Ever Sleep in a Pop Up Shelter?

Been thinking about this for a while but haven’t tried it yet.
I have a Eskimo 949i that I’ve been thinking of spending the night on the ice in for walleye fishing.
I have a cot to sleep in, and a portable buddy heater. I would plan to have a good sleeping bag and warm clothes.
Just wondering if anyone has done this and what your experience was?
Too cold to be worth it or was it tolerable?
I won’t be doing this until next ice season regardless, but would like to hear how it worked for others.
Thanks.

Yes I can proudly say that I have done it…LOL. I did this for the first time a couple weeks ago at the Green Bay GTG. The first nite was very cold and windy so didn’t sleep real good but the second nite I slept like a baby. Castle Rock Clown owned the pop up shack and he has make a wood floor for it so you don’t have the cold of the ice to deal with atleast. I would do it again next year if the right time presents itself. It actually was a lot of fun.

I have done it several times in a Clam 2000,be very careful with the heatER and making sure the shelter stays WELL VENTILATED or you MAY NOT WAKE UP !!

There are a few guys that seem to do it regularly. Hopefully they see this thread and pitch in some advice.

FDR

I believe that @Andyisder does it on a regular basis.
DT

I winter camp all the time. I generally will pop my tent up on shore just to stay away from melting water as I sleep on a pad. But if you had a cot it would be no problem. On lake I hike out to though that just seems like a lot to haul. If I stay on the ice, and I can drive out there, I generally sleep in the back of my SUV. I never use the portable heater. First off, the propane wouldn’t last the night and secondly, it just doesnt seem safe. I do have a really nice down bag rated to 0 F. If I sleep in long underwear, 0 F is too warm. Once you start to do this, things get really cheap. I won’t get a hotel/motel room anywhere unless I am with my wife.

@bar, give me a few days and I’ll give you my advise.

I sleep in my Otter Cottage. I put two old couch cushions in the bottom and stay quite warm. I also have an Eskimo 3i hub and have thought about using my extra Otter tub with the couch cushions. I always bring a CO detector and use a Big Buddy. Nothing like waking to the sound of rattle reels!!!

Regarding the CO2 concerns, I have a Portable Buddy heater with a sensor in it so it shuts off if the levels are too high. In using this heater I have had it shut off before so I know it works.
That said, it still worries me to run a heater like this while sleeping.
Having a floor sounds like a good idea. Maybe those snap together fatigue mats would work OK for this. Nothing like sleeping on top of a giant ice cube, right?
Thanks

broman wrote:

I sleep in my Otter Cottage. I put two old couch cushions in the bottom and stay quite warm. I also have an Eskimo 3i hub and have thought about using my extra Otter tub with the couch cushions. I always bring a CO detector and use a Big Buddy. Nothing like waking to the sound of rattle reels!!!

That must have been a little tight?

I have slept in the old Sno-Boat style shelters,both day and night(ask Randy W).Sno Boat wasn’t bad,long enough to stretch out.

CO is a legitimate concern. An auto shut off is a good thing but how much do you trust will work perfectly 100% of the time? Do you still trust it when one failure could be your last?

My personal choice is that running heaters overnight is not a good plan. Firing it up in the morning to warm up and have breakfast, well that can be downright decadent

I’ve done some winter camping as well. Getting insulated from the ground is very key. Never used a cot but seems like a good idea. You’ll still need insulation between your cot and sleeping bag. Check out Ridgerests, they insulate great and aren’t hard on the wallet book. When I summer camp it’s one pad, for winter I learned the hard way that two is better. 1 full length and 1 3/4.

Good bag, pads, long underwear, and out of the wind you can do quite a bit comfortably. You’ll have some success and learn a few lessons too. I’ll give you a free one. Every thing takes longer in the cold. Every take 45 minutes to get your boots on? Lesson, don’t wait to waterproof your leather boots. The leather and the shoe laces froze overnight and I didn’t have a heater.

Good luck!

Yes a CO Detector is a must..don’t trust just the heater shutting off on its own. I actually had two heaters running in the shack the second nite cause I was so cold the first nite..the detector never chirped and I did wake up in the morning.

milemark_714 wrote:

That must have been a little tight?

