Frabill Predator Sidestep

Did anyone use a Frabill Predator Sidestep fish house this season? Your thoughts on this house? I for one thought it was a dream. Very comfortable and so much room for everything you need on the ice. I was very impressed with the vertical front wall and the two doors makes it so much easier to get in and out. When I first saw this house, the first thing I thought was I wish Otter would have come out with this first. Maybe some day. If Otter didn’t sew their windows shut I would have really thought about purchasing a Cabin but unless Otter changes this I will enjoy the heck out of the Frabill. Heading out to Rush Saturday night with the 4 wheeler and hoping to catch another limit of crappies. Thanks for all the great posts and pics from this season.

I have my eye on one for next season. Would love to here some reviews with pros and cons. I am finding the Otter and Clam brand fish houses have more to be desired than some of the more budget minded brands such as Frabill and Eskimo. Seems like Frabill and Eskimo are picking up the pace in terms of there quality and options. I cant stand how Otter and Clam sew their windows shut either. For such awesome shanties, why wouldnt they pick up on that? Im sure they have manufacturing and engineering reasons but i am yet to hear anything. Either way it seems that all the brands these days have some pretty nice offerings and each give the anglers a little something different. Thanks for the thread, cant wait to see what others have to say.

I too was impressed with this at the ice fishing show. I am considering a Otter Resort and like the tub design and how it is designed for towing across the ice. It is not an after thought like the other products out there.

My only reservation with the Frabill and others is how they would hold up towing across the ice while the Otter better in this regard.

I guess I did not pay attention to the windows at all between the units. What is the negative to a sewn in window?
Bob

I think the windows being sewn in is a user preference. i prefer to be able to poke my head out of the window to check tip ups, deliver fish to their icy bed, and to holler at my friends without having to flip the entire shanty losing heat. I have found that the sewn-in windows tend to fog up and can be a hinderance when searching for those elusive tip up flags; especially, in inclimate weather. I think some brands retain the sewn-in windows for structural integrity; however, i have never found any of the shanties i have owned with “tear-away” windows to lack in the structural dept and they last equally as long. Again, it all comes down to preference and i’m sure some regions may experience different weather patterns that would be better suited for one or the other.

Also it is inevitable that your windows ARE going to crack. If they are sewn in you now have to cut them out and re-sew them. I usually, when I am packing up, take my windows out and then fold my house up. Also they are very easily replaced.

Good tip!

I have not fished out of the sidestep yet but have fished out of a regular predator and that was a nice house. I think frabill has stepped up there products quite a bit. The only complaint that I had about the predator is the front of the sled was a little too straight and in deep snow wanted too push snow instead of going over it. Just put all the heavy stuff towards the back and your good to go. The non sewn in Windows are great and if you want a little more fresh air you can crack them and get some fresh air. I think the tubs are just as good as the otters on the predator units. I pulled 2 otters behind my predator a couple of times. The only other thing I can say about these houses are, you better eat y o it wheaties or bacon and eggs before you lift or move these houses.

Fished out of a sidestep last year. Nice shelter, big enough to stand in and plenty of space for gear. The side doors were the bee’s knees, and did make the shelter very comfortable. It is heavy, I struggled getting it in/out of my truck, but its a fair trade off for the size of shelter you get. I ended up down sizing to a thermal trekker because I like to move around a lot while fishing. I do miss the side doors though!

Do any of you have any insight into how the poles work in extreme cold weather? I was wondering if they beefed them up or made it any easier to collapse. I had a few instances on my Trekker DLX where the poles would need a little coaxing in order to collapse them due to moisture and the cold temps.

I like my fran ill except for one major flaw, there sled has more of a right angle front than a radius witch causes it to plow more than glide over the snow.

I love my Predator insulated flip over. The side doors are the Cat’s ASS!!
The only problem with the shelter is the boat seat design. The front of the seat is supported by the tub itself which is fine. The back support however has a leg that flips down and rests on the floor of the tub. The problem is that whenever you lean over to grab something, the bottom of the seat kicks out from underneath you and you end up on your ass (or worse). Last year my daughter (adult) reach over to grab something and did a header onto the ground and almost landed face first on the heater. Not impressed!
Frabill has a great shelter but definitely needs to redesign the modular seating. I just fixed my sled by copying one of the competitors designs and I am now very happy with the entire shelter.

Andrew Byers wrote:

I am finding the Otter and Clam brand fish houses have more to be desired than some of the more budget minded brands such as Frabill and Eskimo

Interesting – this is the first time I’ve ever heard someone put Clam ahead of Frabill in the quality department. I’d have to respectfully disagree. I’ve always been of the opinion the majority of stuff produced by Clam is about as low of quality as you can get for ice fishing gear. I used to own a Clam shack and some miscellaneous gear….. never again!