Do Kelty waterproof outdoor gear storage bags have PFAS?
Kelty waterproof outdoor gear storage bags average 20 out of 100 on PFAS Authority's PFAS and toxin screen across the 7 Kelty waterproof outdoor gear storage bags graded as of October 2026, level with the 20 out of 100 median for the 29 other waterproof outdoor gear storage bags brands graded alongside it.
Kelty waterproof outdoor gear storage bags average Bad on our four-band scale. None of them clear our buy threshold. That is above 45% of the waterproof outdoor gear storage bags brands we grade.
PFAS Authority is a scoring system, not a laboratory. We do not test products ourselves. Grades are model-based, built from published ingredients, materials, certifications, brand disclosures and third-party lab results where they exist. See the rubric.
What Kelty says and does about PFAS
Kelty makes a completed-transition claim, and it lives in a customer support article rather than on a policy page. Kelty says its products have not been made with perfluorinated carbon compounds since 2016 and that it moved to a treatment it calls CZero DWR. The claim uses PFC wording rather than PFAS, covers the water-repellent treatment only, and says nothing about zippers, membranes or other components. We found no independent testing of Kelty products.
- Brand statementKelty says its products have not been made with perfluorinated carbon compounds since 2016, so any product manufactured after that will not have any PFCs, and that it moved to CZero DWR in all its products, which it describes as PFC free. Kelty support ↗
- Regulatory filingCalifornia bans new textile articles containing regulated PFAS from sale in the state from 1 January 2025, with outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions covered from 1 January 2028. California AB 1817 ↗
Sources checked October 1, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.
Graded and flagged Poor and Bad, we’d swap these
Kelty
ASHER 55-Beluga/Colonial Blue
- polyester fabric with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) treatment
- water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) chemistry, water-repellent coating treatment chemistry is…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
Glendale 105L Hiking Backpack
- Nylon fabric with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish
- PFAS, Standard nylon water-repellent coating finishes historically contain PFAS compounds. Kelty provides no…
4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
Varicom Waterproof Compression Sack Large
- Nylon ripstop with waterproof coating, composition unspecified
- PFAS, Kelty has not disclosed the chemistry of the waterproof layer. Traditional nylon coatings often use…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
Warbler Pack
- Nylon/polyester ripstop with water-repellent coating water-resistant coating
- PFAS, Kelty has not disclosed whether the water-repellent coating treatment on this pack uses fluorinated or…
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
US Military Backpack Kelty Multi Purpose Waterproof Bag
- Nylon/polyester with waterproof coating, composition unspecified
- Waterproof coating composition (unspecified), Kelty does not publicly identify the waterproof treatment type.…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
US Military Backpack Kelty Multi Purpose Waterproof New
- Nylon or polyester with waterproof water-repellent coating, composition unspecified
- Antimony in polyester, If the backpack is polyester (rather than nylon), it may contain antimony trioxide as…
2 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Kelty
Backpack Rain Cover
- polyester with water-repellent coating water-repellent coating
- PFAS, water-repellent coating finishes on polyester rain covers commonly contain PFAS (perfluorooctane…
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Better waterproof outdoor gear storage bags from other brands
Graded higher than the Kelty average of 20.
REI Co-op
Trailgate Gear Bin Green 140 L
- Polypropylene storage bin, no water-resistant coating mentioned
- UV degradation and additive leaching
3 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Marmot
Tool Box
- Nylon, polyester, cotton blend; details unspecified
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from polyester and nylon manufacturing
5 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
Patagonia
Disperser Roll Top Pack 40L
- Recycled polyester with water-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) finish
- The brand calls it PFAS-free, which we have not verified
- PFAS
4 hazards checked on this product. See all of them.
The same question, asked of the other waterproof outdoor gear storage bags brands
Best average grade first. Kelty averages 20.
See every Kelty product we grade on the Kelty brand page, or the full waterproof outdoor gear storage bags ranking.