I have slept in the old Sno-Boat style shelters,both day and night(ask Randy W).Sno Boat wasn’t bad,long enough to stretch out.

Scott, I think you logged more hours of sleep than me
Just need to apply a lot of common sense to make sure you wake up.

Randy Wieland wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>milemark_714 wrote:</div>
That must have been a little tight?

I have slept in the old Sno-Boat style shelters,both day and night(ask Randy W).Sno Boat wasn’t bad,long enough to stretch out.

Scott, I think you logged more hours of sleep than me
Just need to apply a lot of common sense to make sure you wake up.

Probably missed out on some action?That’s what working screwed-up hours will do.All-nighters were not bad,but late mornings is when things got foggy…

Randy Wieland wrote:

Scott, I think you logged more hours of sleep than me
Just need to apply a lot of common sense to make sure you wake up.
…But Randy it sounds like you don’t sleep a lot at home, much less on the ICE. Lol …rrr

river rat randy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Randy Wieland wrote:</div>

Scott, I think you logged more hours of sleep than me
Just need to apply a lot of common sense to make sure you wake up.
…But Randy it sounds like you don’t sleep a lot at home, much less on the ICE. Lol …rrr

Plenty of time to sleep later….

I’ve done it in my 949I. I made a floor that is about 8″ wider all around than the house. It’s 1/2 ” plywood with 2X3 framing and 1/2″ pink foam insulation under the floor. Not light but sturdy. It stays very warm with the big buddy. I keep the top of the doors unzipped a ways and have a cheap fan. Have a radio to listen to some sort of sporting event. I never go more than about 1 1/2 hours without waking up, check on things, rattle reels etc…

I really enjoy it, the solitude, just being alone. Get to see some beautiful sunrises.

If one uses a winter sleeping bag it should easily be doable. Make sure your winter bag has a good zipper baffle and a NECK BAFFLE. Don’t mess around by using a bag that doesn’t have a neck baffle. You can always unzip the top of the bag if you’re warm. As for temp rating… It depends on the individual. Some people get cold if the temp drops to the temp rating of the bag. I’d also recommend a thermarest or closed cell mat on the cot.

Here are some pics

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This topic begs for someone to write a magazine or online article about. Does anyone know of any that have already been authored?
Al

My fishing buddy and i routinely camp in our Frabill Command Center or in my enclosed trailer based on our fishing situation. For us, its more of a convenience than a budget thing; however, it has saved us a lot of money over the years and allowed us to sleep in and still be on the ice before the crowds. I highly recommend picking up a military ECW sleep system with the two separate bags and the gore tex bivy. CO2 is a huge concern; however, if you keep a decent drafty window cracked and assure you buy the buddy heaters with the sensor you should be fine. Don’t lock yourself in the shelter with the heat blasting unless you want to risk it or end up with a terrible headache, common sense goes a long way here. Another huge factor in the comfort realm is the bed or cot pad. The most important insulation you will need out there after your sleeping bag is what you put underneath your sleeping bag. Invest in a good pad and you will sleep like a baby. We have a honda EU2000 quiet genny to ensure we can charge our phones and run boot dryers. We bought a large propane canister that we leave at our “camp” and that powers our two big buddy heaters for the entire weekend. We use liquid fuel coleman stoves and lanterns for our cooking and lighting needs. I definitely think an article could be written about this, i have not heard of one as of yet. Here are some pics of our set ups and adventures.

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I feel like everyone pitched in a lot of info here.
There’s many ways to sleep outside in the winter.

Most importantly is to do it safely and secondly to do so comfortably.

I use an insulated hub.
Sleep in either a cot with self-inflatable air mattress; or a zero gravity chair.
CO detector is a must.
A battery powered fan is a must.
The fan will keep air moving in the house and keep the heat dispursed. On nights where the wind isn’t blowing, a fan in the door or window will allow fresh air to come into your house, keeping you from a CO death. I always make sure i have a steady stream of air coming IN and OUT of the house at all times when sleeping. Dead calm/no wind nights will kill you if you aren’t moving air with a fan.
I use a single or double sunflower.

