TX5 GTX Men's vs Women's Crosstrak Powder Waterproof: 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

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

Salomon Women's Crosstrak Powder Waterproof

Salomon

Women's Crosstrak Powder Waterproof

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 6/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 2

Material

Textile with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating, likely fluorocarbon-based

Confidence

45%

PossibleAzo dyes in fabric dyeing

ReportedCoating degradation and microparticle shedding

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 Salomon.
  • We flag Azo dyes in fabric dyeing and Coating degradation and microparticle shedding on the Salomon and not on the La Sportiva.
  • The La Sportiva is synthetic textile with Gore-Tex membrane waterproof layer where the Salomon is Textile with durable water-repellent (DWR) coating, likely fluorocarbon-based, 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