Chelsea Waterproof Jacket Mens vs Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket: which is safer?
Barbour Chelsea Waterproof Jacket Mens is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Barbour
Chelsea Waterproof Jacket Mens
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Waxed cotton blend with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating finish (fluorochemical origin unclear)
PossibleWax coating degradation and skin contact
La Sportiva
Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
GORE-TEX (Teflon-family coating membrane)
Confidence
50%
PossibleAntimony in polyester
ReportedMicrofiber shedding and textile degradation
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR finish (fluorochemical origin unclear) and Wax coating degradation and skin contact on the Barbour and not on the La Sportiva.
- We flag Antimony in polyester and Microfiber shedding and textile degradation on the La Sportiva and not on the Barbour.
- The Barbour is Waxed cotton blend with DWR finish where the La Sportiva is GORE-TEX (fluoropolymer membrane), which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- These two are level, close enough that price and fit should decide it rather than our grade.
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 jackets: see the full ranking