Manduka eKO vs Jade Voyager: Which One Should You Buy?

The Manduka eKO is $114 for 5 mm of closed-cell natural rubber, and OutdoorGearLab scored it 87 of 100 in its 2026 roundup, second of nineteen mats behind only the Manduka PRO. The Jade Voyager is $49.95 for 1.6 mm of open-cell rubber that folds to about the size of a yoga block.

These are not really rivals, and the honest version of this page says so early. The question worth answering is whether the Voyager can be your only mat, and for most people the answer is no.

GearLab scored the eKO 9 of 10 for comfort and support, praising the spring in its rubber and calling it good on both hard and soft ground. Five millimeters of dense rubber is a normal, comfortable amount of mat for a daily practice.

The Voyager scored 2 of 10, the joint lowest in the lineup, and GearLab described mats at this thickness as better used as a topper over whatever the studio provides than as a mat in their own right. Their listed cons open with “too thin to provide comfort.” On a hard floor, kneeling on a Voyager is kneeling on the floor.

The eKO scored 9 of 10 for grip overall, and in GearLab’s separate wet and dry testing it hit a perfect 10 dry, a score only the Prana Verde matched, with 7 wet. No break-in period, no salt scrub, grippy from the first class. GearLab did list “more slippery when wet” among its downsides, which is the closed-cell trade-off: sweat sits on the surface rather than soaking in.

The Voyager scored 8 for grip, 9 dry and 7 wet, and its pros list leads with excellent dry and wet hand grip. Jade’s open-cell rubber absorbs moisture as you go, so it matches the eKO’s wet score exactly, which is remarkable for a mat this thin and this cheap.

The eKO weighs 7 pounds and stays exactly where you put it. GearLab called it a stable foundation and noted the textured rails along the edges add grip where your hands land in a wide stance.

The Voyager is 1.5 pounds, and GearLab flagged that it shifts and wrinkles during practice. On carpet it behaves. On a polished floor it slides, and the creases from folding do not lie flat immediately. That is the cost of packing it.

The eKO is 71″ × 26″, three inches longer and two wider than the Voyager’s 68″ × 24″. Two inches of width is more noticeable than it sounds in any wide-legged pose.

Manduka also sells a 79″ eKO Long for taller practitioners. Jade sells the Voyager in one size only, and to its credit that size is a full 68 by 24 rather than the shrunken footprint some travel mats use.

The Voyager folds flat and weighs less than two pounds. GearLab weighed theirs at 1.8, the lightest mat in the roundup. It goes into a carry-on or a daypack without a strap, a sling, or a decision.

The eKO is a seven pound roll, and GearLab listed “heavier” as its first con. It carries fine to a studio a few blocks away and it is not something you take on a plane.

Both are natural rubber, so both break down in sunlight and both should be stored indoors and rolled. The eKO’s closed-cell surface wipes clean in seconds, and GearLab scored it 8 of 10 for care while noting it creases if stored badly.

The Voyager scored 8 for care as well, mostly because there is so little of it to dry, but GearLab listed “not very durable” and “creases easily” among its cons. Folding a rubber mat over and over eventually leaves permanent lines. Jade covers it for one year, excluding sun damage and harsh cleaners; Manduka gives the eKO a 30 day return window and nothing further, since the lifetime guarantee applies to the PRO line only.

The eKO is natural tree rubber, non-Amazon harvested, made in Taiwan. GearLab scored its materials 8 of 10, behind only the PVC PRO. Manduka does not put a certification on it.

The Voyager is sustainably farmed natural rubber made in the USA, and Jade plants a tree for every mat sold. GearLab scored its materials 4 of 10, which reads harsh until you remember they weight longevity heavily and this mat is not built to last. Neither is safe for a latex allergy.

$114 against $49.95. Manduka discounts eKO colorways on its own site fairly often, so it is worth comparing that against the current Manduka eKO price at Amazon.

The Voyager sells through jadeyoga.com in five colorways rather than through Amazon, and it holds its list price.

Buy the eKO if you are choosing one mat. It is the second-highest scoring mat GearLab tested, its dry grip a perfect 10, and 5 mm of rubber that will hold up for years. Seven pounds is the price of that.

Buy the Voyager as a travel mat or a topper, not as your main surface. It grips like a Jade and weighs nothing, and it is genuinely uncomfortable on a hard floor. If you want a packable mat with some cushion left in it, the eKO Superlite against the Voyager compares the two obvious travel options directly.