It actually offers no help at all in my soil type. Setting on a slight slope and digging a trench down hill for drainage seems to be the best option I’ve used so far. On flat ground I’ve been using saggers bedding method more and more with a little waxed dirt under the jaws and spring levers for added insurance. I’ve had problems with the pan cover coming off in the wind around here so I’ve used a little waxed dirt and grass clippings mixed together.

my soil is pretty much like golf balls clay and more clay! A guy needs to add a couple of precautionary methods to keep traps firing in freeze thaw conditions I drive three holes in my trap bed one for the wolf fang which I pound shut then two for surface water! This method allows me to get away with salt and peat moss. Peat can take quite a bit of moisture as long as its not sitting in water. The salt combats any water that does happen to get in.I tried screen one time it wasn't for me!

Get some expandapans and no more problems

I would think an expandapan would need to be all the way out to the jaws to keep dirt from getting under it . I’ve not used one , Zach could you explain how you keep the dirt out from under your pan !

A hand full of peat moss on the pan before you level it off and sift the final covering over it. Done.

Best trap covering I've tried...and I've tried most above. I'm done dinking around with pan covers, wax paper, trappers cap, toilet paper, coffee filters and whatever contraption people use.

No pan covers or polyfil for me - too many problems! I bed the trap in waxed dirt then fill inside the jaws with dry sifted peat...then cover with waxed dirt. I never worry about freeze and thaw or extreme cold. This past January I trapped 2 wks with temps never getting above 15F - ground was like concrete and couldn't put in new sets. I kept re-making and catching.

The thing I've used are those little air bags that come in shipping boxes, though I'm thinking of trying something else because I suspect they may crinkle when the coyote touches the pan. I do know that, whatever you use, you want to slip it under the trap jaws, not put it over the trap. When I started experimenting with the bags, I put one over the trap, then accidentally fired the trap while setting it. The bag caught all the dirt, which stopped the jaws from closing properly. Sticking the bags under the traps also helps keep wind (or curious magpies) from pulling the cover off.
FYI, I've only caught about a dozen coyotes since I'm just starting out, so I'm still learning.

I don't think I like the results of oversized pans I find to many snapped traps holding air! My thought are if they don't step directly on the center, the jaws coming up push there foot out! Even a toenail can exert enough pressure to snap a trap! I think I would rather see a miss than a educated critter! I understand the theory behind them. In a perfect world it would be sound!

I’ve not tried peat for years, I like the idea of putting it inside the jaws. This would save a lot of waxed dirt and the waxed dirt would act like an umbrella to keep the peat dry !

BINGO Golf ball....the trap and dry sifted peat are encapsulated inside the wax dirt - for me...peat ONLY goes INSIDE the jaws...no covers and nothing but peat under the pan. I use MB-450,550,650, Victor 1.75, 2, 3, Bridger #2 Mod. Early season I use dirt from the site w/ peat inside the jaws (bedding and packing dirt tight are easier than w/ wed dirt)