We are traveling more now than we’ve ever done.
And because you would like to take your mat with you, here are some good options for the traveller. Because we all like to see a little bit of the world.
These mats are also easy to take along if you ever decide to go on a retreat. Or if you happen to go on a yoga teacher training.
Travel Yoga Mats
The special thing about travel mats is that they are very light, very thin, and have a good grip. I can only imagine this must have been quite a challenge for product developers to maintain something with high quality and very portable at the same time.
The yoga mats I’m going to talk about are easy to take along with you. And the price is actually also not that bad.
Manduka eKO Superlite
So this mat is super light, which it already says in its name. I’m trying not to write reviews as you’d normally read on any other website, but it’s my purpose to look for the mat that suits you best. And this I do by talking about my own experience and my own thoughts about the products. I’m not gonna go too deep into the specifications of it as you can just look at those when you click on the image below.
What I liked
I have this mat for about two or three years now and I have to say that I really like it. As you can see in the picture it’s foldable, which a lot of mats don’t do. This makes it a perfect fit for your suitcase.
When I brought it to Portugal I didn’t even notice it at all. It’s very light, which makes it even easy to carry in your hand luggage if you have a bigger bag. So for all the travellers out there, I’d really recommend this one.
I already listed the pro’s a little on the previous paragraph, it’s light, it’s thin and it’s foldable. Even if you decided that you want to travel lightly this mat just fits perfectly into that lifestyle.
For your yoga practice, it’s also quite nice. The fabric prevents you from slipping off the mat, which can happen if you’re in a steaming hot country where you’re sweating a lot.
What I Didn’t Like So Much
What I didn’t like so much about the mat is that it wrinkles a bit when you fold it, and it doesn’t look really nice.
That’s of course not a problem for your yoga practice, it’s just something aesthetic. Besides that, I have weak knees, and because of the ultra thinness of the mat, it could be quite painful regarding what surface you’re using it on.
However, it’s perfect again if you’re doing yoga on a grass field or on the beach as you won’t have a lot of balance there. And having a thicker mat will even make it worse. So for beach people, go for it is my recommendation!
Another thing about this mat, and it’s basically not a pro nor a con, just a little warning. Most of the time I just let my mat be outside so that whenever I come outside I could jump on the mat and do my yoga practice. Very often I couldn’t find my mat anymore because it got blown away by the wind!
But as I said, that’s completely my fault for letting it stay outside.
Gaiam Foldable Yoga Mat
The next one is the Gaiam Foldable Yoga mat. Another great example of a travel yoga mat. It’s kind of similar to the previous one from Manduka.
With the little difference that the surface is looking a bit like plastic and is therefore shiny.
Gaiam thought about the fact that you might want to fold this mat and therefore they made seems into the mat. It doesn’t look that amazing I have to say. But it prevents your mats from getting cracks like the Manduka might do if you leave it folded for too long.
This does mean that the mat is kind of compartmentalised, which might affect your practice just a little bit.
The good thing about this one is that it’s a bit cheaper as well. So if you are looking for a good and decent budget travel mat, then this one is for you.
However, I still love the Manduka mat.
YOGO Ultralight Travel Yoga Mat
The next mat I’m going to talk about is the Yogo Ultralight Travel Yoga Mat. And when they say Ultralight, they really mean ultra light. It only weight 2.1 lbs. Which is practically nothing. It fits perfectly in your suitcase or travel bag, and if you only have carry-on luggage, it might even fit in there if you pack smart.
That’s not the only thing, they’ve also only used plant-based material while manufacturing this mat, which means it’s vegan. I wouldn’t suggest eating your mat though.
It’s easily foldable or rollable and you can make it even smaller than the two mats that I’ve mentioned before. It also comes with a strap, which means that you can fold it as thin as you want and it won’t release itself. This comes in handy when you are packing your bags of course.
The price of this one is a bit steeper. But for that, you also get a lot of quality in return! I’d really suggest this mat to the more experienced yogi’s out there. Those who are using their mat on a daily basis and who are quite often on location to give workshops and retreats.
Conclusion
So basically I would recommend these mats to travelers, people who don’t want to carry their mat in an over sized bag, or people who love to do their practice on the beach or other soft surfaces.
It might be a bit weird in the beginning as the mats are really thin and that makes it a bit different to hold a pose than any other mat I’ve had so far. But the material is amazing and they really stick well on the floor, so there will be no slippery accidents when you are doing your practice.
That’s it for now,
Nama-stay wonderful everyone!
