1st shelter suggestions?

[Sneaky Duck]

I'm kicking around the idea of getting an ice shelter.  Since my daughter wants to go out with me I don't want to completely ruin any future fishing chances with her by having no way to get out of the wind/snow.  Plus it'd be kind of fun to have a spot to hunker down and play cards while we wait for the tip-ups to pop.  She's 5 though so she won't really be any help setting up.  Are the hub shelters easy enough to set up by yourself?  We don't have a snowmobile or ATV so we'll be walking/pulling what ever we get.  My other thought was something similar to the Otter 650 cottage with it's bench seat.  Even though it's a 1 man, i think the bench would give us enough room and the small shelter would be nice and warm and better for pulling and loading into the truck by myself.  Any advice?  I for sure can get a much bigger shelter going with a hub tent instead of the flip-over especially keeping $ in mind.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Sneaky Duck

[tplatt]

I have a hub and love it for taking the kids. Once your out of the wind and have a heater in there it's warm. Plus bring a ball to play with instead of staying in the tent. My kids love passing the football!! The clam isn't to tough to drag without a snowmobile. But the hub is cheaper!

[bigblue]

X2 what tplatt stated . With little ones pick a good day no harse wind or weather a hub easy to pack and set-up lots of room add a heater and you are good to go .A flip up one man is going to be tight with kids being busy etc . Some good prices on pop-ups right now.

[Sneaky Duck]

What about the bigger 2 man flip overs?  Are they just to heavy to pull?  I don't know why... but the flip overs have always struck me as real cool.   Also, is thermal really worth it?  I was looking at a few Clams at Gander today and standing inside and looking around it, you can clearly see where the thermal welds are they let so much light through the thin spots.  If it were a sleeping bag I'd NEVER buy something like that.

[bigblue]

I use a Jason Mitchell 2 man thermal lots of room and heavy pull it with a Skandic Wide track . The thermals are great the light holes in the cover are nothing to worry about . You may get away with a Clam Nanook it comes in thermal but you will be on the edge of pulling by hand . 85lbs .

Edited December 30, 2013 by bigblue

[Sneaky Duck]

Hmm... 85lbs.  I'll be good as long as I can get it moving... till i stop and try to get it started again. HAHA   Maybe I should get my dog to pull it.  She's an 80lb siberian husky and lives for that stuff.    Thanks for the info.  I'm bringing the kid and going to go look again.  Love these weeks off from work.

[tackleshack]

The Hubs are the way to go if you want more room.  easy to set up and very spacious.  The Clam Nanook is a great flipover unit. I have no experience with the thermal units, but the normal price fighter version (model 9025) has been our top seller for the last 3 years.  They are heavier and pull can hard on the snow, but they're really convenient to use.  Personally, I use a hub style though.  I have an Eskimo Quickfish 3, but I'm thinking of getting myself a roomier Quickfish 4.  Like I said, I have no experience with the thermal units, but a little buddy heater in my Quickfish 3 and I stay pretty toasty.    

[Sk8man]

Just keep in mind that the two man pop over versions are in large part enough for a big guy and that is about it without a whole bunch of extra room to move around. Another major consideration since you will be the only one pulling it on the ice is weight. Get the largest and lightest one you can for your purposes because when there is snow and lumpy ice with snow on top it can be brutal pulling a heavy one ;especially by yourself. A lot of folks buy or make "runners" to go under their setups that get them up off the ice so they cut through the snow. With a child inside I'd opt for a Buddy heater probably the smaller one (Little Buddy) to save on propane because they have more safety features than the catalytics which can be dangerous (burns) for kids because they are open.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Sk8man

[Sneaky Duck]

Thanks Sk8man, you know... I'm even more torn now.  I haven't bought anything yet, but I think after the experience we just had that I'm going to go with a Thermal Clam BigMouth or it's equivalent.  At 50lbs, it's pretty light, has a comfy seat, a bunch of fishable area, and even though it's a 1 man, with the tent expanded if she were to bring a little lawn chair we'd have plenty of room.  Really, I'm not that worried about the fishable room because she looses interest pretty quick.  I'm starting to have a hard time justifying buying something that's good for the 2 of us when 90% of the time it'll just be me.  She also really seamed to like the small ones compared to the big ones.  It was her fort  I can see however as time goes on, why the Hubs would be the way to go as the shelters get bigger.  They had a Yukon and while it was GREAT, I can't see pulling that by hand.  It's built like a TANK.

[King Slammin]

Get a Frabill. They are built better than the clams. I've owned clams in the past and it seems everything they make feels cheap. I fish out of a Trekker II DLX. I have a TON of gear and spend days on the ice in a row. It's nice to have extra room and ability to fish 3 rods inside. Plus if I bring my son (he's 13) or a buddy, we can fit inside on bad weather days.

[rnsurfnturf]

I have a Frabill trekker II and love it! It is a 2 man but almost all of the time its me.