I don’t bother with a floor to keep me off the ice, but i will be building a “SMITTY SKID HOUSE” with my clam bigfoot similar to Clown’s for next year. That’ll be the CATS MEOW!

Otherwise, my advice would be to just start ice camping and keep adding to your comfort level each time out.

FishBlood&RiverMud wrote:

I feel like everyone pitched in a lot of info here.
There’s many ways to sleep outside in the winter.

Most importantly is to do it safely and secondly to do so comfortably.

I use an insulated hub.
Sleep in either a cot with self-inflatable air mattress; or a zero gravity chair.
CO detector is a must.
A battery powered fan is a must.
The fan will keep air moving in the house and keep the heat dispursed. On nights where the wind isn’t blowing, a fan in the door or window will allow fresh air to come into your house, keeping you from a CO death. I always make sure i have a steady stream of air coming IN and OUT of the house at all times when sleeping. Dead calm/no wind nights will kill you if you aren’t moving air with a fan.
I use a single or double sunflower.

I don’t bother with a floor to keep me off the ice, but i will be building a “SMITTY SKID HOUSE” with my clam bigfoot similar to Clown’s for next year. That’ll be the CATS MEOW!

Otherwise, my advice would be to just start ice camping and keep adding to your comfort level each time out.

Great point on the fan and O2 detector!

This topic is making me wish winter wasn’t over! I’m excited to hopefully give this a try next winter!

I spend probably 2-3X more nights sleeping in a boat than on the darn frozen lakes!

I think this might also be a good topic for an In Depth TV show next season. The night time videos filmed by their cameramen are beautifully done. In combination with a good fishing destination, a sleeping in a portable portion of the show would be quite interesting and fun to watch.

Al Case wrote:

I think this might also be a good topic for an In Depth TV show next season. The night time videos filmed by their cameramen are beautifully done. In combination with a good fishing destination, a sleeping in a portable portion of the show would be quite interesting and fun to watch.

Man, you hit the nail on the head. This would make for an awesome show. Not only would it be cool to see what fish they may pursue if they fish at night or use the overnight stay to get on fish late or at first light, but i think it would be interesting to see the accommodations they choose. I know in SW MI where i live we smelt fish at night but sometimes tangle with pike, crappie, and perch.

Ya know, we could always throw together a group on here specifically for ice fishing “F.A.N.s” (Fish All Nighters) to highlight safety tips, gear, and experiences for others who may be interested in giving it a try. This is an interesting topic indeed.

I have a hard time doing overnighters for walleyes anymore, but catfish and sturgeon i don’t hesitate…But there was a time when i was a walleye nut and that’s when i learned how to enjoy a weekend on mille lacs, with just a bonneville, a hub house, and plenty of solitute to catch big eyes

This winter the only overnights i did was on the Sauk River Chain. Walk on access only. I brought my 1-man + Otter to hold all my gear. Spent several weekends yanking channels through the ice this winter.

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I’ll share my grill/heater/cooker that i use whether i’m on the ice or in the boat. I built it because the sunflower heater isn’t stable enought to cook coffee on a boat and deal with big st croix boat waves LOL, especially when trying to reel in a sturgeon with a rocking boat and coffee ready to tip off the sunflower :).
So, old grill grate, some 3/4″ aluminum tubing, few bolts and wing nuts and you’ve got a quick grill stand that can be adjustable height so you can cook slowly or quickly and do so on a sturdy platform that also folds down for stow and travel!

WOrks great to cook anything. I don’t do cold sandwiches when i do overnights. No time for that crap.
I like to bring fresh veggies and some burger and make a warm hobo dinner; amazing in the boat or on the ice. Quick can of soup or bacon/eggs. I love making fisherman jeleous when they get a waft of dinner. Especially hilarious when it’s in a boat and you get to watch everyone’s face when they smell bacon in the morning

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“Ya know, we could always throw together a group on here specifically for ice fishing “F.A.N.s” (Fish All Nighters) to highlight safety tips, gear, and experiences for others who may be interested in giving it a try.”
Great idea. Here’s another idea….a “sleep in a pop up” get together.
And, to Fish Blood…..I love your grill/heater.
Al