Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER vs Caribou Horizon GTX Women's: which is safer?
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.
Our pick
Mephisto
Men Mephisto Curt Mt SNEAKER
PFAS grade
Good 65/100
Overall grade
Good 59/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 1
Material
leather, textile, rubber sole
Confidence
55%
PossibleVolatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives
SOREL
Caribou Horizon GTX Women's
PFAS grade
Bad 20/100
Overall grade
Bad 0/100
Verdict
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Hazard flags
⚑ 4
Material
Leather, rubber sole, Gore-Tex membrane
Confidence
52%
LikelyFluorochemical water repellents (Gore-Tex membrane)
PossibleFormaldehyde resins (leather tanning and finishing)
PossibleRubber sole off-gassing (volatile organic compounds)
Where these two actually differ
- We flag Volatile organic compounds (VOC) off-gassing from adhesives on the Mephisto and not on the SOREL.
- We flag Fluorochemical water repellents (Gore-Tex membrane), Formaldehyde resins (leather tanning and finishing), Rubber sole off-gassing (volatile organic compounds) and Azo dyes in leather or textile linings on the SOREL and not on the Mephisto.
- The Mephisto is leather, textile, rubber sole where the SOREL is Leather, rubber sole, Gore-Tex membrane, which is most of the difference in these two grades.
- The gap is 45 points, wide enough that this is not a close call, and the Mephisto is the one to buy.
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