TX5 GTX Men's vs Men's Hedgehog 3 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots: which is safer?
The North Face Men's Hedgehog 3 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
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
Our pick
The North Face
Men's Hedgehog 3 Mid Waterproof Hiking Boots
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 16/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
Leather/synthetic upper with water-repellent coating waterproof coating
Confidence
35%
PossiblePFAS in water-repellent coating waterproof coating
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 The North Face.
- We flag PFAS in DWR waterproof coating on the The North Face and not on the La Sportiva.
- The La Sportiva is synthetic textile with Gore-Tex membrane waterproof layer where the The North Face is Leather/synthetic upper with DWR waterproof coating, 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