I don't typically write reviews, but I felt this product deserved one. As a new DM for a group of entry level players, I had been struggling with presenting the board in a way the players could visualize. I was frustrated, they were confused; we all turned to drinking. The situation was dire; I needed something before the next game night lest we all devolve into drunken goblins. There are quite a few products which met my needs, but few which had everything I needed (Sturdy Carrying Tube, Dry Erase Markers and Erasers, and Durable Plastic Sheet with Clamps). At first I wasn't sure that this was what I wanted. The package seemed like it had too many parts with the board and plastic sheet being separate, but I'm glad I opted for it versus one that was already coated in a dry erase film. Why the single sheet sounds appealing, you quickly realize that the ability to take off the sheet and replace it with another already drawn sheet is incalculably beneficial, and necessary. I'm a terrible artist, If I had to draw and redraw maps every time the campaign changed scenario, I would have cut my own wrists in an attempt to use blood magic as an alternative. Luckily I'm now able to draw a several maps in advance and layer them as needed, and my players are now no longer looking for harder drugs to deal with the ambiguity of an unseen map.

This has a vinyl battle mat that cannot be drawn on (dry erase markers are permanent on the matt) covered by a separate plastic mat. You can only draw on the plastic mat.

This is fine, sturdy and easy to use. However, most battle mats are non-porous so you can write on them directly with the dry erase markers making this one a bit weird and easy to ruin if you mix it up with the normal kind.

I really like having the plastic layer as other maps / features can be placed under it and then you can draw on top of the lot.

I absolutely love this gaming mat and would highly recommend it to anyone who plays D&D or fantasy games.

Pros:
Very sturdy/solid, doesn't feel fragile at all and feels really weighted, never moves on the table ones it's been set down.

The tube it comes with for transporting it is perfect, I feel like I'm about to steal the Declaration of Independence in national treasure every time I hold it in that.

I thought the clips were going to be a bit wonky or weird on the edges of the mat, but they're perfect and I don't have any issues with them at all, they hold everything perfectly in place, and store super easily.

The board color works super well for really any terrain, you can just draw on your own additions to the terrain such as bushes, trees, buildings, roads, etc.

Cons:
The dry erasers included really aren't that great, and if you leave drawings up for more than 15/20 minutes, you'll have to use wet wipes or a wet wash cloth to clean the plastic as the dry erasers don't fully clean everything off and can sometimes leave a "stain" that only comes off with water.

Abishai's RPG battle grid mat is pretty darned cool. Made of neoprene, the mat itself is hefty. The PVC film that lays atop the mat is also sturdy and heavy enough not to conform to the shape of the carrying case in which it is housed. There's no need to worry about curling edges. The mat is also easy to clean as the included dry-erase markers wipe away without residue.

The plastic carrying case is also sturdy and has a strap attached for easy transportation. You can sling it over your shoulder and leave your hands free to carry your favorite RPG books and dice. Used for normal gameplay, this mat seems like it will last many years.

The only drawback to Abishai's product is the clips that come with mat. Because the mat is so chunky, the clips are almost too tight to use. I had difficulty securing the PVC to the neoprene, and I was worried about damaging the mat. Once secured with the clips, however, the two layers stayed together without any problems.

Go ahead. Indulge. Buy this product.

I purchased about ten 24 x 36 battlemats to compare. I really liked how the neoprene falls down & stays flat. Excellent that it is reversible 1" square and 1" hex - versatile. The color is nice. I didn't really like the plastic covers for it as they didn't exactly fall down flat. I was also a bit worried about what would happen if I left wet erase on it for too long. They do offer a 3 pack of replacement covers. I bought a 24x36" 1/8" thick acrylic piece that I placed over this instead & it was PERFECT. It's also worth noting that this is too thick for magnets on your miniatures to reach through (I have a 24x36" galvanized sheet metal underneath mine for this purpose & have found the thinner ones work well with this). This is also pretty expensive. With my acrylic I was hitting nearly $80. Still, with the acrylic, if you don't care about magnets, it was pretty sweet.