I need some help with getting a trap basket! I have zero experience with them and I dont want to buy several trying to find one that works well and is durable... I am looking for a durability and I want to carry everything i have in it because I will be running my lines off of foot, because I dont have a 4wheeler. Here is a list of my things I want to carry.
.trapping hammer
.earth anchor driver
.Sifter
.Kneeling pad
.whole punch
No more than a dozen traps at a time. 6 bridger #2 dogless
And maybe a dozen 1.5s at a time
And I need to be able to carry a few 330s in this basket too.

Thanks for any input i figured some of yall use these on a daily.

If you are looking to carry a lot of equipment, consider using a large ALICE pack with a garbage can in it. The padded shoulder straps and waist belt will help make the load more tolerable. The waist belt causes your hips to bear weight instead of your back only. The extra pockets come in handy too. ALICE packs take abuse and are cheap.



If you watch reviews on Loring baskets, they seem to stand up to abuse, but are ~$140 after shipping is added. Additionally, you will still need something for lures and other smalls. Imade some modifications to mine using pvc pipe to hold hammer, driver, etc. I also did this with my ALICE pack. This aids in decreasing the shifting of equipment while ducking or twisting to move around obstacles.





I have a farm I trap in and when I first set it, I pull a wagon in. It helps save my back.

This is actually my favorite set up, but empty it weighs ~ 20 lbs. Too heavy to be humpin' around the woods. If I was a bit skinnier, I could go back to the ALICE shoulder straps and waist belt. This would save about ~ 5 lbs in weight. Changing from the military pouches to another system would also shed weight.

Nice looking system thanks for the ideas and input. I have been riding along with my deddy for a while on the wheeler but having all my own set up now I want to be able to just grab that pack and have everything I need in one system and be able to get it wet doin pocket sets for coon or stop on a logging road and make a coyote set and not have a set making equiptment bag and bait and lure bag and a trap bag etc. Its fine on the wheeler or out of a truck but having something like u showed allows for one person to be mobile and have everything I like the set up a lot.
I had tried a 5 gallon bucket with the PVC tubes as u shown , but the driver sticks out the top and it's too small. Also everytime u set the bucket down it fell over dumping any loose items out. It was just more aggravation than it was worth. Not to mention everything clinging in the plastic bucket sount like a herd of buffalo coming through the woods lol

Anyone having good luck with the fibertough from F&T.

I have the regular woven basket that Sterling fur has. It has been through many years of abuse, either on my back or in the canoe. I have always trapped mainly on foot and have been able to carry everything I have needed. Does get pretty heavy when first starting out but it is still going strong.

Check out Andy Weiser's bags I've heard his beaver bag is the cat's meow

I really like the Andy Weiser bags also.. I just can seem to find any available to order. Every where I have looked says the item is unavailable to check at a later time. Maybe something going on I dont know about.

Andy's bags are handmade, no high production item. He has shipment coming in hopefully next week. They sell out fast. Trying to ship him orders every few weeks. Wilson

I am. I love how customizable it is.



It is kinda heavy, but like you said, you have everything you need on hand. I try to keep everything on the outside, giving me more room for traps and catches on the inside.

For guys on ice with fibertough don’t slip and fall backwards. Been there!

My partner has an FnT Fiberglas model with some modifications. Carrying anything bigger than muskrat traps though is going to get heavy fast. And, if you’re carrying in equipment while taking out critters, weight is a huge factor.

Being old, I’ve found dragging a plastic sled makes a world of difference. After you’ve carried a couple 30 pound beaver, with a pack full of gear while wearing neoprene chest waders, even a below zero day leaves you sweating heavily and eventually chilled because of that sweating. Swallow your pride. Get a sled. It’s easier on your back!!!

Get the Weiser beaver bag I had the fiber tuff for years. The worst part is the 1 inch straps cutting into your shoulders. Next is all the banging and clanging. It is tough though. The Weiser bag has wide padded straps and is a lot more comfortable to carry. For long walks with heavy loads, I highly recommend it

Bags don't work for old guys who have knee problems. We need something sturdy to push off of.
One thing about most baskets they have a tendency to tip over and spread your gear all over. IT's even worse when your water trapping. You set It on the bank and about 50% of the time it's going to tip over. Been there done that.

That's why I put the skids on the bottom of my Fiber-Tuff. While it will still tip on a steep bank, the skids help tremendously. Even on steep banks, with a little adjusting I can usually get it to stay put.

Send him a private message on Facebook or call him. Last I heard he had some. They are just not on the website. He posed about it last week.

Andy's bags were the best. I made one like the Alice pack above and it's just too much to lug around. I own 3 of Andy's bags, 1 beaver,cat,and coyote. They take a whole lot of abuse. Put a cut down bucket or trashcan inside and you can put anything in it.
I can't say enough good about them so I'll stop here but dont get caught without one. Everyone, even the traditional folks should at least try one. There's no going back

Are you talking about screwing a board on the bottom? Please explain

got mine set up like ditchdiver's, got the idea from him. skids are the key. I also rigged mine with a back pad which helps if you're going to load it up. I'll try to do the pic thing in a bit.

I made my pack basket out of a trash can I had laying around. I cut the straps off an old backpack and bolted them on. It works wonderfully and even looks kind of professional, if I do say so myself. Total cost was like 3 bucks for some bolts from Ace hardware. You can make one out of as big of a trashcan as you want, and use whatever backpack straps are comfortable.