Mine is not insulated and a buddy heater does awesome inside.

I bought it to have the ability to take my kids.

A lot of people get hung up on weight, I am more about comfort.

My buddies kept worrying about weight and focused on it entirely and bought smaller lighter shappells flipovers.

am of the opinion that when the ice is clean or has little or snow on it , they all weigh the same.

When the snow is nasty and clinging to the sled, my flipover is heavier , no doubt but guess what, they all get heavy in that situation. I think I am able to enjoy the comfort and room more times a year on clean ice than my friends are able to take advantage of the lighter weight flipovers when the snow is nasty. Which, by the way when the snow is heavy and dragging is tough, my buddies with the lighter flipovers won't go anyway !

[plecos4sale]

I like a tent... Only about 15lbs fits in a otter sled and still room for little one

[Sk8man]

Hey Sneaky I have a Pro Model 2 person Clam and one big thing I DON'T like about it is the integrated "buttons" that you have to press inward in the frame to release the sections when raising or lowering it when starting or quitting. They are VERY hard to deal with in the cold and sometimes stick...very poorly designed. My son''s Frabill was less expensive and doesn't have any problems and he loves it.

[Finders Keepers]

We used the Trekker DLX until this year when Frabill came out with the Ambush Series shelters that have the side doors. The added room with a vertical front, the side door access so you can leave all electronics/heater in place without stepping over it, and 6 ft of vertical head room all make these shelters some of the best on the market. They do weigh more, but the benefits far outweigh the weight factor for us!

[Locoman]

Love my Shappell. The carpeted floor keeps your feet off the ice meaning warm tootsies.

 

 

 

DX Series Shelters

DX Series Cabins are the Ultimate Deluxe Ice Fishing Shelter with the Latest Design Upgrades.

• Heavy Duty 600D Textured Polyester Fabric
• Six Removable Windows/Shades.
• Can also be used as a HUNTING BLIND.
• Marine Carpeted Floors.
• Roof Bows provide Extra Headroom.

Also Featuring:

• Factory Assembled...Ready to use right out of the Box!
• Double Stitched Covers,  Fully Attached...No Air Gaps.
• Two Bi-Directional Heavy Duty Zipper Doors.
• Bucket Carriers Molded into Base... Help Keep Gear on Shelter when Moving.
• Polyethylene Base Folds in Half.
• Shock Corded Steel Frames.

 

 

DX3000 Cabin   DX4000 Cabin

 

 

 

 

© 2013 Shappell Corporation, all rights reserved.

[Sneaky Duck]

Frick, I tried to go buy it today and... the wife won't let me buy anything till i get rid of some stuff first.  Does anyone want a wood lathe, router table, or set of china?    PM me and I'll send you the craigslist listing.  HAHAHAHA

Edited December 31, 2013 by Sneaky Duck

[Castmaster]

Lol i just fish out of my truck 😀

[Sneaky Duck]

So, I'm sure everyone is getting irritated with me starting new topics  So, I'll add this silly question here.  Has anyone tried using ice climbing screws to secure your shelter instead of those big t screws they sell specifically for ice fishing?  I'm curious how they'd work.  They sure screw in easy and quick.  I was going to buy a set so i could have 1 to anchor my dog's lead and have her out with me without worrying about her taking off.

[rbonnell]

I have a clam two many I couldn't tell u how hard it is to pull as I put it on top of my jet sled

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[FleetTracker]

I second Shappell. I have the DX3000... It's a nice shelter. I fit all my gear flush just inside a Jet Sled XL (auger, 4 rods in bag, support equipment, lunch/drinks, dozen tipups, two 5 gallon buckets, tackle, buddy heater, etc) and the DX3000 folds in half and sets right on top and I bungee it down.

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[Sneaky Duck]

Well, this sucks.  I went and picked up that fish trap and brought it home planning to take the afternoon to put it together.  Parts spread around the living room and there are no instructions in the box!    I tried to contact Clam to have them email me a copy of the owners manual and can't find a phone number, so Im stuck waiting on them to respond to my email.  Oh well.

[Castmaster]

Did u try utube? Ive seen other assembly jobs shown on there.

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[Sneaky Duck]

yeah... youtube, clam's website, google searches... nothing.  oh well.  took it back and exchanged it. I think the other may have been missing pieces.  Hopefully we're good now!

[Sneaky Duck]

So, is a flip-over a "shanty" as defined by the DEC?  Do I need to have my name and address on it?  The DEC site says all shanties must have the name and address on them but then goes on to say they have to be removed by March 15th.  Does this only apply to fixed location shanties vs a flip-over which is portable and removed every time I leave the water?  My wife is going to be PISSED when she sees that this thing is still set up in the living room

[Sk8man]

It isn't a shanty as designated in the DEC regs. They are considered permanent structures usually made from wood and left out on the ice when not in use and could be considered a navigational hazard in the Spring.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Sk8man