Jade Travel vs Gaiam Premium 6mm: Which One Should You Buy?

The Jade Travel and the Gaiam Premium 6mm cover the same 68″ × 24″ of floor and weigh within a third of a pound of each other: just over 3 pounds for the Jade by Jade’s figure, 3.3 for the Gaiam on GearLab’s scale. The Travel is 3.2 mm of open-cell natural rubber that folds, made in the USA, at $79.95. The Premium is 6 mm of soft PVC that rolls, at $29.98, and GearLab named it the Best First Yoga Mat in its March 2026 roundup.

Rubber is dense, which is why a mat with about half the material weighs almost the same. The extra $50 gets you grip, a mat that fits inside a suitcase and natural rubber instead of PVC. It costs you most of the cushion.

GearLab ranked the Premium 11th of 19 at 62 out of 100, with 6.5 for comfort and support, 5 in the grip category, 6 for materials and 8 for care and cleaning. Its separate wet and dry table gives the mat 6 dry and 4 wet. Thick padding for joints leads the pros, and poor wet grip leads the cons.

Nobody we trust has tested the Jade Travel. GearLab’s scores for Jade’s Voyager don’t carry over to a mat twice as thick, so for the Travel we have Jade’s description and about 780 Amazon ratings averaging 4.4 stars.

The Travel is cut from the open-cell rubber Jade puts in all its mats, so light sweat soaks into the surface instead of sitting on top. Amazon’s review summary counts 132 positive grip mentions against 33 negative, and it notes that the mat doesn’t slip even during hot hatha classes.

The Premium goes the other way. One GearLab tester noticed the foam turning slippery as moisture collected, which shook their confidence in a wide-legged forward fold and in warrior one and two, and Amazon’s summary for its listing has 182 negative grip mentions to 86 positive. Neither fixes a drenching hot class alone: a Travel owner with eight years of practice says no mat keeps you from slipping once you are soaked, and suggests a towel.

The Gaiam has almost twice the padding, and one GearLab tester singled out stretch classes, slower flows and kneeling poses as where it shines. GearLab also practiced on it at a Joshua Tree campground, where it softened the pressure on sit bones, knees and wrists through extended floor work.

That softness has a cost. GearLab says a hand pressed into the foam leaves its print for a while, and the material shows compression, scuffs and wear with regular use, especially daily studio use. Soft foam also gives under a standing foot, where thin rubber barely moves.

Owners split right down the middle on the Travel’s thickness, 34 positive mentions to 36 negative. One owner who carries it to class says long holds may call for a studio mat underneath.

Jade says the Travel folds up to fit easily into luggage. One Amazon owner who used it as their main mat for two years says it folds to about two inches thick and five inches square. GearLab suggests a travel mat as a topper for a rental mat at a studio you find on vacation, a job the Travel suits.

The Premium rolls up thick, as 6 mm of foam does. Across town it is no burden: one GearLab tester rated it among the easiest mats to carry to class. Neither brand lists a strap.

At 68 inches both run short for taller people. A 74″ Travel costs $93.75 and keeps the 24″ width, while Gaiam’s own store sells the Premium in one size.

One catch on Amazon: the Premium’s listing also carries a 78″ × 26″ version, unavailable when we checked, with its reviews pooled into the standard mat’s. Some owners praising the extra length and width are describing that mat, not the 68″ one you would get today.

Jade’s product page rules out outdoor use and sunlight for its natural rubber mats. Open-cell rubber holds sweat, so the Travel needs to dry fully before you fold it away. One Amazon owner calls it high maintenance, with dirt, hair and lint sticking to it as readily as hands do.

Gaiam’s care text mentions a very strong but harmless odor when the mat is first unwrapped and suggests airing it for two to three days, then a spot clean with a damp cloth and mild detergent. Long sun fades the PVC and makes it brittle. Smell draws more complaints than praise in Amazon’s summaries for both mats: 30 of 44 odor mentions for the Travel, and 56 of 102 for the Premium.

The Premium carries Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee, but Gaiam doesn’t publish the terms; we’d read it as cover for defects, not foam that has packed down. Gaiam itself takes back only gaiam.com orders that haven’t been opened or used. Jade’s warranty on the Travel runs one year and leaves out sun damage and harsh cleaners.

Travel owners disagree on lifespan. One calls theirs pretty worn after two years but still perfectly fine; another says it is practically begging to fall apart. For a latex allergy the Gaiam is the safe pick. Jade rates its rubber 99% latex free, and that still rules it out with an allergy.

The Premium lists at $29.98 in four reversible color combos at last count. See what the Premium costs at Amazon today. Buy the Travel from jadeyoga.com at $79.95 in three colors. There is an Amazon listing, but its seller has charged more than Jade does, so we’d order direct.

For Jade rubber in a mat that stays home, see Jade Level One vs Gaiam Premium. For a foldable mat with a lifetime guarantee, read Gaiam Premium vs Manduka PRO Travel.

Buy the Gaiam Premium if the mat stays home, you are new to yoga, or your knees want padding. GearLab’s award fits that buyer, it is latex-free, and $29.98 is a small first outlay. It slips once your hands get damp, and the foam flattens where you use it most.

Buy the Jade Travel if you fly with your mat, your palms sweat, or you’d rather have USA-made natural rubber than PVC. It weighs about the same, owners rate its grip far higher, and it folds into luggage. Accept a thin mat, a rubber smell at first, strict care rules and latex.