Organic Cotton Hiking Pants, ranked by PFAS safety
All 4 cotton-based options in our hiking pants database, graded Bad to Excellent and ranked safest first. None earn a buy-worthy grade yet, so start from the safest and check the swap suggestions.
Columbia
Men's Stealth Spring Chino Pants
cotton-blend chino twill (no water-repellent treatment noted)
Azo dyes (synthetic colorants)
Limited concern
Low-medium risk; basic chino without reported water or stain treatment and no PFAS disclosure.
⚠Risky category by default
The North Face
Men's Sprag 5-Pocket Pants
Cotton/nylon blend with water-repellent coating finish (likely fluorocarbon-based)
PFAS
Limited concern
Coating degradation and microparticle shedding
Limited concern
High risk; skip until North Face commits to PFAS-free water-repellent coating or transparent testing.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Fjallraven
Abisko Hike Trousers Men's
G-1000 HeavyDuty fabric (65% polyester, 35% cotton), water-repellent coating unspecified
water-repellent coating leachability and unknown chemistry
Limited concern
Antimony residue in polyester fiber
Limited concern
Microplastic shedding during washing
Limited concern
High risk from unknown water-repellent coating treatment; Fjallraven doesn't disclose coating chemistry.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Fjallraven
Abisko Lite Trekking Trousers Men's
G-1000 fabric (65% polyester/35% cotton blend) with water-repellent coating finish
Heavy metals
Limited concern
Microfiber shedding during laundering
High concern
water-repellent coating durability and reapplication hazard
Limited concern
Lower risk likely, but contact Fjallraven about water-repellent coating finish specifics.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
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