Tackle Box: The Best Boxes, Trays and Bags, and What 3700 Means

The best tackle box for most anglers is a set of 3700-size trays, $9.99 each from Plano, carried in whatever holds them that day. A rack, a backpack and a boat locker all take the same trays, so the box grows with you instead of being replaced. For a first box, Plano’s $19.99 One-Tray does the job; the Plano Guide Series Rack System, $79.99 list, is the step up.

“3700” is a Plano model number that other makers now sell as a size: a tray about 14 × 9 × 2 in. Backpacks, racks and musky cases are built to hold so many 3700s.

Which tackle box for your fishing?

Pick by how you get to the water and what you carry.

• A first box, for worms, bobbers and panfish: the Plano One-Tray; the fishing tackle hub lists what goes in it.
• The bank, one box for everything: the six-tray Plano Hip Roof, $49.99, or the Plano Three-Tray, about $25.
• A boat, or a truck that feeds one: the Plano Guide Series Rack System.
• Walking creeks and ponds: the Evolution Drift 3700 backpack.
• A kayak, rain or salt spray: KastKing HyperSeal 3700 trays.
• A kid who has outgrown one tray: the Flambeau NextGen 4/0.
• Musky, pike and striper baits too long for any tray: the Lakewood Monster.
• Rust protection for the least money: the Flambeau Tuff Tainer 4007 with Zerust.

The cheapest path runs one tray, then a three-tray, then a rack or bag of 3700s. For the whole first day, see fishing for beginners.

What are the types of tackle box?

Eight kinds of tackle storage, from a $7.59 tray to a $300 musky case:

• Utility trays (StowAway, Tuff Tainer): thin clear boxes with movable dividers.
• Tray boxes, cantilever or hip roof: trays that swing out over a bulk bin.
• Racks: a hard case holding four or more trays.
• Bags and backpacks: sized by how many 3600 or 3700 trays they hold.
• Waterproof boxes: a tray with a sealed lid.
• Bait-specific boxes: deep trays and hanger boxes for one kind of bait.
• Soft-plastic binders: sleeves that hold soft plastics in their bags.
• Musky cases: soft cases with hanging dividers for baits no tray holds.

Plano, which made its first molded-plastic tackle box in 1952, sells plain StowAway trays ($9.99 for a 3700), sealed EDGE trays ($39.99) and Guide Series racks that carry StowAways ($79.99 list). Flambeau makes Tuff Tainer trays, KastKing and Bass Mafia sealed 3700s, Buzbe modular boxes and Lakewood musky cases. Pro Justin Lucas keeps his baits in Bass Mafia Bait Casket 2.0 3700s.

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What matters in a tackle box, and what does not?

Three things decide whether a box works: the latch, the dividers and the size. The compartment count matters least, because the dividers set it.

The latch is what breaks. On Plano’s Guide Series Rack System Pro, the five most recent of its 16 owner reviews all report a broken latch or door flap, though seven owners still give it five stars. One latch snapped “after opening less than 10 times.” Two of the four owners of the Plano EDGE 3700 fault its latch. GearJunkie calls the Flambeau Waterproof Tuff Tainer’s three-latch system very secure, but unclipping it “gets old quick.”

Dividers that lock stop hooks migrating. Gaps under divider tabs let hooks slip into the next compartment. The updated Plano StowAway sets pre-cut dividers in slots, and GearJunkie found the migration stopped once they clicked in.

Size is about what else it fits. A 3600 or 3700 moves between bags, racks and lockers; an odd size fits only itself.

Are waterproof tackle boxes worth it, and what stops rust?

Only boxes sold as waterproof are sealed, with an O-ring or gasket in the lid, such as KastKing’s “heavy-duty sealing ring” or Plano’s Dri-Loc seal. A seal works only while the latches hold it shut.

A sealed box works both ways. GearJunkie’s tester warns that waterproof boxes “do a great job of keeping water in, resulting in rusty hooks,” and has seen condensation in them in humid, rainy weather. Put only dry tackle back into a sealed box.

Rust inhibitors slow rust; GearJunkie’s tester still finds some.

• Plano Rustrictor, launched for 2019, is a vapor corrosion inhibitor infused into the plastic, now in the standard StowAway line. Plano says it “blocks rust and stops corrosion five times longer than a standard tackle box”; The Fisherman’s write-up gives no test behind the figure.
• Flambeau Zerust dividers give off a vapor that coats the metal; Flambeau claims “a minimum of 5 years in the most extreme environments” for its ZERUST MAX boxes.
• Vents and desiccant: the KastKing HyperSeal adds vent holes and a desiccant pack, the Plano EDGE a reusable moisture-wicking packet.

Which box for crankbaits, jigs, hooks and soft plastics?

• Crankbaits and jerkbaits: treble hooks tangle in a shared slot, and big crankbaits will not fit a thin tray. GearJunkie’s tester rates Evolution’s HANGR 3.7D highest for small treble baits, but it is too shallow for jerkbaits and deep divers. Those go in a StowAway 3700 Deep ($14.99) or the 9 in deep Plano EDGE XL Crankbait Box (about $70).
• Jigs and terminal tackle, the hooks, sinkers and swivels: Wired2Fish keeps hooks, jigheads and crappie jigs in Gamakatsu’s foam-insert G-Boxes. GearJunkie found the slits in Plano’s EDGE Hook Box too wide: heavy-wire hooks hold, finesse jigheads pop out.
• Frogs: the Plano EDGE Frog Box, about $65, “better than anything out there” for frogs, says GearJunkie.
• Spinnerbaits: the Rack System Pro has three spinnerbait racks; Bernie Schultz uses zippered canvas pouches with Ziploc sleeves.
• Soft plastics: in their own bags, in a binder. Wired2Fish warns that “plastics and materials like Elaztech can warp and compromise thinly made plastic tackle boxes.”

