Men's Legion Cargo 20" Amphibian Hybrid Shorts vs Men's Athlete Speed Shorts: which is safer?

Reebok Men's Athlete Speed Shorts is our pick: better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Quiksilver Men's Legion Cargo 20" Amphibian Hybrid Shorts

Quiksilver

Men's Legion Cargo 20" Amphibian Hybrid Shorts

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 8/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Polyester blend with water-repellent coating water repellent treatment

Confidence

45%

PossibleAntimony in polyester fiber

Possiblewater-repellent coating water repellent treatment (non-PFAS hazards)

PossibleMicroplastic shedding from polyester blend

Our pick

Reebok Men's Athlete Speed Shorts

Reebok

Men's Athlete Speed Shorts

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Poor 47/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Polyester mesh and nylon blend, standard athletic construction

Confidence

72%

PossibleFormaldehyde resins in finishing

PossibleAntimony in polyester

ReportedMicroplastic shedding

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Antimony in polyester fiber, DWR water repellent treatment (non-PFAS hazards) and Microplastic shedding from polyester blend on the Quiksilver and not on the Reebok.
  • We flag Formaldehyde resins in finishing, Antimony in polyester and Microplastic shedding on the Reebok and not on the Quiksilver.
  • The Quiksilver is Polyester blend with DWR water repellent treatment where the Reebok is Polyester mesh and nylon blend, standard athletic construction, 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 Reebok is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Quiksilver grade, at 45% confidence against 72%, because it discloses less.

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 sports gear: see the full ranking