Women's Heron Waterproof Jacket vs Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket: which is safer?
La Sportiva Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Barbour
Women's Heron Waterproof Jacket
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Waxed cotton with water-repellent coating treatment
Confidence
45%
Likelywater-repellent coating chemical composition (PFAS risk)
PossibleAzo dyes (toxic colorants)
Our pick
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 chemical composition (PFAS risk) and Azo dyes (toxic colorants) 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 with DWR treatment 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