Manduka eKO vs Hugger Mugger Earth Elements: Which One Should You Buy?

The Manduka eKO scored 87 out of 100 in OutdoorGearLab’s current nineteen mat test, behind only the Manduka PRO and ahead of every other rubber mat it has measured. The Hugger Mugger Earth Elements scored 70 and came ninth.

Both are 5 mm and both are closed cell, so neither soaks up sweat. Everything else about them is opposite. The eKO is 7 pounds of natural rubber at $114. The Earth Elements is 2.4 pounds of TPE foam at $74.

10 out of 10 dry, tied for the highest in the test, and 7 wet. Great traction when dry and no break in period both lead its pros list. Manduka also texturises the outer rails, which GearLab called out separately, and it helps in wide stances where your foot lands near the edge.

The Earth Elements scored 6 for grip overall with mediocre wet grip in its cons. It relies on surface texture rather than tack, so it works with dry hands and stops working when they are not.

Neither is a hot yoga mat, because both are sealed and sweat has nowhere to go. More slippery when wet is in the eKO’s cons too. The difference is that the eKO starts from the top of the table and the Hugger Mugger starts from the middle.

GearLab scored comfort and support 9 for the eKO against 7 for the Earth Elements, and described the eKO as good for hard and soft ground with a stable foundation. Dense rubber at 5 mm gives you padding that pushes back, which is what keeps a standing leg feeling planted.

The Earth Elements goes the other way. It is genuinely plusher on the knees and it is softer than rubber or PVC at the same thickness. Squishy for balance postures is the trade, and it is in GearLab’s cons for a reason.

For a standing practice the eKO is the better floor. For seated and restorative work on a hard floor, the Hugger Mugger is more comfortable and costs $40 less.

Manduka lists the eKO at 7 pounds and GearLab measured 6.3. Either way it is heavy, and heavier is the first item in its cons list. The Earth Elements is 2.4 pounds on the spec and measured 2.2, one of the two lightest full size mats in the test.

This is the practical decision on this page. A seven pound mat is a car mat or a home mat. It goes on a shoulder strap and you feel it for the whole walk. If your mat commutes daily, that alone can outweigh seventeen points of test score.

Creases easily is in GearLab’s cons for the eKO, and it is the complaint owners raise most. Rubber takes a set if it is folded or stored rolled too tight, and those creases can stay for weeks. Roll it loosely, top surface out, and store it standing up.

The Earth Elements does not have that problem. TPE foam springs back and it lies flat out of the box. It is also the mat you can fold into a suitcase without regretting it, which is not true of any rubber mat.

The eKO is natural tree rubber, biodegradable and non Amazon harvested by Manduka’s description, and natural rubber is latex. Manduka does not recommend it for anyone with a latex allergy.

The Earth Elements is TPE with no rubber in it. If the allergy is real, the comparison stops here, and the mats worth putting next to the Hugger Mugger are the Manduka X in denser TPE and the Manduka PROlite in dense PVC.

GearLab scored materials 8 for the eKO and 7 for the Earth Elements. The eKO is natural rubber that will eventually break down, sourced from outside the Amazon, and it is the reason the mat exists as a counterpart to the PVC PRO.

TPE is a manufactured elastomer. It avoids PVC and phthalates and is recyclable in principle, but almost nowhere accepts it, and Hugger Mugger holds no third party certification on this mat. It is a reasonable material rather than a green one.

The other rubber mat to weigh against the eKO here is the Jade Harmony, which is made in the USA and grips comparably.

The eKO is 71″ × 26″; the Earth Elements is 72″ × 24″. So the eKO trades an inch of length for two inches of width, and it is the better one for wide stances. Manduka sells a 79 inch eKO Long if you need more room.

Cleaning scored 8 for the eKO against a 9 for the Earth Elements that tied for best in the whole lineup. Both wipe down with a damp cloth. Rubber hates oil based cleaners and direct sun, so the eKO asks slightly more care.

Neither carries a warranty. Manduka gives 30 days on the eKO, Hugger Mugger gives 30 days on unused mats only, and durability concerns appears in the Earth Elements cons. Rubber holds up longer than TPE foam under daily use, which is most of what the extra $40 is buying over time.

Get the Manduka eKO if the mat mostly stays put. It is the better mat by every measure that happens while you are practising: grip, support, stability, and how long it lasts. Check the current price on Amazon, since it discounts more often than manduka.com does.

Get the Hugger Mugger Earth Elements if you carry your mat, if you need latex free, or if your practice is soft and seated rather than standing. It is on Amazon at $74 in four colorways, and at a third of the weight it solves a problem the eKO cannot.