TX5 GTX Men's vs Men's Talus AT UltraDry Hiking Boots: 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
Vasque
Men's Talus AT UltraDry Hiking Boots
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
Skip
Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
Nubuck leather, textile, UltraDry waterproof coating
Confidence
45%
LikelyFluorocarbon water-repellent coating (PFAS precursor)
PossibleFormaldehyde resin in textile backing
PossibleAzo dyes in nubuck and textile
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 Vasque.
- We flag Fluorocarbon DWR coating (PFAS precursor), Formaldehyde resin in textile backing, Azo dyes in nubuck and textile and Adhesive volatiles (VOCs) on the Vasque and not on the La Sportiva.
- The La Sportiva is synthetic textile with Gore-Tex membrane waterproof layer where the Vasque is Nubuck leather, textile, UltraDry 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