I'm shopping for crab pots and I'm trying to decide between the old Danielson Collapsible Pots (linked in the name) or the Willapa 360 degree pots.

Or, are there better ones? I'm going to be crabbing the bays with my driftboat, so I can't use the deadliest catch monster crab pots. I need something reasonably sized.
One concern I had about the Willapa 360's is that they look a bit flimsy.
Any suggestions?

I use old Daniel son Collapsible Pots cause there easy to pull and my 8 yr old son can pull them due to the fact that there light. I also all ways have 3 or 4 keepers per pot every pull on a 1 hr soak. However I don't putt these pots any deeper then forty feet do to the fact that they are light so the there is a possibility of the tide taking them away.

Several years ago I bought one of the fancy designed pots similar to the Willapa you are considering to test it against the several Danielson's I was already using. For whatever reason the fancy designed unit simply did not capture as many crab as the Danielsons when used with the same baits, same general location, and same tides and soak time; basically side by side testing.

I do weight the pots but I am working in 100-125 feet of water with some swift tides and am able to watch them during the soak.

I have replaced my bait containers with the smaller grid design. That smaller grid still allows them to pick at the bait but not quickly consume it all and then want to depart.

Good luck and remember to immediately record your catch or you may become the catch!

Back in the day when Joes was around every summer they would run the Dainleson pots for 14.99 so I loaded up.

They are light and perhaps abit flimsy, but they fish great.

I have tied 2 bricks in each with old innertube regulary fish them in 120 feet, In areas with a 2+kt current. The bait cage shown in homemade using hardware cloth.

Weighting your posts will help ensure that they don't migrate on you and either become derelict or become inadvertent illegal pots fishing out of season (look for that ticket in the mail if LE finds it and you haven't reported the lost pot).

I have a brick in one, a chunk of steel in another, and the newest find - plastic covered barbell weights (2 1/2#) - in two others with those snugged in place with plastic zip ties. Lead weights from old dive belts work great but I am saving those for shrimp pots.