I’m a member of a couple gyms and one provides everything you need for yoga (including these towels), the other gym only provides mats and blocks. I needed a rubber backed yoga towel that was absorbent and slip proof (so I don’t need yoga socks). Regular towels don’t work and even socks become less helpful in a heated or hot yoga environment. This is easy to use and lightweight (fits in my gym bag). I also ignored the washing instructions and just toss it in with dark towels and dry it in the dryer. No issues at all.Like many of the other reviews, I purchased this product in advance of travel plans. I was flying only with a carry-on, and carrying a traditional yoga mat on board the plane would've meant that I couldn't carry on my laptop bag. I'm one of those strange people that prefer to do yoga on a bare wood floor without a yoga mat, so my review doesn't take into account the thinness of this mat, which is a concern for several other reviewers. For me, the biggest concern was hygiene and saving my spot in a yoga studio. I will be traveling for six days, and I didn't want to pay the additional cost for a yoga mat rental each day. I've also found that when I lay down just a jacket and/or water bottle to save my spot w/o a yoga mat, people generally don't assume someone is practicing there, and will leave me no room for movement. I initially thought that the cloth-side was laid down touching the floor, but on a hardwood floor, it just moves around. The sticky side is what makes contact with the floor to provide the mat with some traction. I was concerned that the cloth side would be slippery for my hands and feet, especially during down dog, but with my initial tries, it seems to be fine. In fact, I just roll-over the sticky side just on the top edge of the mat, and that provides enough traction for my hands; my feet don't seem to slide on the cloth-side. I will be taking daily class in a foreign city each morning, and possibly each evening, and it will be so convenient just to unfold and fold this into my messenger bag and get on with being a tourist rather than have to lug a traditional yoga roll around a shoulder all day, or go back to the hotel room to drop off a mat after class. It folds down to the size of a 2" thick novel.I will update after my travel to see how it held-up in real life.I have so far only tested out a few standing poses & DD and have also done a yin yoga practice on this mat. I think it will be serviceable for a travel mat either on carpet by itself or using as an overlay on a studio mat perhaps. My biggest disappointment is the color misrepresentation. I ordered the "Purple" which in the photo appears very dark...really more of a dark plum type of color. The mat I received is nothing like it...it is a light to medium purple at the most (not dark) and definitely purple, not plum. I like the color purple, but this particular shade of purple is not really my preference for this yoga mat. Oddly, the photo on the "box" which contains the mat also displayed the dark plum color...so it appears to be an error on the part of Gaiam perhaps, and not Amazon. Oh well! I will keeping it anyway since I like that it is machine washable and very compact.I have already washed it (line dry, which was reasonably quick) and it came out beautifully. The washing helped dissipate the rubber smell and when I practiced yin yoga it was not overwhelming at all (& I can be quite sensitive to certain smells). Since this is a natural rubber, it is less bothersome for me...chemical smells are more offensive to me.While practicing, the mat bunched up a little bit once or twice but it was manageable...I did feel like I needed to be more mindful of how I moved on it so that did not happen. While testing out downward facing dog, I did not feel completely secure from slipping on the microfiber side, so I may choose to use the other rubber side for that pose in particular. Nonetheless, It does seem to give reasonably good grip for microfiber and perhaps it will improve over use.Overall, I think it will be a decent travel mat and possibly useful for other purposes as well. Being machine washable is a great feature, so I think I will be pleased to have it available - and at a reasonable price.I purchased this yoga towel to take on vacation with me. I only ended up using it a couple times, but it served its purpose well. The first time I used it, it was on a hardwood floor. The towel is thin, so it was hard on my knees, but using a folded up towel would have solved that problem. I used it grippy side down, so the towel didn’t slip, but I didn’t feel like my hands were super secure (It wasn’t too bad, just not as sticky as my regular mat). The second time I used it was on carpet which was much more comfortable - both on my knees, and on my hands.All in all, I’d say this is great for taking along on a trip if you don’t want to lug a standard mat around with you - just be sure to pad your knees if you are on a hard surface. It folded up pretty compact in my suitcase which was great! I added a picture next to a pair of my shorts so you can get an idea of the size. I plan to use it on top of my yoga mat at home when I’m doing a sweatier practice. I think it will be great for that.The towel did have a pretty strong smell when I first opened it, but I let it air out for a few days, and the smell faded (although it’s not completely gone yet).Washes good..but just ok for hot yogaTook this mat on holiday with me: blue side is very sticky laid it on top of some rugs & it was the perfect accessory to my practice.... not to speak too soon.. put it in the washing machine when I got home & one side has peeled off of the reverse side & has become extremely sticky LOL think I need a new mat: Possible reason could be the little bit of soap powder I used. I would recommend this mat to others. Ooh yeah I also put weights on the four corners to hold it in place. Might go for the Manduka travel superlite next, (although the reviews are not great: hoping the travel Manduka mat will last longer than this one & is the last Yoga mat I buy for a long time.After studying all the reviews available, I chose to try two mats (one with beads and this one). The one with beads doesn't suit me as the beads bother my hands but this one is superb. The hotter and sweatier you get, the better it works. I actually spray a little water on the hand area before starting vinyasa so I get the grip immediately. I wouldn't use it on its own as it is so thin but on top of my regular old yoga mat, it is fine. There are now 3 of us in my yoga class with this mat and we are all pleased with it.A bit slippery in use, not as robust as a mat, but will do for covering mats at the gym. For hygiene purposes. Incidentally, mats at the gym also slippery, how ironic ....Fabulous grip ,bought for travel although I use It weekly for Ashtanga ,folds to the size of a tea towel :)and stores with a hair bobble around it!Item arrived on time but it was a bit dirty. Look like it was sitting in a warehouse for a long time.Mat was thinner than expected althoigh for my purpose that is using it while traveling this is convenient. But i will have to use it over a soft surface.