Getting the Most Out of Your Plano Guide Series 3700 XL Tackle Bag
The Plano Guide Series 3700 XL Tackle Bag is one of those pieces of gear that looks straightforward until you've actually spent a weekend trying to organize your setup in it. I picked mine up around five years ago, probably because the price was right and I needed something bigger than a soft bag but didn't want the absurdity of a hard-sided cooler. It's been in trucks, on boats, and dragged across dock pilings more times than I care to count. Here's what I've figured out about making it work for you instead of against you. Out of the box the bag comes with a few foam trays and some plastic dividers, but honestly that's just the starting point. The real storage capacity is in the main compartment where you can drop in standard Plano 3600 and 4600 trays, plus the smaller profile trays that fit vertically. The side pockets hold smaller tackle, but they're shallow and not great for anything heavy. I learned that the hard way after a four-hour drive with a bag of sinkers rattling around loose and making enough noise to sound like a coin drop in a casino. The main trick is figuring out which trays go where and how to lock them in without everything sliding out when you tip the bag. The foam trays that come with it are actually useful for keeping smaller accessories from migrating, but they take up a lot of space relative to what they hold. I switched to just using the hard Plano trays almost exclusively now. They nest tighter, protect the lures better, and the whole system becomes modular. You can pull out a single tray without dumping the rest of the bag.
One thing Plano gets right is the zipper quality. These bags don't have that cheap zipper that catches fabric and stalls halfway through opening. After years of use, mine still glides. The handle and shoulder strap are padded but thin, which works fine if you're carrying it short distances. For anything longer than a hundred yards you start noticing the weight distribution. The bag wants to hang heavy on one side when it's full, especially if you load it asymmetrically. Keep the heavier trays on the bottom and centered.
Organizing the Layout That Actually Works
Here's how I set mine up now, and why I stopped changing it. Bottom layer gets the large square trays with top-water lures and swimbaits. These are the biggest and heaviest items, so they go where the bag is widest and most stable. Middle section holds my vertical tray slots with creature bait trays and tube rigs. These are the ones I pull most often, so they need to be accessible without unpacking everything else. Top layer is my fly box style containers for jigs and Ned rigs, which are lighter and don't need as much protection. The lid pockets are where people waste space. I use them for terminal tackle only. Lead weights, extra hooks, swivels, spare line spools. If you put soft baits or bulky items up there they just get in the way and fall out every time you open the lid. I also keep a small container of zip ties in the side pocket. These are useful for bundling extra line or securing loose items during transport. A lot of guys don't think to pack those but they save you from a half-hour of hunting for a rubber band that definitely doesn't exist in your truck. There's a counter-intuitive thing about loading this bag that most beginners miss. People tend to fill every pocket to maximum capacity because the bag looks roomy from the outside. But the bag's structure only supports so much weight before the seams start pulling and the bottom starts sagging. I'd estimate the sweet spot is about 70 percent capacity. That leaves room for the trays to actually close flat, keeps the zippers from binding under pressure, and makes it possible to grab a specific tray without the whole bag shifting around on you. If you're fishing solo and only need a few lure types, overpacking this bag just makes it a pain to carry. Underpacking it leaves you scrambling at the dock trying to rearrange on the fly.
Get the Full Details
Another thing nobody mentions in the manual is how the bag handles wet gear. If you've ever fished in rain or hauled a damp net in here you know the interior fabric absorbs moisture and takes forever to dry. I started lining the bottom with a folded shop towel before every trip. It's a five-second habit that means I'm not pulling out soggy lures months later and wondering why they smell like mildew. The towel goes in with the dry gear and comes out rinsed and hung to dry after the trip. Cheap solution that prevents a costly problem.
When This Bag Falls Short
I should be straight about the limitations so you don't end up disappointed. The Plano Guide Series 3700 XL Tackle Bag is not built for travel in the traditional sense. The straps aren't designed for checked luggage and the bag itself isn't rugged enough for rough handling. If you're flying to a fishing destination, this bag will get beat up. I'd recommend a hard case for that scenario. The bag also doesn't sit upright well on uneven surfaces. Dock pilings, sloped boat decks, grassy banks — it tips. If you need your bag to stay open and stationary while you sort through it, find a flat surface or lay it down. The side pockets are another weak point. They're meant for light, small items. Anything over a pound in there and you're going to stress the stitching. I've seen the side pocket seams split on bags that were used for storage more than organization. If you need extra storage, invest in separate soft cases that fit inside the main compartment instead of trying to make the side pockets do double duty. For people who fish a lot of different techniques and need rapid access to a wide variety of lures in one trip, this bag's compartmentalization can feel limiting. The fixed tray slots mean you're working within a set layout. If you frequently change lure types during a day, you'll spend more time swapping trays than fishing. In that case, a simpler open-top tackle box might actually be faster. The Guide Series 3700 XL Tackle Bag shines when you know your setup beforehand and want to walk to the water with everything pre-sorted and protected.
If you're looking for a download or manual, Plano has the product specs on their website but there's really no downloadable guide worth searching for. The bag is straightforward enough that the learning curve is mostly about figuring out your own organizational preference. Start with the foam trays, experiment with tray placement for a few trips, then settle into whatever layout stays consistent. The bag will last years if you don't abuse the zippers or overstuff it. After that it's just normal wear and the occasional replacement of a lost tray or two.
