TX5 GTX Men's vs Women's Fresh Foam Garoé Midcut Gore-Tex: which is safer?
La Sportiva TX5 GTX Men's is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
La Sportiva
TX5 GTX Men's
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 8/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 3
Material
synthetic textile with Gore-Tex membrane waterproof layer
Confidence
45%
PossibleAzo dyes
PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins in finishing
PossibleAntimony in polyester
New Balance
Women's Fresh Foam Garoé Midcut Gore-Tex
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
Textile upper with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
Confidence
45%
LikelyPFAS in Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
PossibleAzo dyes in textile upper
PossibleFormaldehyde resins in fabric finishing
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Azo dyes, Formaldehyde-releasing resins in finishing and Antimony in polyester on the La Sportiva and not on the New Balance.
- We flag PFAS in Gore-Tex waterproof membrane, Azo dyes in textile upper, Formaldehyde resins in fabric finishing and Microplastic shedding from synthetic textile and membrane on the New Balance and not on the La Sportiva.
- The La Sportiva is synthetic textile with Gore-Tex membrane waterproof layer where the New Balance is Textile upper with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane, 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 →
More waterproof boots: see the full ranking