Men's Pitchstone Outdoor Pants vs Women's All Seasons Pull-On Pants: which is safer?
Columbia Women's All Seasons Pull-On Pants is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Columbia
Men's Pitchstone Outdoor Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
LikelyFluorochemical water-repellent coating (PFAS precursors and analogs)
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (durable finish treatments)
PossibleMicroplastic shedding
Our pick
Columbia
Women's All Seasons Pull-On Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (anti-wrinkle, sizing)
ReportedMicroplastics shedding
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Fluorochemical DWR (PFAS precursors and analogs), Formaldehyde resins (durable finish treatments) and Microplastic shedding on the Columbia and not on the Columbia.
- We flag Formaldehyde resins (anti-wrinkle, sizing), Microplastics shedding and Antimony in polyester on the Columbia and not on the Columbia.
- The Columbia is Nylon with DWR water-repellent finish where the Columbia is Nylon/polyester blend knit, no stated water-repellent finish, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Columbia is the one to buy.
- We are less certain about the Columbia grade, at 45% 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 →
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