Men's Reserve 2L 3-In-1 Pants vs Men's Powder Town Pants: which is safer?
Burton Men's Reserve 2L 3-In-1 Pants is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Burton
Men's Reserve 2L 3-In-1 Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon/polyester shell with water-repellent coating water-resistant finish
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemistry (fluorinated or non-fluorinated unknown)
PossibleVOC off-gassing from adhesives and coatings
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
nylon blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
ReportedNylon degradation and microfiber shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR coating chemistry (fluorinated or non-fluorinated unknown) and VOC off-gassing from adhesives and coatings on the Burton and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Nylon degradation and microfiber shedding on the Patagonia and not on the Burton.
- The Burton is Nylon/polyester shell with DWR water-resistant finish where the Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment, 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 →
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