Women's RC Jacket vs Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
New Balance
Women's RC Jacket
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Likelywater-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating PFAS exposure
PossibleAntimony in polyester base fabric
PossibleMicrofiber shedding during washing
Our pick
Patagonia
Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
PossibleAzo dyes and color fastness
PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber
Reportedwater-repellent coating degradation and re-treatment chemicals
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Durable water-repellent (DWR) coating PFAS exposure, Antimony in polyester base fabric and Microfiber shedding during washing on the New Balance and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag Azo dyes and color fastness, Antimony in polyester fiber, DWR coating degradation and re-treatment chemicals and Unverified DWR chemistry on the Patagonia and not on the New Balance.
- The New Balance is Synthetic textile with DWR water-repellent finish where the Patagonia is polyester shell with DWR finish, 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.
- We are less certain about the New Balance grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.
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 cycling rain jackets, see the full ranking