Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket vs Men's SL Neoshell Rain Jacket: which is safer?

Patagonia Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Our pick

Patagonia Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket

Patagonia

Women's Dirt Roamer Storm Jacket

PFAS grade

Poor 45/100

Overall grade

Bad 17/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

polyester shell with water-repellent coating finish

Confidence

72%

PossibleAzo dyes and color fastness

PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber

Reportedwater-repellent coating degradation and re-treatment chemicals

Specialized Men's SL Neoshell Rain Jacket

Specialized

Men's SL Neoshell Rain Jacket

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 5

Material

nylon ripstop with Neoshell membrane, water-repellent coating

Confidence

35%

LikelyPFAS in water-repellent coating

PossibleFormaldehyde in adhesives and finishes

PossibleAzo dyes in colored nylon

Where these two actually differ

  • 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 Specialized.
  • We flag PFAS in DWR coating, Formaldehyde in adhesives and finishes, Azo dyes in colored nylon and VOC off-gassing from adhesives and coatings on the Specialized and not on the Patagonia.
  • The Patagonia is polyester shell with DWR finish where the Specialized is nylon ripstop with Neoshell membrane, DWR coating, 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 Specialized grade, at 35% 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