Hiking Shoes & Trail Runners, ranked by PFAS grade
15 products graded from Bad to Excellent, best-graded first. None grade Good or better yet, so we show the full ranking and the least-concerning options first.
Start here
The best non-toxic hiking shoes & trail runners, ranked by grade
Graded and flagged Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
Timberland
Men's Killington Trekker Sneaker Boots
Leather, nubuck, rubber sole with waterproof treatment
Teflon-type coating and fluorocarbon microparticle shedding
High concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Azo dye residues in nubuck finish
Limited concern
Adhesive and glue volatiles at seams
Limited concern
Waterproofed leather boot with unclear PFAS risk due to no brand transparency.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Timberland
Women's White Ledge Mid Waterproof Hiking Boot
leather upper with waterproof treatment, rubber sole
PFAS
High concern
Azo dyes in leather or synthetic overlays
Limited concern
Rubber sole degradation and particle shedding
Limited concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Waterproof hiking boot lacking PFAS confirmation from the brand.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Timberland
Men's Killington Trekker Mid Sneaker
Leather/textile upper with water-repellent coating-treated finish
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Azo dyes and dye breakdown products
Limited concern
water-repellent coating finish degradation and re-application chemical exposure
Moderate concern
Antimony in polyester components
Limited concern
water-repellent coating-treated upper with no brand PFAS disclosure or testing on record.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Men's Dragontail MNT GTX
Gore-Tex membrane with nylon upper
Fluorocarbon surfactants in Gore-Tex membrane
High concern
water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finishes on nylon upper
Limited concern
Off-gassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from adhesives
Limited concern
Gore-Tex likely contains legacy PFAS, Garmont won't confirm.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Men's T8 Bifida Boots
Leather, synthetic, waterproof water-repellent coating treatment
water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) fluorination status
Limited concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Heavy metals
Limited concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Waterproof boots with water-repellent coating treatment, but brand has no PFAS statement on record.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Women's Dragontail G-Dry Hiking Shoes
Textile upper with G-Dry waterproof membrane
Antimony in polyester components
Limited concern
Membrane coating degradation and microplastic shedding
Moderate concern
PFAS
High concern
Hiking shoes with waterproof membrane, PFAS status not confirmed by brand.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Men's Pinnacle Trek Gore-Tex Hiking Boots
Gore-Tex membrane, leather, synthetic uppers
PFAS
High concern
Heavy metals
Limited concern
Synthetic dye migration (azo dyes, antimony in polyester)
Limited concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Gore-Tex typically uses Teflon-type coating, Garmont doesn't disclose PFAS status.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Men Hiking shoes Garmont 9.81 Onyx GTX
textile upper with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
Azo dyes and synthetic colorants
Limited concern
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Gore-Tex membrane degradation and particle shedding
Limited concern
Gore-Tex likely contains PFAS, Garmont provides no treatment details.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Men's Groove G-Dry Hiking Shoes
Textile upper with G-Dry waterproof treatment
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Azo dyes in polyester/nylon components
Limited concern
Adhesive and laminate off-gassing
Limited concern
Waterproof hiking shoe, PFAS risk unclear without treatment information.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Garmont
Dragontail MNT Evo GTX Approach Shoes
Textile upper with Gore-Tex waterproof membrane
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Adhesive volatiles (VOC) from Gore-Tex lamination
Limited concern
Gore-Tex membrane delamination and microparticle shedding
Moderate concern
Gore-Tex likely contains PFAS, brand remains silent on composition.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Merrell
Women's Moab 3
Mesh textile upper, rubber sole, likely water-repellent coating-treated
PFAS
High concern
Azo dyes in mesh and overlay materials
Limited concern
Adhesive off-gassing and polyurethane breakdown
Limited concern
Hiking shoe with water-repellent coating treatment and no PFAS disclosure from Merrell.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Merrell
Men's Moab 3 Waterproof
Nubuck leather upper, proprietary waterproof lining
Waterproof coating composition (unspecified)
Limited concern
Adhesives and glue off-gassing
Limited concern
Coating degradation and microplastic release
Moderate concern
Waterproof hiking shoe, PFAS coating unspecified, warrants higher concern.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Merrell
Men's Speed Strike 2 Mid Waterproof
textile upper with waterproof coating
PFAS
Limited concern
Off-gassing of volatile organic compounds from synthetic coating
Limited concern
Waterproof hiking boot with undisclosed coating chemistry and no brand PFAS statement.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Merrell
Men's Agility Peak 6 GTX
textile upper with GORE-TEX waterproof membrane
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Microfiber shedding from synthetic textiles
Moderate concern
Adhesive/solvent residues and VOC off-gassing
Limited concern
PFAS
High concern
GORE-TEX likely contains PFAS, Merrell discloses nothing about it.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
Merrell
Men's Moab Adventure 3 Waterproof
Synthetic leather/nubuck upper with water-repellent coating waterproof coating
Formaldehyde / VOCs
Limited concern
Azo dyes in synthetic leather coloring
Limited concern
water-repellent coating degradation and reapplication risk
Moderate concern
PFAS
High concern
Unknown waterproof coating, Merrell doesn't disclose PFAS status.
⚠Waterproof or stain-proof treatment
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