Primasole Foldable Review

The Primasole Foldable is a folding yoga and pilates mat with a 4mm cushion made from polyvinyl chloride. Laying flat, the yoga mat is 68 inches long and 24 inches wide and has grid lines embossed in the surface for easing folding into a 3 x 9.5 x 12-inch square that you can tuck into a backpack, tote, suitcase, or the pocket of your passenger seat. The Primasole weighs 1 pound 14.8 ounces and comes in a plethora of colors.

Performance Comparison

Comfort and Support

Although it does not provide a sufficient cushion to be your daily practice mat, the Primasole is a comfortable option for places where you won't want to lug a heavy or expensive mat. It supports the joy of doing yoga with the pups or on outdoor adventures.

At first, our testers overlooked the Primasole Foldable as just another cheap yoga mat, but then we started taking it to the park for yoga during our lunch break. While the pups ran around, we fell in love with how comfortable it was on the grass and, as one of the lightest mats we tested, how easy it was on our backs to carry on the mile walk home. Our view of comfort expanded when we talked with a backcountry ranger who uses this mat on wilderness patrols. For someone who puts in miles of hiking every day, he said it was a game changer to have this as a “luxury item” and well worth the comfort of being able to practice on it at his campsites.

Our testers also took this mat on long hikes and found that, while it feels thin at home next to our eight-pound daily mat, we were grateful for it when out and about, flowing on granite slabs or dropping into yin poses under giant sequoias. We padded our knees with a jacket if the rock was too hard underneath. Because the Primasole is thin, it is usually easy to stabilize in standing or balance poses, depending on the surface beneath the mat. One of the other things we love most about the Primasole is that folding it into a square makes a cushy zabuton for a meditative sit in nature.

We do not recommend the Primasole as a daily home or studio practice mat, mainly because it does not offer sufficient padding for the joints. The first test we do to assess cushion is the “footprint” test. If you can see your footprint in the material, then the mat is compressing into the ground under your weight, not offering a sufficient barrier between your bones and the floor. The Primasole gives a clear foot impression.

Grip

The Primasole is embossed with grid squares that give a surprisingly good dry grip and just enough squish that it grips decently well if you have sweaty hands on a sunny day at the park or beach. It is more slippery when wet and not our first choice for hot yoga, but it can hold you in static poses when you are sweaty.

While our hands did not slip forward in Ardho Muhka (down dog) when we soaked the mat with “sweat” in our grip tests, we see room for improvement regarding the give in the material. It is slightly elastic, so we could feel our feet moving slightly outward under us when we applied oppositional forces in poses like Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2). This is not a deal breaker for an outside play mat, but it requires more engagement of your musculature to ground into your stability.

We wish the Primasole had more traction on slick floors like tile or wood. Although this mat is challenging to budge when you shuffle it across the ground, it is not very dense and tends to buckle in the middle during common transitions like in Sun Salutations. It wrinkles if you roll over your toes into Ardo Muhka (down dog), so engaging your core and lifting your feet during transitions is better. This mat is better for stepping between Asanas than vigorous practices with sliding movements.

Materials

With the Primasole Foldable, you “get what you pay for” — a mat that's less expensive than a drop-in yoga class and that is resilient for road-tripping or to use an outdoor beater mat — but it will not last for years of daily practice.

We enjoyed testing this mat in a variety of outdoor locations. It was easy to clean after yoga in the park and on the beach. We took it on several hikes in Yosemite National Park, and it held up well on granite slabs and forest duff. It is resilient for outdoor yoga, especially if you lay it on a tarp for car camping or backpacking. However, it is not designed for Sun Salutations and rigorous practice every morning.

Furthermore, researching user reviews revealed testimonials of the material starting to chip off over time. As mentioned, you can extend the life of your mat by putting down a ground tarp if you are practicing on abrasive ground surfaces (or if there are pine cones or cockleburrs in the vicinity).

Ease of Use

The Primasole Foldable is one of the most compact mats to carry and store, and since we love it for outdoor adventures, we are thankful it is a breeze to clean.

This mat folds into a compact 3 x 9.5 x 12-inch square, easily stored on a shelf or in a drawer. At less than two pounds, it is easy to carry across town or to a scenic location for a gentle flow and forest bathing. Some people even take it backpacking.

The Primasole isn't sensitive to extreme heat like many travel mats, so storing it in your car for road trips is okay. It does arrive with a strong odor, so we recommend airing it out for a day or two before use.

Should You Buy the Primasole Foldable?

If you want a travel beater mat for doing yoga outside so you can save wear on your daily home mat, then the Primasole is an ultralight budget option. If you love doing yoga on the beach, at the park, or forest bathing on a trail, you won't be disappointed at how easy it is to clean this mat when you get home. We love having it in our car camping tub. However, if you want a mat for daily practice, you will want to look for another option with more cushion and durability.

What Other Yoga Mats Should You Consider?

The Primasole is more of an adventure mat than your go-to daily practice mat. If you want a mat that can last a lifetime, then the Manduka PRO has our favorite cushion and is the only mat in our lineup backed with a lifetime warranty. If you aim to improve your alignment and body awareness, the Liforme Original offers an innovative alignment grid on its cushy, grippy surface. If you want a travel mat but need more cushion, the Hugger Mugger Earth Elements and Iuga Eco Friendly Non Slip both weigh just over two pounds and offers a plush cushion at a bargain price. If you are new to yoga and want a decent mat without a big pricetag, then the Gaiam Premium 6mm is a comfortable option for beginners.