Ultra Rain Cape Men's vs Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket: which is safer?

Patagonia Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Castelli Ultra Rain Cape Men's

Castelli

Ultra Rain Cape Men's

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

Polyester with waterproof treatment (composition unspecified)

Confidence

42%

ReportedWaterproof finish chemistry (unspecified)

PossibleFormaldehyde in polyester processing and dyes

PossibleAzo dyes and heavy metals in pigments

Our pick

Patagonia Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket

Patagonia

Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket

PFAS grade

Poor 45/100

Overall grade

Bad 17/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

polyester shell with water-repellent coating finish

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes and color fastness

PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber

Reportedwater-repellent coating degradation and re-treatment chemicals

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Waterproof finish chemistry (unspecified), Formaldehyde in polyester processing and dyes, Azo dyes and heavy metals in pigments and Coating degradation and microplastics shedding on the Castelli and not on the Patagonia.
  • We flag Azo dyes and color fastness, Antimony in polyester fiber, DWR coating degradation and re-treatment chemicals and Unverified DWR chemistry on the Patagonia and not on the Castelli.
  • The Castelli is Polyester with waterproof treatment (composition unspecified) where the Patagonia is polyester shell with DWR 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.
  • We are less certain about the Castelli grade, at 42% confidence against 72%, 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 cycling rain jackets: see the full ranking