What size tackle box? The tray sizes and what holds them

These are Plano’s own exterior dimensions; other makers build to the same footprints.

Is a 3600 or a 3700 better? Neither; they do different jobs. The 3700 holds longer baits and fills racks, the Drift backpack and the Monster’s rear pocket, while the 3600 takes smaller tackle and fits the backpack’s top. Pick the size your bag holds and stay with it.

Across makers, a 3700 is about 14 × 9 × 2 in (35.6 × 22.9 × 5.1 cm). Measure before buying a bag for the updated StowAway 3700: Plano’s page also lists it at 14 × 7.25 × 1.75 in under the specifications, and one owner reports it is 2 in smaller than older 3700s.

How do you store tackle on a boat or a kayak?

On a boat, the trays go in the lockers. Wired2Fish calls 3600 and 3700 utility boxes “the most useful tackle boxes in boats,” stacked on their sides. A rack is “too large to fit in any boat storage compartment,” GearJunkie found.

On a kayak, Wired2Fish names three set-ups: small waterproof satchels, a crate of waterproof boxes, or a dry bag with a few small boxes. Sealed trays such as the HyperSeal fit any of them.

How much does a tackle box cost?

By GearJunkie’s bands, trays and a few classic boxes cost $10–30, most tackle boxes $30–70, and racks and backpacks more. Plain trays run $7.59 to $14.99, and waterproof trays $9.99 (Plano Waterproof 3400 Classic) to $41.99 (Bass Mafia Coffin 3700). Tray boxes cost $19.99 to $49.99, racks and backpacks $79.99 to $159.99, and Lakewood’s musky cases $269.99 to $299.99.

How do the eight picks compare?

The picks in detail

Plano Guide Series StowAway Rack System: best overall

For a boat or a truck: a home base whose trays leave for a bag or a locker. Too bulky for anglers who walk. Plano’s page holds only two owner reviews, and listed it out of stock in October 2026.

Plano One-Tray: best first box

For a child’s first season or a bank angler with worms and bobbers. Kentucky Fish and Wildlife starts beginners on exactly this: a one-tray box with a latch, not a snap-on lid. Its beginner list for urban lakes fits inside: size 6 hooks, big enough for the catfish usually caught there, split shot, 1¼-in bobbers, feather jigs and a small inline spinner. One owner calls it “Simple. Great starter.”

Plano StowAway 3700: best tray

For every system that takes 3700s; four cost $34.99. GearJunkie calls it “the most feature-rich tackle tray without changing the price.” Not for a kayak, since it has no seal, or for treble-hooked baits, which tangle in any thin tray. On Plano’s page 27 of 34 owners give five stars and two give one.

KastKing HyperSeal 3700: best waterproof, for a kayak

For a kayak, rain or salt spray. Not for tackle put away wet: a sealed box holds moisture in. KastKing lists no dimensions, so the waterproofing rests on its word and its owners’: 290 of 317 give five stars, the most reviews of any pick.

Evolution Drift 3700 backpack: best backpack

For “pond hoppers, river rats, backcountry fishermen, and co-anglers,” in GearJunkie’s words. Not for boat owners, whose trays live in the lockers. Evolution’s own BallistiX 3.7 and HANGR trays do not fit it. Three of 53 owners give one star.

Flambeau NextGen 4/0: best for a kid

For a kid who has outgrown one tray, though Wired2Fish says it suits “any angler not just kids.” Pair it with a kids’ fishing pole; more ideas are in gifts for fishermen.

Lakewood Monster: best for musky and pike

For musky and pike or striper baits too long for any tray. Not a dry box: Lakewood’s FAQ says its cases are water resistant, since the seams and zippers are not glued or welded shut. Measure your longest baits; Thorne Bros lists Lakewood’s 80-bait Medium at 18.5 × 11 × 15 in, $269.99.

Flambeau Tuff Tainer 4007 with Zerust: best budget

The cheapest way to add a rust inhibitor to a 3600-size system. Not for anyone who needs a 3700 or a seal. Its one rated review at Tackle Warehouse calls it “As good as any without the crazy price”; an older comment reports a latch lost in the lake within a week.

How do you organize a tackle box?

Bernie Schultz (Bassmaster) first splits hard baits from soft. He leaves soft plastics “in the manufacturer’s bags,” up to eight worm bags in a quart-size freezer bag, and sorts crankbaits by depth and profile.

• By color of box: Justin Lucas color-codes boxes for lead-based baits such as jigs, for topwaters, other hard baits and soft plastics, then sorts each by lure weight.
• By technique: Joe Ford keeps one tray per technique, such as flipping jigs or jerkbaits, with two or three colors of each lure.
• By season: Jason Sealock of Wired2Fish takes much of his tackle out of the boat between seasons and keeps one box of his “hot tickets.”

Label every box, since trays stand on their sides in a locker. The lures to fill them are under fishing lures, the pliers under accessories.

How we chose

Each pick fills one angler’s slot, judged on the makers’ specifications, October 2026 prices and counted owner reviews. No box was tested for this page. Rods, reels and line are under fishing gear.

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