Promar TR-555BC: Collapsible Blue Crab Trap - 21" X 17" X9"

Why it's worth it

Promar's TR-555BC is built specifically for blue crab at 21 by 17 by 9 inches, with a fold-down vinyl-coated frame and heavy poly netting. It's the trap to buy if you're working the Chesapeake, the Gulf or the South Atlantic regularly.

It's sized for blue crab and nothing else, which is the point. At 21 by 17 by 9 inches, it's compact next to a Dungeness pot but right for the species. You're not hauling a bigger frame than you need, and you're not fighting mesh scaled for a crab twice the size. If blue crab is your target, buy the trap built for it.

The vinyl-coated frame fixes the failure that kills budget traps. Corrosion at the frame is what finishes most cheap crab traps, usually within a season. The polymer coating keeps salt water off the steel and stretches usable life several times over. If your trap soaks weekly for six months, that's the difference between buying once and buying every year.

From our review of 7 crab pots and lobster traps, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +It's sized for blue crab and nothing else, which is the point
• +The vinyl-coated frame fixes the failure that kills budget traps
• +Heavy poly netting flexes instead of denting
• +It folds down, so you can run several without filling the boat

What to know

• –Nothing comes with it
• –Availability tends to be thin
• –It costs more than the basic collapsible traps it sits next to