Dry Bag Backpack 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.

Outdoor Products Dry Bag Backpack

Outdoor Products

Dry Bag Backpack

PFAS grade

Bad 20/100

Overall grade

Bad 0/100

Verdict

Skip

Hazard flags

⚑ 4

Material

Nylon or polyester with waterproof coating, type unspecified

Confidence

45%

PossibleAzo dyes in polyester/nylon

PossibleFormaldehyde-releasing resins in fabric finish

LikelyWaterproof coating degradation and leaching

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 Azo dyes in polyester/nylon, Formaldehyde-releasing resins in fabric finish, Waterproof coating degradation and leaching and Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from coating on the Outdoor Products 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 Outdoor Products.
  • The Outdoor Products is Nylon or polyester with waterproof coating, type 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 Outdoor Products 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