Shelter: Want to help me spend money?

Hi Guys

So despite this being my first post, I think I’ve read half this forum in the past couple weeks, and its all been very helpful. I am just starting to take this sport a bit more seriously, though I’ve been around it my whole life. That means I need a shelter. Or three, and that’s my problem.

I’ve done a bunch of research and I’m pretty familiar with the market, but I still don’t know what route is going to work best for me. I need the ability to fish two people (2 would be nice) comfortably all day with a lot of room. On the flip side, I do some running and gunning by myself. There are a million combinations of one man flip overs, two man flip overs, hubs, etc that would work. I am wondering what your thoughts are on this. Any single shelter that would work as a good start towards both? Would a smaller two man like a Nanook be any easier than say a Voyager to pull by hand, or is it a wash?

Thanks in advance for the input. Also, while I talk about the Clam line, I’m not brand partial. I just find their names easier to memorize.

A lot of good info here…. Cottage or Cabin

If you are planning on sticking with it do yourself a favor and spend the money once. Go with Otter. The cabin is a HUGE 1 man or a modest cozy 2 man. I had a cabin and it worked great for 2 people. Reason I sold it was I felt it 4 holes fishing for walleye was a bit tight for hole placement. I moved up to the Lodge.
From what I have heard the thermo is the cats meow and will be moving that way on my next purchase.
If you can afford it go Otter you will not regret it.

I can afford the Otters, and I like them a lot. Gotta admit though, I like the back door on the Clam shelters. That and my dislike of the camo thing is about the only reason I haven’t decided on a brand yet.

First of all, You are asking all very good questions.

1. I would strongly reccomend the Otter as far as brand. I strongly believe that you “get what you pay for” and the Otter all around is straight up a 100% quality house that is built to last. I can say this, as I have owned an Otter Wild series and recently updgraded to the Otter Pro Lodge(Insulated). I sold my Otter Wild series after 4 years of use and it looked brand new and the sled was in great shape and that was even going down some tar and gravel roads when I had to. The guy that bought it, did not even hesitate. I did not have the hyfax kit on it either. Anyway, my point is that you will never in my opinion wear out the sled on the Otter. All of the Otter sled are Roto-molded which means that they are not pressed out of one piece of plastic but baked in a mold from a powder. I am sure you know what Roto-Molding is however, until I got to see the Otter factory in action- I had wondered what it really meant! If you also look at the front angle on the Otter sled it is designed to go over snow not push it like some of the other sleds out there. The sled also has a pre-fabricated hitch system that is a huge bonus that I think makes it all click. I use a rope when pulling by hand and the metal hitch from Otter when connecting to a sled or wheeler.

2. As far as what size to get, just like the trolling motor on my boat, my truck and many other outdoor items I always tend to go bigger as you can never go smaller to some degree. I fish solo many times and I can still load my Pro Lodge in and out of my 1/2 ton pick up box with no major struggle. I lift one end onto the tailate and then lift and slide the rest in. Sometimes I take the Auger out and put it in after or on the side of the truck box. Long-story short, all the times that I am fishing with another person, I would never sacrifice the extra space and downsize to a cabin.

3. The poles are not going to bend, and make for a great strong frame.

I shall note that there are many “good” portables on the market, however I just feel that the Otter’s are better than the competition. I agree with you on the Ice Camo- however after using mine a few times, I dont even notice it now. It could be bright pink or purple and I would still not care as I know I am going fishing, going to be warm and the afterall the fish don’t have a clue. If you like to have quality possesions and take care of them, then the Otter is the way to go.

Good luck fishing,

Jake

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I can afford the Otters, and I like them a lot. Gotta admit though, I like the back door on the Clam shelters. That and my dislike of the camo thing is about the only reason I haven’t decided on a brand yet.

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How about FF has them right now for $449….How you like them apples?

Where? I looked on their website and couldn’t find any for that price.

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Where? I looked on their website and couldn’t find any for that price.

