Jade Travel vs Hugger Mugger Earth Elements: Which One Should You Buy?

The Jade Travel lists at $79.95 and the Hugger Mugger Earth Elements at $83. The Jade is 1/8″ (3.2 mm) of USA-made natural rubber with an open-cell surface, 68″ × 24″, and Jade sells it as a mat that folds up for your luggage. The Earth Elements is a 5 mm, Taiwan-made mat of closed-cell TPE, 72″ × 24″, and it rolls.

The thinner mat is the heavier one. Jade calls the Travel just over 3 pounds, while Hugger Mugger lists the Earth Elements at 2.4 and GearLab weighed one at 2.2. Natural rubber is far denser than TPE foam. So the Jade earns its travel label by folding, and the rest of the choice comes down to sweat, padding, latex and length.

GearLab tested the Earth Elements for its March 2026 roundup and gave it a 70 and ninth place, built on category marks of 7 for comfort, 6 for grip, 7 for materials and 9 for care. It hasn’t tested the Jade Travel. It did test Jade’s Voyager, but at half the Travel’s thickness those scores don’t carry over.

Owners fill in some of the gap. The Travel averages 4.4 stars from about 780 Amazon ratings, and 197 of 213 quality mentions in its review summary are positive. The Earth Elements averages 4.5 from about 100.

Jade credits the Travel’s grip to open-cell rubber, which takes light moisture into the surface. Amazon’s review summary says the grip holds even in hot hatha classes, with 132 positive mentions to 33 negative. One owner calls it very grippy when they sweat; another says the grip is great until the mat gets really wet.

The Earth Elements has a sealed surface that leaves sweat sitting on it. Hugger Mugger’s Amazon copy calls that great for sweaty yogis because nothing soaks in, but GearLab lists mediocre wet grip among its cons and gave it no separate wet score. With damp palms, the owner reports favor the Jade.

Jade pitches the Travel partly at people who want to feel the ground under them, with a bit of cushion. Owners split down the middle on thickness, 34 positive to 36 negative. One calls it light for traveling but not for sensitive knees. Another calls it perfect on a hardwood floor yet suggests a cheap mat underneath because it is so thin.

The Earth Elements adds nearly two millimeters of softer material, and GearLab rated the mat 7 for comfort and support. GearLab also called it squishy for balance postures. Thin, firm rubber gives a standing foot less to sink into, though Amazon’s summary notes owners who say the Travel bunches up during practice.

Folding is the reason to buy the Jade, and portability draws 58 positive mentions to 9 negative in its Amazon summary. Weight draws more complaints than you might expect from a travel mat, 17 of 84, with one owner calling it super thin but not so light.

The Earth Elements rolls into a 24 inch tube that rides on a shoulder. Hugger Mugger’s listing sells it as a travel mat, and it is the lighter of the two, but it won’t go inside a carry-on. For one-bag flights the Jade has the edge.

Jade uses natural rubber tapped from rubber trees and says its mats contain no PVC or EVA. The Travel is made in the USA, and Jade’s tree-planting program, one tree per mat sold, has passed two million. Jade’s own figure is 99% latex free, not enough for anyone with an allergy.

Hugger Mugger describes the Earth Elements as latex-free, recyclable TPE, and it is made in Taiwan. If anyone at home reacts to latex, this is the mat to buy.

An open-cell surface keeps whatever it soaks up. One Travel owner says it gets dirty pretty quickly, and another that it shows and holds footprints. Let it dry fully before folding, and keep it inside: Jade asks owners to keep its rubber mats indoors and away from sunlight.

GearLab scored the Earth Elements 9 for care and cleaning and found a wipe enough even after practice outside. Hugger Mugger’s instructions start with a wash before the first session, then diluted dish soap or its mat wash. Keep it away from direct sun and hot cars, because Hugger Mugger says light breaks the TPE down.

Jade’s one-year warranty on the Travel leaves out sun damage and harsh cleaners. Owners split 28 to 17 on durability. One says theirs still looks like new after a year, and another that it started to crumble after regular use.

Hugger Mugger offers no warranty and takes back only unused mats bought direct, within 30 days. Durability concerns are on GearLab’s list for the Earth Elements. One Amazon owner found a lot of cracking on the side that had been rolled tightest, while another, whose practice has ranged from once to six times a week over the years, still calls it quite durable.

Order the Jade Travel at $79.95 from jadeyoga.com in Midnight Blue, Olive Green or Purple. Its Amazon listing is sold by an outside seller that has charged more than Jade, so order from Jade. The Earth Elements is $83 from huggermugger.com, with four colorways, and you can also look it up on Amazon.

For more length there is a 74″ Travel at $93.75, same 24″ width, while Hugger Mugger makes only one size. For a lighter folding Jade, see Voyager vs Earth Elements, and for Jade rubber in a daily mat, Jade Harmony vs Earth Elements.

Choose the Jade Travel when packing it inside a suitcase is the point and your hands get damp. It is USA-made, carries a one-year warranty and costs $3.05 less. In exchange you get a thin mat that smells of rubber at first, needs careful drying and shade, and contains latex.

Choose the Earth Elements if the mat mostly goes over your shoulder to class, you want more padding or four more inches of length, or latex is off limits. It is the lighter of the two and the only one GearLab has scored. It rolls rather than folds, gives under a standing foot, and gets slick with sweat.