The 85" mat is probably best for 2 different situations: if you are tall like me (6'3") and you don't mind carrying some hefty extra weight around to class, or if you want to do yoga at home (or wherever) and you don't need to ever move this mat. It is heavy (like 10 lbs) because it is so dense - but that is a good thing! It is a solid mat in the sense that when you twist your feet your mat doesn't bunch up like thinner mats. It also gives you great padding for the hard floors. It is obscenely long - which gives you room to stretch out, and also has an additional advantage of giving you some extra space in a crowded studio - call me selfish but that's a nice bonus. It is very sticky unless you are really sweating, but at that point you would probably have a towel. I use this on carpet and hard floors and it works great in both cases. Yes, this mat is expensive, but didn't you just spend $100 on those shoes with the little shox on the back? You should consider your yoga mat just as important - and buy yourself the best! 5 stars

When I used lighter, less dense mats they would sometimes bunch up or move around during flowing vinyasa practice. If my toe caught the mat, the edge would flip over and require adjustment. Also, they did not cushion very well. In addition, lesser mats wore out quickly and had to be replaced. When doing poses like the side-arm balance, my foot would slip off the end of the regular length mat and I would fall out of the pose.

With the extra-long manduka mat, none of these issues is a problem. The mat is solid and dense, and stays put on the floor no matter what I do. It cushions really well, but because it is so dense it is no problem to balance or move on the mat (not mushy). I beat the daylights out of these mats and they still look great. Durability is outstanding, and they show no signs of wearing out. Ever. The extra length allows me to move with confidence, knowing I won't run out of room or slip off the mat. An additional benefit of the long mat is that it allows you to change your starting position on the mat somewhat, so that the small area worn by your feet is not the same every practice. In other words, you can spread the wear over a larger area to make it last even longer. The surface is plenty sticky for normal yoga, and if you do a hot yoga class or sweat a lot you will likely want to have a towel anyway. No complaints about stickiness.

As for weight, it seems that if you are big enough to need an extra-long mat you are probably plenty strong enough to carry it around. It ain't heavy, it's the best yoga mat I've ever seen. 5 stars

I'm 6'6" 225 lbs. and have been doing yoga for a few years. This mat is nice and long as well as a little wider and thicker than the standard mat. Yes it's heavier than a standard mat and I found it to be unpleasantly slippery at first, but I recommend it highly. If you ever find yourself stacking one mat on top of another to get the padding you need, or running out of room on your mat, then please buy this mat now and you will thank yourself later.

Pros: Longer, thicker, wider

Cons: A bit expensive (I think it's worth it), slippery at first (goes away after a few classes).

NOTE: You might want to periodically roll the mat from a different end to get rid of the teacher-tripping curl that develops over time. 5 stars

I started doing yoga recently, and the first order of business was to find a mat so I didn't have to stand on the hard floor, slip around on a towel, or use a mat at the gym that people sweated all over.

I thought I could find something for around $20, but there was nothing that seemd to fill my needs. I'm 6'3" so I needed something long. Nothing squishy. Nothing paper thin. Nothing that would fall apart after a few uses.

But >$80? Who was I kidding? But after a lot of thought I realized I'd probably go through 4 $20 mats and still end up buying this one. So I swallowed hard and bit the bullet. It came today, and I'm glad I did.

This is a well made mat of heavy, high density rubber material. They say it won't slip, and I'm sure it won't. It doesn't have some nice peaceful design on it, but I can live with that. It also isn't some bright gaudy color either. Plain black with the Manduka label/logo in one corner.

Now I just have to forget the exorbitant price and move on.

I'm pleased (but poorer) with this purchase. 4 stars

A great mat even though it is on the slightly heavyish side. So what, it's not THAT heavy. Slippery at first, that goes away. Bravo to Manduka for making this long mat which keeps my face away from the studio floor and my feet still on the mat.

Update: I really like this mat. It is living up to my expectations and allowing me to practice with more confidence. Balance poses are not an issue as the mat is dense enough and not squishy.

Update II: It's been about a year since I bought this mat. I practice 4 or more times a week and it's a vigorous Vinyassa practice. Not one mark on this mat, it's as pristine as the day I bought it. Others in my class have shredded their mats but this one looks and feels brand new. I am very hard on my mats and honestly, this one is so well made, there isn't any wear at all! The only gripe, and it's a tiny one, is that the Manduka label is coming off, now I won't be able to remember which end is which. I went through a Nike mat in 2 months. This was money well spent, I am very happy with this mat. 5 stars