I am doing an experiment this year on my canine traps to run 6 of them painted with spray paint, 6 of them dyed and waxed, and six of them dipped to see if the coating makes a difference. So what is the best dip to try?

Andy stoes brown speed dip seems OK.The black I could never get to dry.You might want to try full metal jacket-I’ve never used but it is extremely popular with forum members.I’m doing the same experiment on 18 sauvageau beaver traps.

i painted my traps over 10 years ago never saw a reduced catch just repainted this year i also will use logwood crystals on the ones that are not painted btw if you are painting them paint now and let them air out over the summer

What difference between the three are you looking to find out?

POR-15 is good alternative to the spray painting. Will last a lot longer then spray paint.

It seems like there is a lot of controversy on catch rates with difgerent coatings, mainly focusing on scent, so I am trying to see if different coatings have more dug traps and refusals.

Do you have happen what you mentioned now? If so or not, how are your traps prepared now?

Wanna Be. I had lots of dig outs last year, with paw prints all around the set and no catch, it may have been a bedding issue, seeing it was my first year trying to catch canines but I gathered from looking through the archives that it could be the paint smell. I've been practicing bedding solidly so I now want to see if it was the coating that caused the issue

And all my traps were painted last year

Paint is fine if you give them plenty of time to air out. You might try dipping in paint rather than spray painting. I'm going to dip some traps in a 50/50 mix of white rustoleum and acetone here shortly, to set in the snow. After dipping they will be hung outside for most of the summer and then stored in totes as trapping season rolls around.

I'm old school and like to dye my traps, and I think it provides better rust protection after a catch than paint, but you can't dye them white, and I've used painted traps in the past, and they work fine. I've also simply waxed new traps for canines and dipped in full metal jacket (floor wax) one year. They are being covered, either with dirt or snow if they are set for canines, so a shiny new trap doesn't affect anything as long as it doesn't smell of oil, etc. The white paint helps with meltout and freezedown in the snow, even completely covered a black or dark trap will draw heat when the sun comes out and melt out.

Formula One brown for me. Hard, slick, scent free finish on the traps and snares in just a few hours of drying.

I am always interested in a "best trap dip" post. Why, because even as pretty much a hobby trapper the last 50 or so year, I dread the job and time spent cleaning traps the traditional way and then dying and waxing. It works, and works well, but I am always thinking there must be an easier way. Evidently I am poor at time management because I never seem to have enough time for for everything that needs to get done around home and for trapping, and still work. Admittedly I do not have the drive and energy I once did..

I am pretty friendly with a few really good trappers, and a couple of real good trappers that post on this forum, that successfully use fuel based cold dip. I have been a bit surprised to not see anyone jumping in on this thread with an opinion about fuel based dips.

Mac

I'll jump in on the fuel base dips.
I use Stoes brown, have been for 20 yrs. 93 octane gas, 2 gal gas to one quart of the dip. Dip and hang in the open. I am done dipping by mid june. All traps that get dipped hang outside under a covered area(airflow). They hang till time to trap, then they go in old coolers.

I dipped everything years ago for storage, but everything I use gets a fresh paint job in the spring if needed.

formula one on leg holds, dp's get painted.

I use Zep High Traffic 128-oz Floor Polish that you can get at Lowe's Building Supply. Costs $17.00 a gallon plus tax. It works well, holds up pretty well on traps used the entire season and extremely well on traps used off and on during season. I don't put it on body grips. Use on muskrat float traps that are in the water most of the time and it holds up well on them. Not to mention land traps. I just re dip in it at the end of the season, let them hang out for a couple of weeks and then put them away till next season starts. What I don't use goes back in the jug for next year.

Bullet Proof

https://www.southernsnares.com/products/bullet-proof-trap-and-snare-dip