Women's Whistler Peak 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 Whistler Peak Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Likelywater-repellent coating finish degradation and leaching (non-PFAS fluorocarbons or legacy PFAS)
PossibleFormaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing resins in finish
PossibleMicroplastic shedding from synthetic fibers
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemistry (unspecified)
PossibleFormaldehyde-resin finishing agents
PossibleMicrofiber shedding from coating degradation
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR finish degradation and leaching (non-PFAS fluorocarbons or legacy PFAS), Formaldehyde or formaldehyde-releasing resins in finish and Microplastic shedding from synthetic fibers on the Columbia and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag DWR coating chemistry (unspecified), Formaldehyde-resin finishing agents and Microfiber shedding from coating degradation on the Patagonia and not on the Columbia.
- The Columbia is Nylon/polyester blend with DWR (durable water repellent) finish where the Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 25 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Patagonia is the one to buy.
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 →
More snow pants, see the full ranking