I've always been a sled guy they drag easily over land,ice and they float just like a boat on water. I have put easily 200 plus pounds in my sled when I trap a water trapline. I like how easy it is to get everything out of the sled when you make a set

Forest- if you look back at my pics you will see that I put a board inside on the bottom. It is 1/4" plywood cut to fit. The skids are cedar. I put a few coats of oil based polyurethane on the skids and the "floor board" to help preserve them. The skids are bolted through the bottom of the basket and the "floor board", which prevents the floor board from falling out.
Brisket- I like the back pad idea. I might have to borrow it!

Ok thanks.

Thanks Guys,
Some really good ideas on here- I have some modifications to make. Has anyone added a chest strap to the Fiber-Tuff baskets? I was thinking of adding one or replacing the shoulder straps with something similar to oneoldboot's basket.

for water trapping I packed a wicker one for years just because it’s what I happened to have axis to, later I bought a fiber tough and realized how comfortable the wicker one compared to it. The fiber toughs are heavy, ackward, and downright uncomfortable without doing a bunch of modifications to them, also in the pnw where it rains 70% of the time your outside the hole they put in the bottom of them dirrects the rainwater right down your backside which is not my idea of a good time. The positives of them are they will take some serious abuse and won’t rot or break down but at this point mine is mostly used for a storage container in the back of the pickup. If I’m dry ground trapping everything goes on the four wheeler and I have no need for a pack basket.

I filled the drain hole that came in it with epoxy and made 3 smaller ones on the CORRECT side. Not sure why they put that quarter sized hole where they did....

Andy Weiser makes a great product.

I took my trapping basket out for a walk down memory lane... 40+ years old and worked fine. Health restrains how far I wonder from the vehicle now-a-days.

I trap off my ATV and rarely walk more than 50 yards. I use this $8.00 tote from Walmart. 7/8" dowel is my handle. Lots of room and easy to work out of. Also wont tip over.

I will never carry a fiber toughbasket again as said hole is in the wrong place [WAY TO GO ON TESTING THEIR PRODUCT] also the cheap plastic clips break when carrying a 38 lb beaver & also tips over every time you set it down.

This one will handle anything. Unfortunately the oldest daughter played claim to it right about the first time she show it.

It's 23" and curly maple and walnut

The drain hole is definitely in the wrong place, but a very easy fix. Cover one side of the hole with masking tape and fill in with a 2 part epoxy. Let sit 24 hours and pull off the tape and its fixed. Then, drill a hole (I drilled 3) on the correct side.
The "cheap plastic clips" have not failed me yet and I've been using mine for 4 years. My pack is heavy and I load it down with traps, sometimes over 100 pounds. I once carried two 60+ pound beaver for 1/2 mile in the pack and had no failure. IF the clips ever do break, it will be an easy fix with some 9 gauge wire. And the tipping is corrected with the skids on the bottom.

Weiser beaver bag for me with a plastic trash can cut to fit. Bombproof. Lol

weiser bag here also.. if I was walking my entire line id also pull a sled. I use an ice fishing sled with high sides and it also has a spot to hold a bucket

Hands down Loring Pack baskets are the best on the market.

Go with plastic... or a bag system. The woven ones don't last. A home made plastic one will far far outlast any woven one.

Well, I see this thread is still bouncing around, so I'll add my two cents worth. I've always liked the woven baskets. When I upgrade to a new one, the old one becomes the basket for ice fishing gear.

It's been awhile since the Amish basket maker set up at the WTA rondy, but when he did, he had packbaskets setting out for sale among other handwoven baskets. One rondy maybe awhile back I asked him to make a basket to my specs, and he came back the next year with it done. I believe he charged me just over a hundred bucks. To me it was worth it. Exactly what I wanted.



That isn't a 5-gallon bucket, maybe 3-gallon. With a #11 on top of it. But you get a real nice shot of the leather straps, first rate.



I gave this basket three coats of spar varnish before using it. Guess what the basket is made of? Most Amish in this area make all their baskets out of this material.



It's made out of bamboo. Those of you who remember starting out with a cane pole, how long did that cane pole last you? Years, right? I wanted a basket that you could really fill up, strap on, and away you go.



Setting this basket in the otter sled and away you go for back bottom edge setting.



Today's baskets just seem too small. This basket is only as heavy as the gear/critters you put into it. Older pics. I've upgraded to all #150s and got rid of the #110s.



Anyway, this is what I like. Works for me.

Hope it is OK to keep this thread going. Always looking for ways to improve the life of my back since I have to hump everything on my lines. Got some ideas so far from this thread.

I got a fiber tough 12+ years ago....the strap keepers didn't last a season. I upgraded to loring a few years ago and would definitely recommend going that route.

Oneoldboot

Thanks for the wagon tip. I don't pack as much as some of your guys but any little but helps. I use a 5 gallon bucket and backpack. After I saw your tip of the wagon it hit me, get a yard cart from tsc! Oneoldboot Ky back thanks you!

I use my fiber tough a lot. I took the straps off and attached a pack frame to it. There is a guy that sells millitary surplus at the WI conventions. (He was also at the national last year.) He sells the lightweight frame, straps, and kidney belt for $30 if I remember correctly. Best improvement I made to it and it'll last forever

I stated off with the top version and then went to the bottom version. Works fantastic. 21 gallon trash can inside of an ALICE Pack.

I'm glad someone gave CPR to this thread. The bottom of my pack basket literally fell out this season so I'm on the search for another. I appreciate all the tips and ideas people have shared. I had never even heard of Loring pack baskets before. They look great.

Maybe I'll take a little from everything and put together something myself. If ever I do, I'll share a pic of what I manage to create.

Thanks, Andrew