Backpack Raincover 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.

Mountainsmith Backpack Raincover

Mountainsmith

Backpack Raincover

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

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Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Polyester with water-repellent coating water-repellent coating, unspecified

Confidence

45%

PossibleFormaldehyde in polyester finishing resins

Reportedwater-repellent coating (water-repellent coating) coating chemicals

PossibleAzo dyes or heavy metals in pigments

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

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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 Formaldehyde in polyester finishing resins, Durable water-repellent (DWR) coating chemicals, Azo dyes or heavy metals in pigments and Coating degradation and particle shedding on the Mountainsmith 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 Mountainsmith.
  • The Mountainsmith is Polyester with DWR water-repellent 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 Mountainsmith grade, at 45% confidence against 78%, because it discloses less.

Both products run through the same public rubric: 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