Lululemon The Mat 5mm vs Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Long & Wide: Which One Should You Buy?

Both of these are sold on grip when you sweat. Lululemon bonds a polyurethane top to natural rubber so the surface absorbs moisture; Gaiam applies a topcoat meant to wick it away and calls the mat ideal for hot yoga. GearLab measured both in 2026, which saves a lot of guessing.

The Mat came fourth of 19 at 81 out of 100. The Dry-Grip construction came in at 62, with the second worst wet grip result in the field. Gaiam’s counter-argument is size and money: 78″ × 26″ for $74.98 against 71″ × 26″ for $118.

GearLab scored the standard Gaiam Dry-Grip, the same construction in a smaller cut, at 3.5 out of 10 for wet grip, second from the bottom of 19 mats, with 6.5 dry. Gaiam’s own listing says the topcoat wicks moisture and grips harder as temperatures rise, and describes the mat as ideal for hot yoga. That is company copy, not a measurement.

The Mat scored 6.5 dry and 4.5 wet, which is better and still not great. Its advantage is mechanical: polyurethane takes some moisture into the surface rather than relying on a coating to shed it. If you practice in a heated room regularly, put a towel down whichever you buy.

On a 71 inch mat, anyone over about six foot has heels or head on the floor in savasana and a back foot off the end in a long lunge. The Gaiam’s 78 inches fixes that for less than two thirds of the price, and both mats are 26 inches wide, so you are not giving up width to get it.

Lululemon’s own answer is The Big Mat at 84″ × 28″, which costs considerably more; our The Mat vs The Big Mat comparison covers whether that is worth it.

Both mats are 5 mm, and they do not feel alike. The Mat is dense rubber that does not deflect, which is what GearLab’s perfect 10 for comfort and support is measuring. The Gaiam is softer PVC with a coating on top, and GearLab rated the standard version 8 for comfort and support.

Softer helps on your knees and hurts in a balance hold. If you kneel a lot and stand a little, that 8 might suit you better than the 10. For most practices, the firmer surface is the one you want under a standing foot.

A dry-grip topcoat is a thin layer bonded to PVC. It thins out where hands and feet keep landing, and once it is gone you have a plain PVC mat underneath. GearLab rated the Dry-Grip 4 out of 10 for materials, the lowest score of the mats we cover on this page.

The Mat’s polyurethane top also wears, and owners commonly report flaking or peeling after a couple of years of heavy use. It starts from a better base though, at 7 out of 10 for materials, and the natural rubber underside stays usable even when the top has seen better days.

The Mat does not like harsh cleaners or soaking; a damp cloth and a mild spray is the routine, and hard scrubbing takes years off the top layer. Flipping to the rubber side between sweaty sessions helps too.

Gaiam asks you to unroll the mat and air it for two to three days before your first session, because PVC releases a strong odor when first unwrapped, and it publishes a guide on removing the smell. It also warns that extended sun exposure makes the mat fade and turn brittle.

Gaiam’s lifetime guarantee sounds like the stronger position and covers manufacturing defects, which is not the same as a topcoat wearing thin or foam compressing. Those are the two ways this mat actually reaches the end of its life.

Lululemon’s quality promise has no stated term, which is vaguer than a warranty and applied more generously than most people expect. In practice neither document should decide this purchase.

Lululemon sells The Mat through its own stores and website only, at a US list price of $118. There is no Amazon listing. Several review sites still quote $98, which is out of date, so check lululemon.com for the current number.

The Gaiam sells on gaiam.com and Amazon, and the Amazon listing carries several sizes on one page, with the default bullets describing the 68 by 24 inch standard mat. Confirm you have selected the 78 by 26 version before you order.

Buy the Gaiam Performance Dry-Grip Long & Wide if you are tall and need the room. Nothing else gives you 78 by 26 inches for $75, and a mat you fit on beats a better grip score you never reach the limits of.

Buy Lululemon The Mat if grip is the thing you are paying for. It scored 81 out of 100 against the Dry-Grip’s 62, it flips over for dry work, and the difference shows up in the first sweaty class. Our PRO vs the standard Dry-Grip comparison covers Gaiam’s smaller cut.