Men's Powder Town Pants vs Men's Storm Shift Pants: which is safer?
Patagonia Men's Powder Town Pants is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Patagonia
Men's Powder Town Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 6/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
nylon blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent treatment
Confidence
45%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating
ReportedNylon degradation and microfiber shedding
Patagonia
Men's Storm Shift Pants
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 2
Material
Nylon blend with water-repellent coating treatment (likely fluorocarbon-based)
Confidence
45%
LikelyFluorocarbon water-repellent coating (PFAS precursor)
PossibleNylon microfiber shedding
Where these two actually differ
- We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Nylon degradation and microfiber shedding on the Patagonia and not on the Patagonia.
- We flag Fluorocarbon DWR (PFAS precursor) and Nylon microfiber shedding on the Patagonia and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment where the Patagonia is Nylon blend with DWR treatment (likely fluorocarbon-based), 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