Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket vs Man Timberland Benton Shell Jacket: which is safer?
La Sportiva Men's Aequilibrium Lite GTX Jacket is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
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
Timberland
Man Timberland Benton Shell Jacket
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 5
Material
Nylon shell with water-repellent coating water-repellent finish
Confidence
45%
LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in nylon finishing
ReportedMicrofiber shedding during laundering
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Antimony in polyester and Microfiber shedding and textile degradation on the La Sportiva and not on the Timberland.
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating, Formaldehyde resins in nylon finishing, Microfiber shedding during laundering and Azo dyes in nylon coloring on the Timberland and not on the La Sportiva.
- The La Sportiva is GORE-TEX (fluoropolymer membrane) where the Timberland is Nylon shell with DWR water-repellent finish, 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, 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 →
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