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
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
ReportedNylon degradation and microfiber shedding
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 PFAS in DWR coating and Nylon degradation and microfiber shedding 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.
- 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