Men's Bugaboo V Pants vs Men's Powder Town Pants: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's Powder Town Pants is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Columbia
Men's Bugaboo V Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon/polyester with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
PossibleCoating degradation and microparticle shed
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Poor 45/100
Overall grade
Poor 33/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
nylon blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemistry (unspecified)
PossibleFormaldehyde-resin finishing agents
PossibleMicrofiber shedding from coating degradation
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Coating degradation and microparticle shed on the Columbia and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag DWR coating chemistry (unspecified), Formaldehyde-resin finishing agents and Microfiber shedding from coating degradation on the Patagonia and not on the Columbia.
- The Columbia is Nylon/polyester with DWR (durable water-repellent) coating where the Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment, 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, which covers 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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