Men's Silver Ridge Utility 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 Silver Ridge Utility Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 12/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon blend with water-repellent coating finish
Confidence
35%
Possiblewater-repellent coating finish chemistry (PFAS status undisclosed)
PossibleCoating degradation over time
Our pick
Columbia
Women's All Seasons Pull-On Pants
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Poor 47/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Nylon/polyester blend knit, no stated water-repellent finish
Confidence
72%
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (anti-wrinkle, sizing)
ReportedMicroplastics shedding
PossibleAntimony in polyester
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR finish chemistry (PFAS status undisclosed) and Coating degradation over time 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 blend with DWR 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 35% 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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