Columbia · Hiking Shoes & Trail Runners
Columbia Women's Redmond Hiking
Skip until Columbia discloses water-repellent coating chemistry used.
Columbia Redmond hiking shoes likely have water-repellent coating but brand provides no PFAS transparency. Unknown if water-repellent coating uses legacy PFAS or safer alternatives; insufficient disclosure for confident assessment.
Still want this one anyway? Check the price on Amazon. We’d swap it.
Material
synthetic textile with water-repellent coating finish
Brand disclosure
Brand is silent on PFAS
Lab data
No public lab test
Why this grade
Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS.
Category baseline
clothing is a category where PFAS exposure is more common.
No PFAS disclosure
No public statement about PFAS in this product.
The full breakdown
What it's made of and why it matters
The Redmond Hiking jacket uses synthetic textile (likely polyester or nylon blend) treated with a water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish. water-repellent coating coatings historically used PFOA/PFAS compounds, though newer alternatives exist; Columbia has not publicly specified which chemistry is used in this product. The base synthetic fibers themselves are stable, but the finish chemistry remains the critical unknown.
The brand's record and disclosure
Columbia Sportswear has not made public commitments to PFAS-free water-repellent coating finishes or published third-party testing of their apparel chemistry. The brand does not list water-repellent coating chemistry on product labels or websites. This silence on a known industry concern is typical of many outdoor brands but represents a transparency gap that prevents informed purchasing.
How it compares in its category
Most mid-range synthetic hiking jackets use legacy or undisclosed water-repellent coating finishes. Premium outdoor brands like Patagonia and Arc'teryx have begun disclosing or phasing toward PFAS-free alternatives, though many still do not. Columbia's lack of commitment places it in the larger, less transparent segment of the market.
If you buy it
Prewash the jacket in cool water before first wear to reduce any residual formaldehyde or loose chemical coatings. Avoid high-heat drying; air dry or use low tumble heat to preserve the water-repellent coating finish and prevent polymer breakdown. Store in a well-ventilated area to off-gas any volatile compounds. Replace when the water-repellent coating visibly degrades (water no longer beads) or after 3-5 years of heavy use.
Beyond PFAS: other things we checked
Established hazard classes for this product type, assessed from public information. These never change the PFAS grade; a Likely flag caps the Verdict at “Buy with care.”
Formaldehyde in synthetic textile finishes
Polyester and nylon blends are sometimes finished with formaldehyde-based resins for shape retention or water resistance. No independent testing of this specific Columbia product is publicly available, but the risk exists in the material class.
Azo dyes in colored synthetic textiles
If the jacket uses conventional synthetic dyes (common in mid-range outdoor wear), azo dyes may be present and can degrade to aromatic amines under sweat and friction. Columbia does not publish dye chemistry specifications.
water-repellent coating degradation and shedding
All water-repellent coating-treated synthetic textiles gradually shed coating particles with wear and washing. The chemical composition of shed particles is unknown without disclosure of the finish chemistry; PFAS-based coatings shed PFAS compounds into laundering water.
Antimony in polyester fibers
Polyester textiles may contain residual antimony (a catalyst used in production). Levels are typically low in finished apparel, but no product-specific testing is disclosed by Columbia.
VOC off-gassing from synthetic textiles
New synthetic jackets often release volatile organic compounds (residual solvents, monomers) especially in the first few wears. Prewashing and air aeration reduce but do not eliminate this risk.
What we don’t know
This grade is a model-based estimate from public materials, coatings, and brand disclosure at 45% confidence. It is not a lab result.
No independent PFAS lab test is on record for this exact product. A lab test could move the score in either direction.
The brand has not made a specific, verifiable PFAS-free statement, so part of this score reflects that missing disclosure rather than a confirmed material.
Formulations and coatings change between production runs. Always check the current label before buying.
More hiking shoes & trail runners grades
How we score: every product runs through the same public 0–100 rubric based on materials, coatings, brand disclosure, lab findings, and recalls. See the full methodology → Spotted a mistake? Report an error.