I enjoyed the "textured" feel of the map. I'm using the square side for standard D&D adventures and the hex side for insect hive caves and such. The only thing I have to say is that I *strongly* disagree with the Staedtler Lumocolor pens. These pens are the predominate US Army map pens and such, and so I have a ton. However, the black stained IMMEDIATELY when I did my color tests. Expo Vis a Vis Wet Erases all clearly erased even after a set time, save blue which left a VERY FAINT stain (I've had problems with Blue, Red and Green on other products in the past as well).

This has been one of the best investments our group has ever made, we use it every game, not only can you draw maps and locations on it but it also protects your table top from little spills and those heavy dwarven brushed steel dice from dinging the place up. The only thing I would suggest is "Clean the combat mat at the end of your session, it can be a real pain to get the markers off the following game". I would so buy this mat again if I had to rule up again.

When they say wet erase ONLY they mean it. I just had to get rid of my mat that I had for the past 15 years after one of the kids I'm teaching to play D&D thought they could use dry-erase markers on it (like we do on the Flip Mats). :(

The greater size and soft, rollable nature of these mats are nice but I'm not going to replace my old one because there's just too great a risk of botching the markers again. Plus it's kind of nice being able to use my whiteboard and Sharpie markers on the flip mats. If only I could have it both ways...

I bought this a while back and been using it. It is large enough to hold a large portion of the dungeon on sometimes four or 5 plus rooms. It color is a wierd greenish color that is very light and contrast great with markers. The few times I put it away it folds up nicely and fits inside a book. I love it

While I did not buy mine through Paizo.com, I do own one of these incredible mats (the Large one, specifically). My games tend to involve many large-scale battles and the flexibility offered by this mat is incredible. With just a few wet erase markers of different colors, I can sketch any kind of terrain that I want onto it in a matter of seconds. The grids are the standard 1" = 5' and, combined with miniatures to represent players, NPCs, and monsters, this mat is essential to my weekend gaming. My one complaint? After about a year of ownership (being used twice a week), the very edges have started to fray a bit, with little strings coming out of the sides. Nothing major, though, just an aesthetic matter. The mat hasn't torn or anything. Great product! Highly recommended!

It looks good but I have two problems.
1) The creases from shipping have not come out no matter what I do. My Chessex mat can be crumpled for years and the creases always come out within a day or two of being rolled or layed flat.
2) The lines have flecked off where it creased so I assume that in time all of the other lines will fleck too. My Chessex map has survived 12 years of gaming and the lines are still all there (along with various stains and roach burns).

For several years now, I have been using a dry-erase board for all my D&D mapping needs. The board, etched with a grid, spent many hours taking up my back seat or trunk in between sessions: I'd have to move it to the trunk if I was going to take on passengers, and then I would find it in the trunk when I was to place groceries in the trunk. On game nights when I would think to bring my board back up to the third floor where I live, I found it terribly difficult to carry a crate of books and a big board.

Now, I have a map perfect for play: It is big (so characters cannot roam off of it), it is vinyl (So it is easy to transport), and you can't erase it just by reaching across it with a dangling sleeve. A great purchase!