Discovery Dry Bag 20L vs Trailgate Gear Bin Green 140 L: which is safer?

REI Co-op Trailgate Gear Bin Green 140 L is our pick, better on PFAS and on the overall hazard picture.

Cascade Designs Discovery Dry Bag 20L

Cascade Designs

Discovery Dry Bag 20L

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

PVC or polymer fabric with waterproof coating, unspecified

Confidence

42%

LikelyFluorinated water-repellent coating coatings (PFAS family)

PossiblePVC polymer degradation and plasticizer leaching

PossibleCoating off-gassing and VOC release

Our pick

REI Co-op Trailgate Gear Bin Green 140 L

REI Co-op

Trailgate Gear Bin Green 140 L

PFAS grade

Good 65/100

Overall grade

Good 53/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 3

Material

Polypropylene storage bin, no water-resistant coating mentioned

Confidence

78%

PossibleUV degradation and additive leaching

PossibleMicroplastics from mechanical wear

PossibleOdor and volatile organic compounds from manufacturing

Where these two actually differ

  • We flag Fluorinated DWR coatings (PFAS family), PVC polymer degradation and plasticizer leaching, Coating off-gassing and VOC release and Microplastic shedding from coating wear on the Cascade Designs and not on the REI Co-op.
  • We flag UV degradation and additive leaching, Microplastics from mechanical wear and Odor and volatile organic compounds from manufacturing on the REI Co-op and not on the Cascade Designs.
  • The Cascade Designs is PVC or polymer fabric with waterproof coating, unspecified where the REI Co-op is Polypropylene storage bin, no water-resistant coating mentioned, 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 REI Co-op is the one to buy.
  • We are less certain about the Cascade Designs grade, at 42% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric, which covers 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 outdoor gear storage bags, see the full ranking