If you know you’ll be hitting the road regularly, the Primasole folding yoga mat is a brilliant travel companion at an affordable price. There are no premium features to mention, but it’s perfect if you’re packing for holiday or work and is extremely lightweight.
Reasons to buy
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Lightweight
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Travel-friendly
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Great length
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Reasons to avoid
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Thin and narrow
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Lacks grip
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The Primasole folding yoga mat is an Amazon-own and one of our favorites for travel or anyone who needs a mat that simply does the job.
Made from PVC, the Primasole is wafer thin, lightweight (it weighs only 2lbs), and folds up like a piece of paper, slotting neatly into handbags or suitcases as a packing essential. This mat gets the job done, making it a suitable option for any workout or yoga class, anywhere.
Although it measures at a sizeable 68” long, it feels narrow and restrictive with a width of 24”. But considering it costs less than £30, we’re more than willing to let that go.
Specifications
Size: 172.7cm x 61cm x 0.41cm / 68” x 24”
Thickness: 4mm
Weight: 2lbs
Materials: PVC
Colors: Grey, Pink, Lime Green, Orange, Blue, Black
We tested the mat in heated conditions and a restorative class, and while we think you could use it in both — you will need a grip towel or yoga prop for extra support. The PVC surface makes this mat slippery, and the thin foam-like surface lacks padding and leaves soft indents.
What we love about this mat is that it’s not trying to masquerade as a premium yoga mat. If you’re after the basics, you’ll find the Primasole works perfectly well as a loyal on-the-go companion. That’s why it made it into our best yoga mats guide and continues to rake in great views on Amazon.
Find out why yoga for digestion is becoming increasingly popular, or read on for our full review of the Primasole folding yoga mat below.
Price and availability
The MSRP of the Primasole folding yoga mat varies between $11-$20/ £11-£20 via Amazon. It comes in a striking range of colors like hot pink and lime green, sure to stand out from the crowd in any yoga class.
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It’s our prime pick for budgeters who are less worried about the specs and more concerned about their bank accounts. If you’re looking for a new yoga mat during the cost of living crisis, this mat could be a great fit.
The Primasole folding yoga mat is made from PVC, typically used because it’s durable, easy to clean, and sticky. But it catches a bad rep for being less environmentally friendly.
The benefits of yoga mats are that they can be made recyclable. If you’re looking for a more sustainable option, natural rubber mats — like the Lululemon Reversible 5mm yoga mat — could be a better choice. It’s also best practice to look at the specs of a yoga mat before you buy if you’re unsure.
(Image credit: Sam Hopes)
The Primasole suits busy lifestyles, folding thinly into a square shape for travel. 4mm of thickness combined with a weight of 2lbs means this mat barely registers when you carry it. We could have balanced the Primasole on our heads and forgotten it was there — job done.
The material comprises tiny ridged squares that create a knitted look. This doesn’t add anything to the grip but it does make cleaning easier. However, the clear-cut folds are there to stay and stop the mat from unraveling fully flat to the floor. It’s more of an aesthetic grumble from us, but it could potentially cause tripping during higher-intensity exercise, jumping movements, and vinyasa flow transitions.
Performance
Unlike the high-grip yoga mats we’ve tested, such as the Jade Harmony yoga mat, the foam-like PVC material of the Primasole folding yoga mat is soft and can cause some sliding. Not the best sell for those who want to perfect their downward dog, but that can be solved with the addition of a good grip towel.
If you plan to reap the rewards of hot yoga benefits, you’ll at least need a towel to support hand placement in shoulder balances and weight-bearing poses. If you plan to use this mat for HIIT, we found it supportive, holding like glue to a wooden floor without sliding around. However, the folds prevent the mat from sitting flush to the ground and require some ironing out beforehand (with your hands).
(Image credit: Future)
We tested the grey mat, which we recommend if you know your yoga mats tend to take a beating. Lighter colors tend to show up with sweat stains, dust and wear and tear, and ours just about hid initial trainer scuffs.
The cheaper material cleans easily (more on care below), but harsher scuff marks are likely easy to pick up and consequently there to stay, so be warned if you’re looking to keep your mat in pristine condition.
We could practice perfectly well on this mat, but Yin-style classes required yoga props and extra cushioning to support our joints. We also found transitions — like stepping forward to low lunge — tricky because of the ridges in the mat (although they’re surprisingly useful for positioning and alignment). The Primasole also creates memory foam imprints as you move, but these disappear quickly and don’t affect our practice.
Overall, you could lay this mat down in a hotel room, yoga class, or garden and happily carve out a class — but you won’t get much support or cushioning.
(Image credit: Future)
Care
Learning how to clean a yoga mat properly is half the battle, but Primasole also provides care instructions for the Primasole folding yoga mat.
They recommend wiping down with a damp cloth and water or a natural detergent, airing in a shaded and well-ventilated place.
User reviews
The Primasole folding yoga mat was rewarded a 4.5 out of 5 Amazon stars. Users complimented how easy it was to travel with, and one user said it ‘works well for the casual yogi,’ while another simply stated ‘perfect.’
Negative feedback mentioned the thickness, with one user saying they bought two and doubled up for classes. Another user commented that the mat was slippery and began to wear after five months.
Should you buy?
Before you settle on your next yoga mat, ask yourself what you need from it. If the answer is no frills and affordability — the Primasole folding yoga mat is a solid investment. It suits tall and short yogis, travels well, and allows you to practice wherever and whenever. Beginners or anyone with an injury should perhaps opt for more cushioning as you’re essentially swapping comfort for compact, and it’s not suitable for hot yoga unless you’ve got a grip towel handy.
Alternatives
(Image credit: Sam Hopes)
If you want a seriously sticky grip from your next yoga mat, the Yogi Bare Wild Paws Natural Rubber Grip yoga mat (pictured above) is very grippy, versatile, and sustainably made. The yoga mat is one of our favorites from testing, offering yogis a high return on investment.
Another highly-rated budget buy is the Gaiam Premium 2-color yoga mat. It’s sweat-resistant, reversible, non-slip, and environmentally friendly, costing nearly the same as the Primasole at $30.
Sam Hopes is a level III fitness trainer, level II reiki practitioner, and resident fitness writer at Future PLC. Having trained to work with both the mind and body, Sam is a big advocate of using mindfulness techniques in sport and aims to bring mental wellbeing to the forefront of fitness. She’s also passionate about the fundamentals of training and how we can build more sustainable training methods. You’ll find her writing about the importance of habit-building, nutrition, sleep, recovery, and workouts.
