I own both a Manduka towel and the Yogitoes towel and here's what I wish I would have known: The Manduka feels softer than the Yogitoes, and certainly is more versatile, since it can be used as a regular towel or even a blanket. They both feel pretty stable (can't avoid all slipping of the hands in down dog) when wet, but the major difference is that the Maduka has a tendency to bunch up more than the Yogitoes on my yoga mat during practice. The nubs on the Yogitoes do help a lot to grip the towel on the yoga mat to prevent slippage while you're jumping up to the top of the mat or performing a lunge. Caveat: I have a Gaiam yoga mat, so I'm not certain if the Manduka towel works better with the Manduka yoga mats. I have the pink Manduka - it's quite lovely and I haven't experienced any bleeding in the wash (unlike my purple Yogitoes!). But the bunching issue is really annoying, and for this reason alone, if I need another yoga towel, I would go with another Yogitoes.
UPDATE: I've since purchased a Manduka yoga mat, and the Manduka towel is MUCH better paired with the Manduka mat. In fact, I can't use the Yogitoes towel with the Maduka mat because the nubs do not grip the smoother surface of a Manduka mat very well. So in deciding which towel to purchase, bottom line is it will depend on the surface of the yoga mat you have. Yogitoes towel for your "normal" yoga mats (typically $10-$30) made of soft rubber and has a slightly nubby surface area. Maduka towel for the Maduka mats, where the surface area appears much smoother because the rubber is denser. Manduka Long eQua Towel (Magic)
Everyone I know who has a mat towel has one made by Yogitoes. I agonized for months over whether I should buy a Yogitoes or this. Yogitoes has those little rubber bumps on this one side, but did they really make that much difference in terms of grippiness? I use a Manduka mat and love it so I decided to take a risk and go with the Manduka towel too. I'm pretty sure it paid off. This towel feels great, you can really tell it's high quality. It's a little slippy when it's completely dry but, once damp, it provides incredible grip. I've never used a yogitoes towel so I can't make a comparison but I'd certainly recommend this one to anyone looking.
I practice heated vinyasa, so this was great considering how much i move (a lot!) and sweat (I lose about a pound and a half if I don't drink!) throughout the class. It does wrinkle ever so slightly throughout class, but not enough to be a distraction. It's more or less slip proof, but you do have to spray it down pretty generously with water before you start. In fact, the towel dries out so rapidly in the heat I have to get it uncomfortably damp at the beginning of class--but just at the spots where I put my hands and feet in downdog. However, for the price, it was well worth it--you can get two of these for the price of one yogitoes towel, and use it as a regular towel. Plus, it's a little larger than the yogitoes standard and I do appreciate the extra room.
After slipping and sliding on towels during rigorous vinyasa classes and home practice on my Jade Harmony mat - to the point where I had to constantly reposition 4 mini hand towels to my hands and feet in downward dog, to no avail - I finally caved in and bought one of these towel dealies. I went back and forth between all the options on Amazon - the Gaiam, Kulae, Yogitoes, Manduka...and in the end, decided to go for the Manduka because of reviews (noted people mentioning "quick air-drying" and no color leaking during washes) and the fact that it is significantly cheaper on Amazon than any of the yoga stores I've visited.
If you've been debating getting a towel for your yoga practice - and you're a serious yogi who can sweat a ton in classes - put it off no longer. This towel is fantastic. I can't say enough great things about it - it stays put, it's big, covers the whole mat, soaks up your sweat so there's no puddles of wet on your mat (yech), and is indeed quickly air drying. It's comfy and adds an extra layer of cushion between you and the floor (although not too much cushion for those who like to "feel" the floor) It didn't slide once during an extremely sweaty class (seriously, everyone else without yoga towels had gross puddles of sweat streaming all over the floor and mat - ew). The color and feel is soothing and even luxurious. The only possible semi-negative thing is that this towel seems to emit heat when you are lying face down (ie preparing for salambasana or locust/bow pose); it seems to echo/radiate your body heat. This to me was a very teeny trade-off for the many pluses and benefits, since I'm hot anyway regardless of whether there's a towel or not.
It also doesn't seem to soak up smell, so a simple water rinse and squeeze gets it pretty dry for next class. However, I have not washed it several times so cannot comment on its durability or continued sweat-soak ability. Will post later as an update.
You can put this on your mat in the beginning or once you get sweaty - either way, it seems to stick. A wonderful buy at a really good price on Amazon. couldn't be happier with my manduka towel!
I was unsure whether to buy this towel or the one from Yogitoes (Yogitoes Skidless Premium Mat-Size Yoga Towel). I prefer this towel -- it covers the mat better and has a slightly better feel. The difference is fairly small.
I was initially intrigued by the nubs on the Yogitoes towel, but I think they are a little bumpy and don't provide that much extra. The size of the towel makes the difference between the two.
Both towels are better wet than dry, but I still use this even at the beginning of my practice.
After doing a lot of research & finding myself torn between the Yogitoes & the Manduka eQua towel for Birkiam yoga, I decided to buy 1 of each. The Yogitoes is a bit more expensive (about $48) & Manduka about $37. The Manduka is very thin like a chamois, which was described by others this way, but one thing people didn't mention, is that LIKE a chamois, where you touch it when wet it leaves a little dark mark before it evaporates. Well, in a hot yoga class when you are sweating up a storm, the least attractive thing is wet hand/foot marks on the towel (call me whatever you like, but c'mon no one thinks that's a 'nice' benefit of a yoga towel.) Also, I found this one slipped MUCH more than the Yogitoes with the nubs. The Manduka was downright slippery. Granted it did not bunch up like a beach/bath towel, but like a chamois, it has an almost suede-like feel and during a couple of back-laying posture, I actually could slide my back up & down the mat - in a bad way. Anyway, as much as I wanted to like it, I hate it. - Yoga - Yoga Accessories - Mat - Yoga Mat'
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