Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants vs Women's Antora Rain Pants: which is safer?
Patagonia Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Patagonia
Women's Torrentshell 3L Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating finish composition (unstated chemistry)
PossibleVOC off-gassing from fabric and finish
The North Face
Women's Antora Rain Pants
PFAS grade
Overall grade
Verdict
Hazard flags
Material
Confidence
Possiblewater-repellent coating composition (PFAS-related but assessed separately)
PossibleCoating degradation or off-gassing during manufacturing/storage
Where these two actually differ
- We flag DWR finish composition (unstated chemistry) and VOC off-gassing from fabric and finish on the Patagonia and not on the The North Face.
- We flag DWR coating composition (PFAS-related but assessed separately) and Coating degradation or off-gassing during manufacturing/storage on the The North Face and not on the Patagonia.
- The Patagonia is Nylon with DWR durable water repellent finish where the The North Face is Nylon outer with DWR (durable water-repellent) treatment, 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 The North Face 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 rain pants, see the full ranking