category also weighs portability, which favors the light mat.

The Big Mat is 12 inches longer and 4 wider: 2,352 square inches against 1,728, roughly 36% more mat. You need an empty strip of floor seven feet long to unroll it, and someone six foot four can lie flat with room at both ends.

The Earth Elements is a normal size. Seventy-two inches covers most people lying down, and one Amazon reviewer even praises its large size. Width runs out first, since at 24 inches a wide stance puts a foot on the floor sooner than the Lululemon’s 28 would.

The Earth Elements has no long version. The Lululemon build also comes as the 71″ × 26″ The Mat for $118; our The Mat vs Big Mat page compares the two sizes.

GearLab rated the Earth Elements’ foamier cushion highly for sitting, yin and sound baths, and called its balance stability moderate; one of its three cons is squishy for balance postures. Amazon owners like the softness, with 15 positive cushioning mentions against 2 negative.

The standard The Mat scored a perfect 10 for comfort and support, matched only by the Manduka PRO, for a springy cushion and what GearLab calls a perfect comfort-stability combo. Density counts for as much as thickness, GearLab argues, and the Lululemon’s denser rubber likely explains its steadier footing.

For yin or restorative work, the cheaper, softer mat is the comfier one. For balances and inversions, pick the Lululemon.

According to Hugger Mugger’s Amazon description, the closed-cell TPE doesn’t absorb moisture, which keeps cleaning simple and leaves sweat on the surface. GearLab lists mediocre wet grip as a con and has no wet or dry row for this mat. Amazon owners rate it better than GearLab did, 16 positive traction mentions to 6 negative.

The Lululemon’s polyurethane top takes sweat in. GearLab writes that it soaks sweat up quickly and needs a lot of it before the surface gets wet, and that its traction stayed excellent even soaking wet, yet its wet and dry table gives the standard mat just 6.5 dry and 4.5 wet. We read that as better with sweat than the Hugger Mugger, and short of GearLab’s hot yoga pick, the Manduka GRP Adapt 2.0.

GearLab weighed the Earth Elements at 2.2 pounds, among the lightest full-size mats it tested. It weighed the standard The Mat at 5.9 and called it easy to carry, if a bit heavier than average. The Big Mat is 7.1 pounds, and its roll is a foot longer than the Hugger Mugger’s.

GearLab says a heavy mat is no trouble from the car to class, but walking or biking to the studio is where shoulders start to complain. If you walk or take transit, that points to the Hugger Mugger. If the mat stays unrolled at home, weight barely matters.

Hugger Mugger wants the Earth Elements washed before its first use, which it says maximizes traction, and cleaned afterward with mat wash or a 1:20 dish soap and water mix, then hung to dry. GearLab notes it stays an easy wipe-down after outdoor yoga too. The TPE is photo-degradable, Hugger Mugger says, and sun in a hot car could break it down.

The Mat’s absorbent top soaks up oils and dirt, per GearLab, which says light colors stain very easily and the mat needs a deep clean now and then. Lululemon sold the Big Mat in black only at last count, which hides most of that. Natural rubber dislikes long sun too.

The Earth Elements is latex-free TPE, which Hugger Mugger also describes as recyclable. The Big Mat’s base is natural rubber, and contains latex is among GearLab’s cons for the standard mat, so a real allergy decides this before anything else does.

GearLab says The Mat usually lasts more than five years, with moderate wear where hands and feet land. Lululemon’s Quality Promise covers the Big Mat, with no set term.

Durability concerns made the Earth Elements’ cons list too, and Amazon’s summary splits three and three on it. There’s no Hugger Mugger warranty on mats, and returns run 30 days, for unused mats bought from it directly.

The Earth Elements sells for $83 at huggermugger.com in four colorways; you can also check its price at Amazon. Lululemon charges $128 for the Big Mat on lululemon.com and in its stores. Skip the Lululemon mats on Amazon, which are third-party resales.

For an absorbent top near the Hugger Mugger’s weight, the 2.1 pound IUGA scored 75 at GearLab for $66.99; see IUGA vs Big Mat. For the smaller Lululemon, read The Mat vs Earth Elements.

Buy the Earth Elements if your mat travels, your practice leans seated or restorative, or someone at home is allergic to latex. It costs $45 less, weighs a third as much and was among the easiest mats in GearLab’s test to keep clean. Expect softness in balance poses and slipping once you sweat.

Buy the Big Mat if it will live at home, you are tall or broad, and you want the steadier, better-cushioned surface GearLab rated so highly in the standard size. Plan on the odd deep clean, and on leaving it where it is.