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Sundays sales ad. good till 12-22-12

clam yukon, or similar sized otter. The seats in the nanook are uncomfortable at best

As far as quality,comfort,ability to hold heat and the ease of setting up taking down and being able to quickly move from spot to spot along with very spacious inside space hands down Otter ice houses are the way to go. If the cosmetic thing is bothering you don’t let it you will not regret the money you invest in these houses they will provide you with complete satisfaction and I think you will like the camo pattern along with getting lots of compliments on it.

Paul Delaney
http://www.lateeyessportfishing.com

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I think you will like the camo pattern along with getting lots of compliments on it.

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??? Being camo how will folks be able to see it?

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I think you will like the camo pattern along with getting lots of compliments on it.

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??? Being camo how will folks be able to see it?

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I really want an all white / snow camo shell for my house… seriously, to keep the ice pirates at bay

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I can afford the Otters, and I like them a lot. Gotta admit though, I like the back door on the Clam shelters. That and my dislike of the camo thing is about the only reason I haven’t decided on a brand yet.

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Call up canvas craft too. They can make you a custom skin (with a door in the back) and will put it on an otter sled.

Also, the frabill shacks are nice too, and the sleds are durable too.

Lots of good options. I would probably go with a ‘Cabin’ sized portable – 65″ long.

I shoot a baby blue bow with a white arrow at carp for bowfishing, the camo is far from the end of the world.

Frankly I’m a bit surprised how much love there is for the otter. I know they are a great shack, probably the best I’ve seen. I’m just not 100% sold on mobility. I don’t have access to a quad more than a couple trips a year, the rest is on foot, and half of that is alone. How many of the otter guys out there really pull them a lot?

I am not sure what your definition of pulling “alot” is but, I have pulled mine already 6 times or so this year. Obviously this year farther north there is not quite as much snow which makes it easier, but I have still pulled a good half mile or so with no issues. Let me tell you this also, I am “built for comfort not speed”. Anyway, it all comes down to preference, for me I would rather pull a little more weight and have the space for when it matters- like fishing time. But to each its own… If I can get it into my truck by myself, then I can pull it etc. I would say that I fish 50/50 with one other person and otherwise by myself. I do not like always having to have a wheeler or sled to rely on. With that said, I spend some time on smaller lakes that have less traffic. It also depends on how much gear a guy takes out with of course. I try to keep to the basics.

Jake

It sounds like you are doing as much pulling as I would expect to need to do. I use a hand auger and tend to travel without a heater or camera a lot of the time. Only other thing I’m considering is a smaller flip over, and maybe leave myself room to get a bigger hub for when I have a few buddies out.

I think you need two

The Ultra-portable: A Clam Scout TC for walking trips and when you want to hole hop by yourself. Otter does not have a shelter that compares to the lightness and portability of the scout. The biggest advantage is that the poles don’t need to be extended. The scout is small so if you like lots of room then maybe look at the clam pro… not much more weight but more width and the drawback is with the pro the poles need to be extended.

The Comfort-portable: An Otter Cabin/Lodge. The cabin is a great house to use as a 1 man when using atv/snowmobile or 2 man when needed. The Lodge is a very roomy 2 man if you like the extra space, and can be used to fish 3. Either way Otter is clearly the best on the market in this category.

I was in your exact situation last year. I really wanted an otter cottage, but weight kept me from buying it. Here in Iowa, walking while draging a sled through fresh snow is a PITA. The heavier sleds seem plow the snow. I wanted a sled that was wide and you didn’t have to extend the poles. To get the width I wanted I had to sacrifice and get the Scout Pro TC with sliding poles. The width is great for one man. It takes an extra 10 seconds to set up and take down. Other than that, when moving from place to place you just flip the tent over and the verticle support holds it up so your tent does not drag on the snow/ice. It alsp acts as a wind break if you want to fish in the sun. I have been extremely happy with it and have not had any issues with sliding pole. I just wish they would have made the seat frame out of aluminum instead of steel. The nice thing about the Scout Pro TC is that they are very compact and you can get 3 of them in the back of a truck. My style of fishing leans towards running and gunning unless I have the kids of wife with me. After 12 -14 hours on the ice you will appreciate less weight if you have to walk and drag it off the ice. I think Shapell makes a Rover 1.5 or 2.0 that does not have poles that you have to slide. It is a really nice sled as well, it’s just not as compact as my Pro TC when taken down. I don’t think that there are any bad tents out there anymore as long as you stick with teh major manufactures. Make a list of you needs and wants and let that guide you. Good luck with your decision.

