Best mobile one man ice shack

Looking for the best mobile one man ice shack.

Run and gun means no ice shack at all. But if you need one any of the one man shacks will fit the bill.

I have a kenai pro thermal. Light, just flip the top over, no poles to extend, I heat it with a lantern. Works for a 62 YO.

Clam Legend XL. I believe the same tub as Kenai but turned the other direction giving you more width. Excellent one man house with lots of room. Check out the Ice Team Pro Legend Xl. Comes with cover, LED light bar and battery tray.

I have a kenai and it is really easy to move around, no pole extensions. I did find it awkward to put in the truck on my own, so I picked up the Eskimo Sierra thermal, it’s a little heavier but because of the size it’s easier to throw in the truck. I miss the no pole extensions on it though.

The shappell fx100 is a great light weight one man flip. Used mine for a few years now. Good size, definitely on the cheaper side but works well. I think it weight 30lbs or so.

I’ve owned a bunch and the Shappell FX100 has been my favorite – also by far the cheapest.

I only use this shelter when I’m fishing panfish and need to hide from wind or creepers – ya know the guys who creep a little closer each time they see you catch a fish.

2 tid bits on a hole hopping portable for me:

Extendable poles are a total deal breaker, and I’m completely indifferent on insulated fabric.

Gotta say the legend xl for one man portable it’s also light enough to throw in the back of the truck

gonehunting wrote:

Clam Legend XL. I believe the same tub as Kenai but turned the other direction giving you more width. Excellent one man house with lots of room. Check out the Ice Team Pro Legend Xl. Comes with cover, LED light bar and battery tray.

you got that wrong. the Legend XL is the same sled as the Scout XL not the Kenai. you did how ever get it right in that you do gain more room when the house is mounted on the side instead of off the back of the sled. also there is not a Ice Team Pro Legend XL it is a Ice Team Edition Legend XL and yes you are right it comes with the light bar, battery bracket and travel cover. only difference between the two Legend XL are the added accessories and a difference if the color of the tent. the ice team version has some green in it and it says Ice Team on the tent and travel cover where as the regular one is Blue and doesn’t have any of the accessories with it. Either one of the Legend XL’s are a great house it just comes down to if you want the added accessories and a slightly different look or not. I personal run a Ice Team Edition as my early ice house when I can only walk out. one thing that I do recommend is that regardless of which house a person would go with I would always add a runner kit to save on wearing on the bottom of the sled.

As much as I dislike clam houses for quality reasons, my Kenai is a very nice and light house. The tub is well made and the seat is relatively comfortable. The canvas is kinda junky and thin, but it works.

I stand corrected…..

I really like my Otter XT hideout for a 1 man

That’s what I was looking at where can I pick one up or do you recommendations on where to order thanks!

Sold my Clam Kenai Pro and went with a Otter Hideout. It’s a much better shack; however, it’s more difficult for one man to lift solo. Only downside. I still manage.

Where’s a good place to look at buying one of those?

Marine general usually has decent prices. I would wait a month then look for deals

Purchased my Hideout at Runnings.

I have had a Hideout and a Frabil Recruit. Both decent one person sleds. Biggest problems I had with the Hideout was it’s weight and the canvas was too short after folding it out. The front bar would never never reach the ice so the wind become a problem. Plus it drags like a plow if on foot. Perhaps that has been remedied on newer models, but mine was terribly had to pull. The Frabil was a bit better for weight and the canvas fit pretty well, but customer service and quality were not up to where I thought they should be. My biggest problem with both is I could not stand up in either to stretch without bending over. And I’m not a tall person. Ended up with an Ice Runner Explorer and while it has some issues, it’s lighter than either of the other two, pulls easy and more room than any I’ve owned.

I have the Hideout too. I like it but it has a goofy shape to the sled. It fits in my Pilot fine but takes up alot of space for a 1 man shack. I think some of the smaller 2 man shacks take up less space. It is heavy, but still not a problem to load.

Jake Sonnentag wrote:

Where’s a good place to look at buying one of those?

Check out the used online marketplaces. I bought two Hideouts from IDO. One was from Holst after I made a WTB thread.

Henpecked wrote:

Biggest problems I had with the Hideout was it’s weight and the canvas was too short after folding it out. The front bar would never never reach the ice so the wind become a problem. Plus it drags like a plow if on foot. Perhaps that has been remedied on newer models, but mine was terribly had to pull.

Like with all these portable sled shacks, if the person assembling the shack pulls the fabric too tight in the back before putting the screws in, there won’t be enough room in the front for the pole to lay flush on the ice. I have two used Hideout assembled by different people, and one pole sits flush on the ice with room to spare, and one pole hangs an inch above the ice. It’s not a problem because of the drape that hangs past the pole, but if it were, I would pull the screws, adjust the fabric, and seal the exposed screw holes with Loctite Fabric Glue, which is invisible.

