Women's Slope Seeker Insulated Pants vs Men's Powder Town Pants: which is safer?
Columbia Women's Slope Seeker Insulated Pants is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Columbia
Women's Slope Seeker Insulated Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 8/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
polyester with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating finish
PossiblePolyester fiber shedding and microplastics
PossibleOff-gassing from synthetic insulation
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
nylon blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
ReportedNylon degradation and microfiber shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in DWR finish, Polyester fiber shedding and microplastics and Off-gassing from synthetic insulation 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 polyester with durable water-repellent (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 →
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