Meet the reviewer
Liforme Classic Travel Yoga Mat: first impressions
For those who are committed to staying anchored in their yoga practice no matter where they are in the world, the Liforme Classical Travel Yoga Mat is a dream come true. Whether you're doing yoga stretches for runners after a day on the trail or attending classes at the beach during your rest days, this travel yoga mat has you covered. It is the lighter, thinner version of Liforme's highly popular mat and delivers the same super-grip as the thicker version. We tested it on the beach in Corsica and found we never slipped, no matter how much sweat and sunscreen was on our skin.
It also features Liforme's intelligent alignment markers, which look like an aesthetically pleasing pattern but actually serve a really practical function by helping you know where to place your hands and feet, which can come in extra handy when you're practicing in a new environment and feeling a little out of sorts.
• List price: $115 / £90
• Dimensions: 70 in L x 25.9 in W / 180 cm L x 66 cm W
• Packed dimensions: 25.9 in x 3.5 in / 66cm x 9 cm
• Thickness: 2mm
• Weight: 3.68 lbs / 1.67 kg
• Carry bag included: Yes
• Materials: Natural Rubber base, Liforme’s unique eco-polyurethane top surface, non-toxic and eco-friendly ink
• Colors: Grey, purple, olive, blue, pink, green
• Best use: Active travel
At 2mm thick, it provides a little padding under your knees if you're practicing on a tiled hotel room floor or balcony, but it's significantly less wieldy than the thicker version. Coming with a zip up over-the-shoulder carry bag, you can comfortably tote it around town or bring it as a carry-on for your next flight. If you want to pop it in your suitcase and check it, it may be a little long to go in a medium-sized or smaller case rolled up, but you can easily unroll it and fold it for the journey.
That said, it's not necessarily the lightest or most packable mat on the market, but for a little more weight and bulk, you do get an otherwise five-star mat. We love that it comes with cleaning instructions, and it's planet-friendly to boot. The mat biodegrades in five years in normal landfill conditions and is PVC-free and colored with eco-friendly ink. It comes in six colors and Liforme also donates three percent of sales of the purple mat to Friends of the Earth.
Its biodegradability does mean that it won't last forever, but it's robust enough to hold up against regular use, travel and even sandy beaches for a couple of years before losing its stickiness. That said, as long as you clean it regularly and allow it to dry completely before rolling it up and packing it away, you'll be happy with the quality, and performance and can feel good about your impact on the planet.
Liforme Classic Travel Yoga Mat: in the field
As a longtime yoga practitioner, I spent years trying to find the perfect travel mat before giving up and just practicing directly on hotel room floors. Now that I'm involved in so much active travel for my role at Advnture, I've realized I want a bit more padding when I'm stretching out after hours folded up on a plane and long days on the trail.
I'm a little late to the game with Liforme, having only recently discovered them because the yoga studio I like to go to in Glasgow gives them out as rentals. I rode my bike there one day in the rain and decided to rent a mat rather than bring my own, and was instantly enamored with the performance. That said, they're heavy and bulky, so I was excited to discover there's a travel version available. I've been using the travel mat for the last month and recently took it to Corsica where I was mountain biking, doing a via ferrata and testing the new line of gear from the North Face.
Here’s how it performed:
Weight and packability
If you're in the market for a travel yoga mat, you're obviously going to be looking for something that's light and packable, and I'll be honest, this isn't the lightest or most packable mat out there. At 3.7 lbs, it's no problem to sling over your shoulder for a yoga class or to head down to the beach for some stretching, but it isn't exactly featherlight.
That said, it comes with a really good quality carry bag, which has a two-way zip and padded shoulder strap, making it easy to travel with, even with a backpack.
I flew to Corsica with it as a carry-on, in addition to my small backpack, and the airline didn't seem to mind me bringing it as a personal item (it squeezes into even the most overloaded overhead lockers). On the way back, I decided to check it and it was too long to fit in my suitcase rolled up, but no problem, I just unrolled it and folded it in a rectangle. For the future, this is how I'd travel with it.
Performance
What you want from a yoga mat might come down a bit to personal preference. For example, some people want lots of padding above all else, while I'm quite happy with less. That said, I always want grip (slipping is so annoying and can even be dangerous) and stability and this mat really excels at both.
Like any travel mat, it has less in the way of padding so very sensitive knees may be unhappy on a hard surface (though I've had two knee surgeries and have no problems with the thickness). However, you can't really get better grip than this mat provides without practicing on sand paper. I tend not to have sweaty palms in normal circumstances and that means that I actually slip on very smooth mats in downward dog, but I stick to this one like glue. In Corsica, I had sunscreen on my palms and got sweaty and I still didn't budge. With my knee being less-than-perfect, this all means I'm really confident my back foot isn't going to slip in Warrior 2.
It's also really stable, thanks to not being too thick and the rubber material, so balance is no issue. I brought mine down to the beach for a group class on my last day in Corsica, which is about the most challenging surface you can imagine, and barely wobbled.
Another feature that really puts this mat above the rest is the alignment markings, which give you a handy guide for where to put your hands and feet. I don't believe that yoga poses have universal alignment, but I find knowing where the center of my mat and what shoulder width distance is are helpful for moving without overthinking and I absolutely love this feature. Of course, if it doesn't work for your dimensions, you can just ignore them.
Sustainability
As yogis, we need to be paying attention to our impact on the planet and not all yoga mats are great for Mother Earth. Fortunately, this one seems to have good eco creds, made using rubber which is naturally biodegradable with a PVC-free coating and non-toxic dye. If you buy that mat in purple, they'll donate three percent of the proceeds to Friends of the Earth which actually tallies out to $3.45 per mat, so I know what color I'm ordering next time.
There is one aspect that isn't especially environmentally friendly, and that's that every time you buy a new mat, it seems to come with a carry bag. If you're just replacing the mat over the years, as I intend to, you don't want a new bag every time so hopefully this becomes optional.
Value
I won't beat around the bush; this is an expensive yoga mat. However, you get the best performance for your money. But, it's also not going to last forever. Though mine shows zero signs of wear and tear, the fact that it's made using natural materials means it won't last forever. But do we really want our purchases to last forever? I'd argue not.
There are mats that will last longer than this one, but there's a reason why and it's probably because they're made using toxic materials. You are getting a good quality mat here, and if you take care of it, clean it and don't roll it up wet, I think you can expect at least a couple of years of regular service, and more if you save it only for travel.
Liforme Classic Travel Yoga Mat: the bottom line
You can find lighter and more packable travel yoga mats than this one, but you're unlikely to find one that rivals its performance between the no-slip treatment, stability and alignment markings. That said, when you tally up the cost, I'd say this is a great purchase for people who are really serious about yoga and want to invest in taking their practice wherever they go. There are more affordable mats out there if you're just looking for occasional use.