As far as being hard to pull, I never tried fishing with them before I mounted downhill skis directly to the bottom of the shack. I do that on all of the one-mans I’ve owned using pawnshop skis and a countersunk bolt. The Hideout pulls so well now that it’ll often keep sliding when I stop walking. I wax the skis with a Dollar Store candle.

bzzsaw wrote:

I have the Hideout too. I like it but it has a goofy shape to the sled. It fits in my Pilot fine but takes up alot of space for a 1 man shack. I think some of the smaller 2 man shacks take up less space. It is heavy, but still not a problem to load.

It certainly has a goofy shape and takes up more room. I used to fit two Clam Kenai in a 6.5′ Chevy bed with a few inches to spare. Now, with the two Hideouts, I have one facing north and one facing south, and have about 0.25″ to spare.

Like with all these portable sled shacks, if the person assembling the shack pulls the fabric too tight in the back before putting the screws in, there won’t be enough room in the front for the pole to lay flush on the ice. I have two used Hideout assembled by different people, and one pole sits flush on the ice with room to spare, and one pole hangs an inch above the ice. It’s not a problem because of the drape that hangs past the pole, but if it were, I would pull the screws, adjust the fabric, and seal the exposed screw holes with Loctite Fabric Glue, which is invisible.

As far as being hard to pull, I never tried fishing with them before I mounted downhill skis directly to the bottom of the shack. I do that on all of the one-mans I’ve owned using pawnshop skis and a countersunk bolt. The Hideout pulls so well now that it’ll often keep sliding when I stop walking. I wax the skis with a Dollar Store candle.

Agree on the fabric mounting as I’ve put together about twenty different models. In my case there was no more fabric and it sit about four inches off the ice.
Also solved the pulling with a Smitty Sled and it worked very well plus I didn’t have to worry about tripping on the ski’s.

Henpecked wrote:

Ended up with an Ice Runner Explorer and while it has some issues, it’s lighter than either of the other two,

What are the issues with the Ice Runner Explorer?

Otter cottage with a smitty sled. I’ve been through them all…the Otter is just built better and the sleds speak for themselves. The tub is big enough to fit my big buddy, helix 7, camera, rod box and bait cooler.

The best mobile one man shack is the striker climate suit

How mobile does a guy really need to be? How often do you want to move? I mean the ultimate goal is to find fish and stay put right?

If one is always mobile maybe figure out how to fish better! <—- Lil humor here.

Younger fellas who are even half competent I urge to look at the evo1. Light, with much more room and bigger windows. Great hook setting height, or when those pesky fish just keep chasing it higher and higher.

Doesn’t take me 30 seconds to setup. Yeah it requires a lil bending over, digging in, but again, very limited extra time for any motivated fisherman who wants a lil more than the average tiny a$$ one man shacks on the ice have to offer.

I’ve often thought about getting a 1 man shack, but pushing 6’5″ and 245 with a Striker suit on, there just isn’t enough room in one to satisfy me. JMO

Netguy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Henpecked wrote:</div>
Ended up with an Ice Runner Explorer and while it has some issues, it’s lighter than either of the other two,

What are the issues with the Ice Runner Explorer?

I have one….got it for a song when gander had all the clearances. The tub is only about 4” deep and they seem kinda cheap. It’s functional and light but I don’t like the poles with the buttons. Kinda a pain in the ass when it’s real cold. Plus, an integrated seat would be great.

mxskeeter wrote:

I’ve often thought about getting a 1 man shack, but pushing 6’5″ and 245 with a Striker suit on, there just isn’t enough room in one to satisfy me. JMO

The only one man that would come close to working for you is now discontinued. It was the Clam Runner Thermal. it was a flip and go (no extending poles) one man house that was made off the end of a Clam Yukon Sled. it was 6′ 2″ tall (so in your case still three inches short). I happen to have one and love the fact I can stand up in it and still have space above me (I’m 5’7″). plus there is a lot of fishable area out from the sled with out tripping over stuff. only down side to it is that it is 77lbs empty. I have mine set up with a pro hitch so I can pull it behind my four wheeler.

I have a Runner Thermal with cover, hyfax kit and hitch installed that has been sitting in basement if anyone is interested.

Henpecked wrote:

I have had a Hideout and a Frabil Recruit. Both decent one person sleds. Biggest problems I had with the Hideout was it’s weight and the canvas was too short after folding it out. The front bar would never never reach the ice so the wind become a problem. Plus it drags like a plow if on foot. Perhaps that has been remedied on newer models, but mine was terribly had to pull. The Frabil was a bit better for weight and the canvas fit pretty well, but customer service and quality were not up to where I thought they should be. My biggest problem with both is I could not stand up in either to stretch without bending over. And I’m not a tall person. Ended up with an Ice Runner Explorer and while it has some issues, it’s lighter than either of the other two, pulls easy and more room than any I’ve owned.

Ice Runner is the lesser known and vastly underrated lightweight mansion. The explorer makes a for massive and extremely light one man shack (or a just fine 2-man) and it pulls so easily. They could improve on the poles, but I really love that rig. I leave mine at the cabin so I don’t have to haul my Otter up there every time which saves space in the truck bed for luggage on these longer trips.