Beta SL Jacket for Men Black Sapphire / M vs Men's R2 TechFace Hoody: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's R2 TechFace Hoody is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Arc'teryx
Beta SL Jacket for Men Black Sapphire / M
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon shell with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) treatment
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) formulation unknown, potential PFAS exposure
PossibleCoating degradation and microplastic shedding
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's R2 TechFace Hoody
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
analysis pending
Verdict
pending
Hazard flags
none flagged
Material
Polyester shell with water-repellent coating treatment
Confidence
78%
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR (durable water repellent) formulation unknown—potential PFAS exposure and Coating degradation and microplastic shedding on the Arc'teryx and not on the Patagonia.
- The Arc'teryx is Nylon shell with durable water repellent (DWR) treatment where the Patagonia is Polyester shell with DWR treatment, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Arc'teryx grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.
Both products run through the same public rubric: materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls, plus a beyond-PFAS hazard analysis. Grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests. How grades work →
More softshell jackets: see the full ranking