YogaAccessories Extra Thick Deluxe vs Gaiam Essentials: Which One Should You Buy?

Put the spec sheets side by side and you have to squint. Both are PVC with a sticky pressed texture, both are 24″ wide and 72″ long on the listings most people buy from, and the thickness is 6.2 mm against 6. They weigh 3.6 and 3.5 pounds, and list at $21.99 and $22.13.

The differences that matter sit outside the foam. Only the YogaAccessories has a GearLab score. Only the Gaiam has a lifetime guarantee and a carry sling. One comes in 36 colors and the other in seven, and each has a length quirk to check before you order.

GearLab ranked it 14th of the 19 mats in its current roundup, with an overall 56. Comfort and support came in at 6.5, materials at 5, care and cleaning at 6.5, and grip at 5.5 dry and 4 wet. Its testers liked the price, the padding and the low weight, and marked it down for slipping when wet, flattening with use and feeling too soft to balance on with confidence.

Nobody at GearLab has tested the Gaiam Essentials. The nearest thing it scored is the Gaiam Premium 6mm, a $29.98 Gaiam that is also 6 mm of PVC with a sticky textured finish. Below we use its grip numbers as a stand-in for Gaiam’s surface and for nothing else.

The Premium scored 6 dry and 4 wet, against 5.5 and 4 for the YogaAccessories. If the Essentials’ surface behaves like the Premium’s, that is half a point of dry grip and identical wet scores. GearLab soaked every mat with a liter of water, roughly what a hot class sheds, and both tested mats landed near the bottom. PVC absorbs nothing, so the water stays on top and your hands skate on it.

YogaAccessories describes the mat as super sticky, and Gaiam’s Amazon listing says its texture works even in heated practices and hot yoga. Owners are less convinced. Amazon’s review summaries for both describe grip as mixed, with some people sliding once they sweat. For heated classes, look elsewhere.

GearLab discussed the YogaAccessories and the Gaiam Premium 6mm together on cushion: thicker than a typical studio mat, comfortable for beginners and floor poses, and soft enough that a pressed palm leaves a dent that takes time to fill back in. The Essentials is soft PVC too, noticeably squishier than a premium mat, so expect the same.

That softness costs you standing up. GearLab’s rule of thumb is that if you can see your footprints on a mat, it’s too soft for daily practice, and too soft for secure balance made the YogaAccessories list of cons. Tree pose will wobble a little on either one.

Kneeling is where the padding pays off, and YogaAccessories owners on Amazon single out knee and tailbone protection on hardwood. Some Gaiam owners found the Essentials thinner than they expected.

YogaAccessories gives the length as 72″. Over on Amazon, the bullet points say 74″ while the details table lower down the same page says 72″. We trust the brand, so plan on 72 inches wherever you buy it.

The Gaiam is the one that can catch you out. The Amazon listing we link is 72″ × 24″ with Gaiam’s Easy-Cinch sling. On gaiam.com the Essentials is a 68″ × 24″ mat at $19.98 with no sling. Four inches doesn’t matter until you lie down, and then a taller person runs out of mat. If you shop on gaiam.com, read the dimensions first.

The 72 inch Essentials ships with that sling. YogaAccessories doesn’t list a strap, either on its own page or on Amazon. A basic strap costs a few dollars, so it’s a small point, but it goes to the Gaiam.

Otherwise they carry the same. A tenth of a pound separates them, and at matching length and near-identical thickness they roll to about the same size. Neither is a travel mat, but either is easy to take to class.

YogaAccessories sells this mat in 36 colorways at last count, every one at $21.99 on its site, running from black and charcoal through mango and maroon to white, plus three two-tone versions. The Essentials comes in seven plain colors at last count.

YogaAccessories also sells in bulk. It calls the Extra Thick Deluxe its best-selling wholesale mat, pitches it at studios, gyms and schools, and will print a logo or studio name on it. If you are kitting out a room, or want a few for a household in different colors, this is where the YogaAccessories pulls ahead.

Gaiam backs the Essentials with a lifetime guarantee. Gaiam doesn’t publish the terms, and we would read it as cover for defects rather than foam that slowly flattens, but it’s an unusual promise on a $22 mat. YogaAccessories offers 30 day returns. A limited lifetime warranty turns up in its Amazon bullet points, but nowhere on the brand’s own site, so count on the 30 days.

Both will flatten in the end. GearLab flagged compression on the YogaAccessories and scored its materials 5 of 10, and nothing suggests the Essentials’ soft PVC holds up much better. Both arrive with a new-mat smell. Gaiam’s listing advises airing it out for 2 to 3 days, and owners of both disagree about whether the smell is a problem.

The YogaAccessories lists at $21.99 from yogaaccessories.com, or you can check the YogaAccessories at Amazon. The Essentials lists at $22.13; check the Gaiam Essentials at Amazon. On Amazon the Essentials holds 4.6 stars from about 15,000 ratings, the YogaAccessories 4.5 from about 2,860.

For a Gaiam that GearLab did score against this mat, see Gaiam Premium 6mm vs YogaAccessories. If better wet grip is the goal, IUGA vs Gaiam Essentials shows what GearLab’s Best Value Upgrade adds for about $45 more.

For one mat at home, get the Gaiam Essentials from the 72 inch Amazon listing. It costs the same, the sling and the guarantee come with it, and far more owners have rated it. Nothing we can find suggests it feels any different from the YogaAccessories underfoot.

Get the YogaAccessories if you want a particular color, need several mats, want a logo printed, or would rather buy a mat whose weaknesses GearLab has already written down. It is soft, it slips when wet and it will compress. If any of that will bother you, move up a price tier rather than choosing between these two.