All 15 hiking shoes we scored fail our PFAS screen

The verdict
All 15 hiking shoes PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, as of November 2026.
Free to quote with attribution to PFAS Authority and a link to pfasauthority.com/best/outdoor-footwear. Grades are model-based estimates from published materials and disclosures, not lab tests. The rubric.

Every grade below is built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, scored on one public rubric and ranked best-graded first. Each score links to the full breakdown of what earned it, and the numbers across the whole dataset are published too.

Are hiking shoes non-toxic?

None of the 15 hiking shoes we graded clear our screen. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on hiking shoes in this category are microplastics, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, VOCs and off-gassing, heavy metals.

What to watch for in hiking shoes

Beyond the PFAS grade, these are the things our graders recorded on the 15 hiking shoes in this category. We assess from materials, brand statements and published research. We do not lab-test.

  • Microplastics

    Plastic fragments small enough to shed from a product into food, water or air without anyone seeing it.

    Found on 5 of these hiking shoes. Plausible but unconfirmed on 3 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA

  • Formaldehyde

    A preservative and resin ingredient that is also released slowly by a group of chemicals used in its place.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 10 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. NCI

  • Artificial dyes

    Synthetic colours added to food, cosmetics and textiles, most of them petroleum derived.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 9 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. FDA

  • VOCs and off-gassing

    Volatile compounds that evaporate out of a material at room temperature, which is what a new product smell is.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 7 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. EPA

  • Heavy metals

    Metals such as antimony, nickel and chromium migrating from a material into what touches it.

    Plausible but unconfirmed on 3 more, meaning nobody has ruled it out. ATSDR

The safest hiking shoes we graded, lowest PFAS risk first

Nothing in this category clears our buy threshold yet. That is the finding, not a gap.

See PFAS-free hiking shoes on Amazon

The hiking shoes we would skip

Lowest scoring in this category, worst first, with the reason.

How to read these scores. PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Each grade is a model-based assessment built from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, brand disclosures, recalls and third-party lab results where they exist. Read the full rubric to see exactly what adds and removes points.

What we check on hiking shoes

  • Confirmed PFAS, PTFE or fluoropolymer content, which is the heaviest penalty we apply.
  • Stain, water or grease resistant treatments, which usually mean fluorinated chemistry.
  • Whether the brand discloses what is in the product, or stays silent behind a “clean” claim.
  • Independent lab results and certifications where they exist.

Full point-by-point rubric on the methodology page.

The hiking shoes brands we found no PFAS statement from

We found no PFAS statement from 3 of the brands here. That is our research, not proof a brand has never said anything, and it is not evidence of harm. It is why none of them score well on disclosure.

Garmont, Merrell, Timberland.

The brands that have published something, and what each of them actually said, are in our record of what every brand has said about PFAS.

Common questions about PFAS in hiking shoes

Are hiking shoes PFAS free?

All 15 hiking shoes PFAS Authority has graded score below its 70 point pass mark for PFAS and other toxins, as of November 2026. The lowest graded is Garmont Men's Pinnacle Trek Gore-Tex Hiking Boots at 20 out of 100.

Are hiking shoes non-toxic?

None of the 15 hiking shoes we graded clear our screen. Non-toxic is not a defined or regulated term, so what we can tell you is what our graders recorded. Beyond PFAS, the hazards found or left unruled-out on hiking shoes in this category are microplastics, formaldehyde, artificial dyes, VOCs and off-gassing, heavy metals.

Which hiking shoes should I avoid?

The three lowest scoring we hold are Garmont Men's Pinnacle Trek Gore-Tex Hiking Boots at 20, Garmont Dragontail MNT Evo GTX Approach Shoes at 20, Garmont Men's Groove G-Dry Hiking Shoes at 20. The problem with the first is that gore-Tex typically uses PTFE, Garmont doesn't disclose PFAS status.

Which hiking shoes brands have not published a PFAS statement?

We found no PFAS statement from 3 of the brands we scored in this category, including Garmont, Merrell, Timberland. That is what our research turned up, not proof a brand has never said anything, and a missing statement is not evidence of harm. It is the reason those brands cannot score well on disclosure.

Do you lab test hiking shoes?

No. We score from published ingredient lists, materials, certifications, disclosures and third party lab results where they exist. Where a product has been independently tested we use that result and say so.

More clothing and outdoor categories we have graded

Same rubric, same scale. These are the categories closest to hiking shoes.

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Does a particular brand of hiking shoes have PFAS?

Brands we grade across the catalogue

Everything we have scored from these brands, not just hiking shoes.

Want to filter the whole category yourself? Browse all 15 hiking shoes.