Non-Toxic Hiking Pants, ranked by PFAS grade

Are hiking pants safe?

None of the 15 hiking pants we graded come back low-concern on our screen. Our grades are model-based assessments built from published materials, ingredient lists, certifications and brand disclosures, not laboratory tests, so they say what we can evidence rather than that anything is safe.

Best graded hiking pants here

1Columbia Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants 65 out of 100
2Columbia Women's All Seasons Pull-On Pants 65 out of 100
3Patagonia Men's Outdoor Everyday Pants 45 out of 100

By materialOrganic Cotton

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The best non-toxic hiking pants, ranked by grade

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Buyer’s guide

What to look for in hiking pants, and which brands grade best and worst

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Why Columbia Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants grades highest here, and why that is not a pass

Every grade on this page is one sum. A category starts from a baseline, each disclosed material or coating adds risk points, and each thing the brand or a third party has published takes them away. Below is that sum for the winner, then for 2 products it beats, so you can see exactly where the 45 points between the top and the bottom of this hiking pants ranking come from. Nothing in this category reaches our 70 point pass mark, so this is the shape of the field rather than a recommendation.

Top graded, and still below our pass mark

65Good

Columbia Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants

Made of cotton-blend chino twill (no water-repellent treatment noted).

+30Category baseline. The starting point for this type of product, before anything specific to this product is counted.
+15No PFAS disclosure. No public statement from the brand about PFAS in this product.
-10Base material not linked to PFAS. The main material recorded for this product is not one associated with PFAS.

35risk points in total, which is a grade of 65

What the grade does not fix. It still carries one risk factor, No PFAS disclosure. See the full breakdown.

Full breakdown

What it still grades above, and why

45Poor20 points behind the winner

Patagonia Men's Outdoor Everyday Pants

What puts it behind. Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment, +35 points. Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS. The top-graded product carries no such factor.

Made of Nylon blend with water-repellent coating water-repellent finish.

+35Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
+30Category baseline
-10Brand-stated PFAS-free. The brand states this product is PFAS-free. We have not verified the claim.

55risk points, a grade of 45

20Bad45 points behind the winner

Fjallraven Fjällräven Men's Keb GTX Waterproof Shell Trousers

What puts it behind. Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment, +35 points. Water-repellent coating treatments have historically used PFAS. The top-graded product carries no such factor.

Made of GORE-TEX laminate membrane (polytetrafluoroethylene-based).

+35Waterproof / stain-resistant treatment
+30Category baseline
+15No PFAS disclosure

80risk points, a grade of 20

No product on this page was physically tested by us. Every number above comes from published materials, ingredient and coating disclosures, certifications and brand statements, scored on one public rubric. Formulations change without notice, so check the current product listing before buying.

Which hiking pants contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

Columbia

Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants

65GoodPFAS grade

cotton-blend chino twill (no water-repellent treatment noted)
Azo dyes (synthetic colorants)

Non-Toxic Hiking Pants, ranked by PFAS grade

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Are hiking pants safe?

Why Columbia Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants grades highest here, and why that is not a pass

What it still grades above, and why

Which hiking pants contain PFAS? Poor and Bad, we’d swap these

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