If you’re a taller person, then you know how unstable you can become on a regular yoga mat when you’re going off the sides on that dirty floor. That’s why we’re reviewing the best long yoga mat in several types, categories and colors. These mats are perfect for tall people, larger individuals and anyone who wants some extra space on their mat.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Overall: Manduka Pro
- Runner Up: Jade Fusion
- Best Cork Long Yoga Mat: Basically Perfect Cork Yoga Mat
What is a long yoga mat?
Typically, a long yoga mat is anything over 68 inches long and 24 inches wide. The standard yoga mat is fine if you’re a smaller woman or man who doesn’t need much space. But if you’re 5’10” and up I’d say it would benefit you to go with a bigger yoga mat.
The long yoga mat will help you take up more floor space and keep your neighbors that much further away in crowded classes. There’s nothing worse than bumping into another sweaty yogi in a hot yoga class…
Why do You Need a Longer Yoga Mat?
People come in all shapes and sizes. One thing that’s not talked about very often is using a bigger yoga mat. Most people assume that they come in one size and only discover the long yoga mat by chance.
The purpose of a yoga mat is to help you maintain grip of your hands and feet while being able to extend your body into any position. With a small yoga mat, you may end up with your hands and knees going onto the hard and dirty floor in many positions.
The long yoga mat can make a huge difference in your ability to enjoy your yoga experience.
How to Choose Your Yoga Mat
Beyond the actual size and floor-space your mat takes up, there’s several factors to consider when choosing your mat.
- Thickness of your yoga mat
- Material
- Style
- Stickiness
- Texture
Thickness of Your Yoga Mat
Yoga mats range in thickness from a few mm all the way to about 3/4 of an inch. The thicker mats are typically made from lightweight foam that’s a little softer but provides a great cushion for your knees.
The thinner yoga mats are generally made from a slightly more dense foam, rubber or PVC that still provides a good cushion but are better for a lighter person.
Material of Your Yoga Mat
If you are someone who highly values sustainability you’ll want to keep the material in mind. A mat made from natural or recycled rubber is going to hold up better and be more eco-friendly than a PVC mat.
PVC mats take a long time to break down and they’re harder to recycle than rubber. Not to mention they can be full of plastic carcinogens and can have a very funky smell to them. But I will say there are some mats that come in a recyclable / eco-friendly form of PCV so opt for natural and eco-friendly materials as often as you can.
Style of Your Yoga Mat
I doubt you’d buy a new yoga mat that didn’t meet your style requirement so there’s not much to say here. The only thing I will say on this topic, in case you weren’t already aware, is that there’s an infinite number of styles to choose from.
You don’t have to stick with solid colors these days because there’s also print yoga mats and lots of other custom designs. You’ll be looking at your mat a lot from downward dog so pick something fun!
Stickiness of Your Yoga Mat
Yoga mats serve one major purpose: Grip! A yoga mat has to be sticky so that it clings to both the floor below and your hands and feet on top. PVC mats are the most sticky but also less eco-friendly. Rubber are slightly less sticky but higher quality and more earth friendly. Cork provides a good balance because its natural and gets more sticky with heat and sweat.
Pro-tip: If your yoga mats aren’t clean they won’t be sticky. So make sure to keep it clean if you don’t want to be sliding all over your mat. You can easily clean your mat with soap and water right after getting it and after your classes (especially important if you do hot yoga).
Texture of Your Yoga Mat
The texture of your yoga mat also plays a role in providing you traction during your poses and determines how it feels on your skin while exercising. You don’t want something that’s going to be irritating after all.
The texture of your mat can be from the material itself or from being intentionally put there (like raised patterns and bumps). If you want a mat with good texture and want to avoid PVC, you’ll like something made from rubber, cotton, cork or jute. These have a raised pattern that provides great grip in any position.
Review of The Best Long Yoga Mats
With hundreds of thousands of yoga mats to choose from it can be hard to choose the one that’s right for you. To make things easier for you, we’ve reviewed the top long yoga mats and provided a link for you to check the price of each one.
Manduka PRO Yoga and Pilates Mat
Our Rating
Comfort
This mat comes in a 6 mm (1/4 inch) thick ultra dense material so its great for relieving joint pressure. The proprietary dot pattern on the mat prevents sliding in any yoga environment including hot yoga. This yoga mat comes in both 71″ and 85″ inch sizes so its comfortable for you no matter how tall you are.
Reliability
The Manduka Pro mat comes with a promise that it will never peel, flake or fade for life. Its 100% latex free and nontoxic so it doesn’t smell like chemicals. It also has a closed cell surface meaning that sweat and dirt will never get into the mat making cleaning a breeze and your mat won’t smell from built up grime. It is made from PVC but it is eco-certified and guaranteed for life. So its not likely to be thrown away or end up in a land-fill.
Price
The Manduka mat is on the mid to high end of cost for yoga mats. But when you consider that its guaranteed for life, comfortable and made from high quality eco-certified material I consider this a great investment. Personally, I love the mat and don’t mind paying for quality.
Pros
- Comes in large and extra large sizes (71″ and 85″)
- Eco-certified material
- Lifetime guarantee not to flake, peel, or fade
- High quality materials
- Proprietary no slip pattern
- 8 colors to choose from
- Nontoxic and doesn’t smell
Cons
- A little more expensive than the average yoga mat
- May not be thick enough to provide cushioning for heavier people
Summary: This mat is great for beginning to advanced yogis. The ultra dense material provides great cushioning for people under about 185 lbs, its guaranteed to never flake, fade or peel. Its very comfortable and large enough to provide adequate space for individuals of any height. Overall this is a very high quality mat you can feel comfortable using for many years to come.
The next long yoga mat is made from open cell natural rubber. It has a high grip-ability for any type of yoga, doesn’t contain any plastics and its slightly thicker at .3 inches.
Jade Fusion 74-Inch Yoga Mat
Our Rating
Comfort
This yoga mat is 8 mm (about 0.3 inches thick) and 74 inches long. It’s only 24 inches wide but typically its not a problem as long as the mats long enough to accommodate your height. Its comfortable and dense enough to keep the pressure off your joints no matter how big/tall you are. Overall, this mat is very comfortable and high quality for people of any size.
Reliability
The Jade Fusion mat is a favorite among many yogis because of its reliability and slip resistance. You can really feel the quality and weight when you’re holding it. It contains all natural rubber with no synthetic ingredients so its going to last you for a very long time. It doesn’t have a lifetime warranty but you’ll probably have a style change before this mat wears out. Overall, this is a highly reliable mat.
Price
The Jade Fusion yoga mat is priced in the high end of yoga mats. However you know as well as I do that you pay for quality – and this mats high quality. I also like that its made from natural products so it can be recycled and they plant a tree for every mat sold. So every time you buy this mat you’re supporting nature and a cause which ads that much more the the value.
Pros
- Comes in 74″ long size
- Made from natural rubber
- Nontoxic and contains no synthetic plastics
- High quality materials
- They plant a tree for every mat sold
Cons
- More expensive than the average long yoga mat
- Only comes in 2 colors
Summary: The Jade Fusion long yoga mat is a quality choice for anyone dedicated to yoga or looking to start practicing yoga on a regular basis. The one thing I didn’t love about this mat is that its not as wide as some of the other long yoga mats. It didn’t interfere with my yoga but its a personal preference to have a wider space.
The thickness and denseness of the material provides great relief of pressure on joints and its long enough to accommodate individuals over 6′ tall. Overall, this is a very high quality natural yoga mat.
Non-slip Memory Foam Yoga Mat With Strap
Our Rating