I am looking at purchasing an Otter XTH Hub, probably the Resort. Trying to decide whether to take advantage of the mid season deals or to wait until next year for any modifications made by Otter. For those who have bought them what are your experiences? Any improvements that could be made? Any failings of materials, hubs, zippers, etc. Just need some reviews or opinions. Ease of setup/takedown? Quality compared to other hubs? Appreciate any input
Used my Otter Lodge Hub 3 times so far and here are my thoughts.
1) Fabric I like a lot. Does not seem to take too much to heat them although all three times the coldest it got was about 14 degrees with no wind and I had my Big Buddy on low. One problem with the fabric is the sewing of the covers for the windows does not fit all that well. One window when the velcro is placed so it holds the window up the cover sags and opens a big gap on the sides of the cover letting all kinds of light in. Seems like the sewing itself is a little off or they just need to use bigger velcro. Bigger Velcro would solve this problem nicely.
2) Setting up seems just as easy as the clams that I have set up.
3) The bag is not Oversized at all and is actually too small if you have used it all day. So far we have put it in the bag and barely got the zipper to close on the ends and had to leave the middle open which is OK because I then put it in my Otter magnum sled with a cover for the sled. But overall the bag sucks so far.
4) Door zippers work well so far.
5) “0” cargo nets really suck! I did purchase a couple of the aftermarket ones directly from Otter and they really don’t fit the hubs worth a dam. They were made for the flip overs. Plus one came with an end that is almost coming apart of which I need to call Otter on this week. Thanks for the reminder.
6) Anchors….. they drill in fine and are easy to remove but don’t just try and pull out the last 1/2″ by hand and think it will break the ice….they bend. Made of cheep steel IMHO. If you wind all the way out they work fine.
Over all I would give a rating of 6.5 to 7. Are they better than the others… I don’t know but I would give them another year before I would jump on their ban wagon again.
Overall great hub shelter just needs the storage netting and wish the skirt was heavier duty. Always can have a bigger bag as well. Won’t be disappointed if purchased this year or next
Cargo nets and oversized bags are a must for me, before I buy one.
Al
I really like my eskimo fatfish 949i…has been GREAT for 3 years…i am not brand stuck..have an otter pro xt cabin and the eskimo hub
I’ve been fishing out of the Clam XL4000T now for two season and all I can say is I’m very pleased with it and would give it a 10-10. Big enough storage bag with room to play with unlike Eskimo’s and Otters (very tight fit). As we all know last season was very cold and bitter with the wind chills well below -25. Most days fishing my Mr. Buddy heater kept up on low setting with sometimes having to shut it off. Lots of room to fish 3 very comfortable and 4 is a little tight but still can be done. You can purchase this same unit from Reeds right now for $289.95 with free shipping. Best of luck!!
TTT – Just looking for more opinions. Really like prices this part of the season but want to make an informed decision. Are all Otter owners having issues with the bag size or lack of sufficient skirting around the bottom edge of the tent for banking snow? Any issues with setup or take down? I appreciate all the responses so far and any additional that come.
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