Men's Powder Town Pants vs Men's Chakal Pant: which is safer?

The North Face Men's Chakal Pant is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Patagonia Men's Powder Town Pants

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

Our pick

The North Face Men's Chakal Pant

The North Face

Men's Chakal Pant

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 12/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

nylon with water-repellent coating water-repellent finish

Confidence

45%

PossibleMicrofiber shedding during wear and wash

Possiblewater-repellent coating durability and reapplication exposure

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag PFAS in DWR coating and Nylon degradation and microfiber shedding on the Patagonia and not on the The North Face.
  • We flag Microfiber shedding during wear and wash and DWR coating durability and reapplication exposure on the The North Face and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is nylon blend with DWR water-repellent treatment where the The North Face is nylon 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: 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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