Women's Bugaboo II 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
Women's Bugaboo II Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemical composition (non-PFAS assessment)
PossibleNylon fiber microplastic shedding during wear and wash
PossibleFormaldehyde-based fabric finishing resins
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
ReportedNylon degradation and microfiber shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR coating chemical composition (non-PFAS assessment), Nylon fiber microplastic shedding during wear and wash, Formaldehyde-based fabric finishing resins and Coating degradation and reapplication risk on the Columbia and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Nylon degradation and microfiber shedding on the Patagonia and not on the Columbia.
- The Columbia is Nylon taffeta with DWR finish where the Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment, 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: 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 snow pants: see the full ranking