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I don’t think that there are any bad tents out there anymore as long as you stick with teh major manufactures.

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Some of my friends with early clam hubs and yukons would disagree.

If you are going to be doing alot of walking I would be very concerned about overall weight. I fish the mississippi river, which means i walk everywhere i go….weight is extremely important, especially if you are like me and often would prefer to put in the extra effort to get away from the crowds. I have a single man flip over the weighs 50 lbs and that still gets to be a struggle when the snow is very deep or gets sticky. I’m 6’3″ 230 lbs and dragging even a one man shack is hard work on long treks and i usually end sweating through the snow suit.

In summation, unless you are in amazing physical condition, you will not be able to be very mobile dragging a cabin style two man shack by yourself.

First off. Things to remember, am I going to pull across gravel or parking lots? If so you need a good sled which eliminates the lower end clams and frabill. How big of a shelter can I haul in my vehicle? Am I fishing solo a lot more than with someone else? If solo eliminate 2 man shacks. If it is a family member wife? Son? Daughter? Let them chose for you that way you are never gonna have to carry the burden. Hands down the best shack is the Otter. If your climate dictates a full thermal, your color is gonna be blue camo, if you live south of the twin cities you can get a black camo this has a thermo top. If you want all the fancy add ons it’s blue. You can squeeze 2 people in a one manby otter. If your a larger more aerodynamic person you will need the next size up from the One man.

I’ve heard a lot of bad things about the early hubs, but there seems to be some consensus that they have worked out some of the kinks. I have actually been considering a hub style to go with two to three people since you can carry them and don’t have to drag such a heavy sled. I think for true hole hopping I’ll probably just stick to my little otter sled and a bucket to open my options up on shelters a bit too.

I run an Otter Lodge when I have a wheeler or truck to get me to where I want to be.

I run two Frabill Outpost hubs for when I am walking somewhere and fishing solo or with one other.

I run an Eskimo Quickfish 6 when there is a group of 3-5 of us going.

The difference in weight (assuming all gear is equal) between the Otter and the hub is huge. I can lighten my load by 70# when I trade in the flip for the hubs.

First, I’m qualifying myself as a rookie icefisherman My first shelter was the Clam Base Camp. Although the concept is good, that style of shelter is not what you want. Wind makes it more difficult to setup (not impossible), they “sweat” from condensation, which then gets in to the cams which can freeze & break. And to move to another fishing hole is not the most convenient either. They are inexpensive compared to my next unit I bought though.

The flip over style is the most efficient as far as storage of your gear, travel and setup and moving to mulitiple locations while fishing. I just bought the Otter Lodge Pro thermal. I love it. I can fish alone or bring friends. I like to have lots of room. I’ve heard horror stories of other “brands” that have the round tubing, which collapse in strong wind. Otter’s are square. Plus, the thermal cover is much thicker and does not sweat (produce condensation). It’s so much easier to setup/breakdown too. Best money I’ve spent !!

I needed a two-man because the wife likes to go along. Weight was a consideration for pulling before I’m able to drive on the ice. I really wanted one with a tall enough height I can stand up and stretch so I went with the Frabill Guardian. The Otters were heavier and quilted but I don’t need that.
The Frabill stays comfy with the Buddy heater on the low setting and I don’t have any issues with condensation dripping. Just having the wind protection is great. The wide base pulls nicely with all our junk in it but a longer rope with some kind of harness would be nice.
Our ice fishing truck is a beater F250 with a full size box so I have plenty of room to haul it.

John S.

So I was looking at the otters, and it says they pack down to 17″ high. How? I know for a fact that the sled alone on a cabin is that high. I saw something about a trim snap system to attach the shelter to the sled but does that mean the whole thing comes off?

No you do not take the whole thing off, I have the pro thermal cabin and it packs down to 20″ high.

So is that just how tall it is folded? I know that’s how they measure the Clam and Frabill units (usually the seat or the part where all the poles connect is the highest) but I have a hard time believing that the otters pack down that low for how beefy I know those sleds to be.