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yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel Review

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yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel Review (Yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel)
Yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel
Credit: yogitoes.com
Price:  $58 List
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Manufacturer:   yogitoes
By Brian Blum ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Jan 30, 2013

Our Verdict

The yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel is an amazing product to supplement your mat when practicing a more rigorous style of yoga. This product is not an alternative to having a yoga mat, but can transform the most simple mat into an amazing surface with great traction and comfort. Having a yoga towel offers a hygienic layer between you and your mat that absorbs sweat and provides extra traction and comfort. In this respect the yogitoes Skidless Towels do an excellent job, although the Jade Microfiber Yoga Towel performs slightly better in our tests with respect to dry traction and portability.
REASONS TO BUY
Great wet traction
Comfortable on hands
Easy to wash
Environmentally friendly product and responsible company
REASONS TO AVOID
Bunches up when dry
A little heavier than the competition
Note that this mat is being evaluated for use in a heated yoga practice, or a more intense practice in which you plan to sweat. For restorative yoga, yoga outdoors in cooler temperatures, or other styles of yoga where you simply don't sweat, we find having a yoga towel such as this one along for the ride is simply overkill.

Our Analysis and Test Results

Likes


We used this towel for many years and several hundred hours of practice, coupled with about half that many cycles through the washer and dryer. Although it looks like it has seen better days and has in fact thinned out a bit, after all this time it still works great and performs very well in a heated class.

There are very few yoga mats that perform well with heavy perspiration, so for those that sweat, or for anyone practicing Bikram or other styles of yoga in a heated space, having a Skidless Yoga Towel becomes essential. Once wet this towel does an excellent job of staying in place and providing a comfortable surface that you will not slide around on.

On the website we counted over 40 different options with respect to size, color, and patterns. There are so many options it makes it almost too difficult to choose, but at the very least it is great to have this towel offered in three sizes (24" x 68", 25" x 80", and 17" x 26").

One advantage of using a Skidless Towel is that it absorbs anything you throw at it and is much easier to wash than a yoga mat. Any daily practitioner of heated yoga will want two or more of these towels so that when one is in the wash you have a backup to practice on. It is possible to sun dry the towel between classes, but be warned that your towel can get pretty smelly pretty fast, and can create an undesirable experience for yourself and those practicing around you.

We couldn't be happier with the environmental and social responsibility shown by this company. They are certified as a green business and are committed to working with factories and vendors that embrace ethical values and focus on labor safety, as well as green manufacturing practices. The company uses recycled plastic bottles and recycled polyester to manufacture some of their towels and is committed to doing so with their entire line in 2013. Last but certainly not least, they donate one percent of their annual sales to organizations focused on the environment and on human wellness.

Dislikes


The yogitoes Towel performs best moist. This towel has the tendency to bunch up under foot when dry, and doesn't offer the traction desired until moisture flattens it out and creates traction with the mat below. For this reason I generally like to give my towel a light spray when I first get into a class, or if no spray bottle is available, simply position the towel at the top of my mat so that I can easily pull it over the mat once I have built up some heat and I have begun to perspire.

At approximately 22-ounce (differs based on size) the yogitoes Skidless Towel does add some weight to your overall package. While 22 ounces is not that much weight, when coupled with a yoga mat it does add up and can get especially heavy on your way home from the studio when fully saturated with sweat.

Value


Purchasing a yogitoes Skidless Yoga Towel is an investment you will not regret. If you mostly practice in a heated space and expect to sweat during your everyday practice, then coupling this towel with a thinner mat will get you the 1/4" of padding you need for comfort while taking advantage of the yoga towel for great wet traction. Given the durability of this product we definitely feel you get significant value for your money.

Brian Blum