Men's Glenbrook Bend Rain Jacket vs Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket: which is safer?
Columbia Men's Glenbrook Bend Rain Jacket is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Columbia
Men's Glenbrook Bend Rain Jacket
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Polyester shell with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemistry (fluorochemical unknown)
PossibleDegradation and microplastic shedding
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 coating chemistry (fluorochemical unknown) and Degradation and microplastic shedding on the Columbia 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 Columbia.
- The Columbia is Polyester shell with DWR (durable water repellent) 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, 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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