Gamma SL Pant Men's vs Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Arc'teryx
Gamma SL Pant Men's
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon ripstop with water-repellent coating finish (type unspecified)
Confidence
55%
Possiblewater-repellent coating composition (PFAS-related unknown)
PossibleNylon microfiber shedding during wear and wash
Our pick
Patagonia
Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants
PFAS grade
Poor 45/100
Overall grade
analysis pending
Verdict
pending
Hazard flags
none flagged
Material
Nylon with water-repellent coating water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
72%
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR coating composition (PFAS-related unknown) and Nylon microfiber shedding during wear and wash on the Arc'teryx and not on the Patagonia.
- The Arc'teryx is Nylon ripstop with DWR finish (type unspecified) where the Patagonia is Nylon with DWR durable water repellent finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
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 rain pants: see the full ranking