I’ve had a few months to use the Topo Standing Mat by Ergodriven. The company claims that their “patent-pending, calculated terrain” encourages frequent movement. Having written a bunch of patents in my day, what is unique enough to patent doesn’t immediately jump out at me. This mat has a bunch of ridges at different heights and a ball area they call a tear drop in the middle. But once I jumped on it I understood how it encourages constant movement. This mat just begged to be walked all over. I’m guessing they went through a whole lot of prototypes to come up with this design. Check out their intro video below where they equate this mat with climbing trees and walking out in nature.

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Without question, this mat creates more opportunity to move all day long compared to other standing mats that I’ve tested. One really nice feature I love is the size. This mat fit below every desk that I tested it with. The stand-up desk mat I used before this was too wide for a few desks. This Topo mat is also more squishy and more comfortable than other mats I have used.

The company touts this mat as easy to position without needing your hands. Yes, this is true but I can also move other mats with my foot as well. Not sure this is a unique feature. The ridge in the back makes it easy to kick around on the ground. The grip on the back is grippy enough so you can use this on hardwood without it moving all over but not so grippy that you need to bend down to reposition. On carpet, I can also move it around with just my foot.

The company also claims that they have a pebble texture that allows the mat to feel cooler. Being a barefoot guy, I can attest that this indeed is true. To be honest, I could feel the difference because I was looking to measure a difference between this mat and couple of others. It did feel cooler after a few hours of use. If you wear shoes, this pebble texture should not make a difference. The skin on the mat does seem extremely well made, easy to clean, and probably a bit more puncture resistant over other mats I’ve tested.

As I noted in my post about using standing desk for over five years, please get a mat! You’ll negate some of the benefits of a standing desk if you use without a standing desk mat. While this may not be the best stand up desk mat in the world, it is the best I have ever used. Well done Ergodriven!