Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket vs Helium UL Jacket Outdoor Research Men's: which is safer?
Helium UL Jacket Outdoor Research Men's is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
La Sportiva
Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
GORE-TEX (Teflon-family coating membrane)
Confidence
50%
PossibleAntimony in polyester
ReportedMicrofiber shedding and textile degradation
Our pick
Outdoor Research
Helium UL Jacket Outdoor Research Men's
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 8/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
Nylon ripstop with water-repellent coating treatment
Confidence
45%
Possiblewater-repellent coating chemical exposure (non-PFAS)
PossibleAntimony in polyester or nylon stabilizers
PossibleMicrofiber shedding from coating wear
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Antimony in polyester and Microfiber shedding and textile degradation on the La Sportiva and not on the Outdoor Research.
- We flag DWR coating chemical exposure (non-PFAS), Antimony in polyester or nylon stabilizers and Microfiber shedding from coating wear on the Outdoor Research and not on the La Sportiva.
- The La Sportiva is GORE-TEX (fluoropolymer membrane) where the Outdoor Research is Nylon ripstop with DWR 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 rain jackets: see the full ranking