Jade Level One vs Hugger Mugger Earth Elements 5mm: Which One Should You Buy?

The Jade Level One is 4 mm of open-cell natural rubber made in the USA, grippy from the first unroll, at $66.5. It is the cheapest way into the brand people buy for traction.

The Hugger Mugger Earth Elements is 5 mm of soft closed-cell TPE at 2.4 pounds, latex free, at $83, and OutdoorGearLab scored it 70 out of 100. The cheaper mat grips better and the pricier one is softer and lighter.

The Level One is open-cell, so sweat soaks into the rubber rather than sitting on top of it, and traction holds or improves as your palms get damp. It is the same material Jade puts in the Harmony, made in the same facility.

The Earth Elements scored 6 out of 10 for grip in GearLab’s testing, with mediocre wet grip among its cons. It is adequate dry and gives way when you are damp. That gap is the main reason to take the Jade, and it is the main reason the Jade also costs less.

GearLab’s testers described its foamy cushion as deliciously comfortable for seated postures, yin classes and sound baths, and scored it 7 out of 10 for comfort and support. It is a millimetre thicker and considerably softer than the Jade.

The Level One is firm dense rubber. It carries a full class comfortably on wood or carpet; on tile a long kneeling sequence will let you know about it. A folded blanket closes that gap and keeps the grip everywhere else, which is what most people end up doing.

The other side of that softness is movement. Foamy TPE compresses more under a single foot, so tree pose and warrior three feel a little less planted on the Earth Elements than on the Jade.

Dense rubber barely compresses, so the Level One gives you a predictable platform. If your practice is mostly standing work, that is a reason to take the rubber even before you get to the grip.

The Earth Elements is 2.4 pounds and GearLab put 2.2 on its own scale. Very few full 5 mm mats come in under two and a half pounds, and this is one of them.

The Level One is 4 pounds, which is easy rather than effortless. Neither is heavy by the standards of rubber mats, and if weight is the deciding factor the Hugger Mugger wins it clearly.

The Earth Elements is 72″ and the Level One 68″, both 24 inches wide. Sixty-eight inches is short if you are near six feet, since a full-length pose leaves either your head or your heels on the floor.

There is no longer version of either mat on sale. Tall practitioners who want Jade rubber should look at the 74″ Harmony at $109.95 is the mat rather than the Level One.

Natural rubber wears slowly, and what really destroys it is sunlight rather than use, which is why Jade’s one-year warranty excludes sun damage and harsh cleaners. Kept in the shade and wiped down, the Level One gives you years.

Soft TPE takes compression set, so the Earth Elements gradually dents where you kneel, and durability concerns appear in its GearLab cons. Hugger Mugger offers 30 day returns on unused mats only, which is a narrower window than it first appears.

The Level One absorbs, so the sweat you leave on it has to come back out. Mild soap and a damp cloth after sweaty sessions is not optional if you practice often, and harsh cleaners void the warranty.

The Earth Elements is sealed, so nothing soaks in and a damp cloth handles it in seconds. GearLab rated it one of the easiest mats in its entire test to clean, which is a genuine everyday advantage over any open-cell rubber mat.

The Earth Elements is TPE with no natural latex and no rubber base, which makes it a safe option with an allergy and is a real part of why people buy it.

The Level One is natural tree rubber, and Jade describes its mats as 99% latex free rather than latex free, so it is not suitable for a genuine allergy. If you want more grip than TPE without latex, a PVC mat such as Manduka’s PRO line is where to look.

$66.5 against $83, so the grippier mat is also the cheaper one by $16.50. Jade sells the Level One on jadeyoga.com and it is not on Amazon; the Earth Elements is on Amazon, where it has been running below Hugger Mugger’s own list price.

Buying the Jade also plants a tree, a program now past two million. That is a program rather than a certification, so treat it as a reason to feel good rather than a spec.

Get the Level One if grip is what keeps letting you down, if you want a stable platform for balances, or if you want USA-made rubber that lasts. It is the cheaper mat and the better performer, and the compromises are two colors and a 68 inch length.

Get the Earth Elements if your practice is gentle, seated or restorative, if you carry your mat and 2.4 pounds matters, or if a latex allergy rules rubber out. It is softer, longer, lighter and easier to clean, and it is honest about being a comfort mat rather than a grippy one.