portable house opinions

I’m doing some research and would like to get some opinions from our vast membership. Not one of those Chevy VS. Ford things and no bashing a product, but what you like or would change if you could exchanges. I’m looking at a new flip style 2-3 man ice shelter. I have a Dave Genz 2 person Fish Traps. the first or second year out. It’s done the job, just not big enough for two people to stretch out in. One of the expanding braces has been bent slightly and it is a bear to get fully extended, and the canvas is showing wear and a few tears are showing up. So to address this I see several manufacturers have a “jumbo” two person, some have square tubes, some have runners or tracks (Frabill)on the bottom of the sled. Some have canvas and others have different materials. There is a general price range of $469 on up. What your opinion and why?

I would go with an Otter, the durability of the sled and canvas are unbeatable.

Otter, frabil, or the new clam x2. I haven’t decided which house I am going to use this year, but I have narrowed it down to an otter or the x2.

Otter, and the x2 are extremely durable. I put a ton of miles on my snowmobile/fish trap each year. They have to withstand that. The tub on the x2 is probably the best tub on the market right now. However, I love otter’s hitch design, and how comfortable their shacks are. Personally, I don’t think you could go wrong with either. Make sure you put some hy-fax on the bottom of the sled. It will last a lot longer, and protect the bottom of the tub!

Yeah both houses are great, i prefer the X2 however for its material. It is a heavy duty 900 denier polyster, and is a stop rip material. where the otter has canvas which is a little heavier in wieght and does not seem as durable. your best bet is to head out to your local fishing shop and check them both out side by side, im sure you will be happy with what ever house you go with.

one thing to keep in mind is the design of the sled that the shack sits on. I have a Clam Yukon and while its a great shack to tow behind the ATV, its a real pain to pull by hand in the snow due to the “squareness” of the thing. if its in anything more than a few inches of snow it has a tendency to plow rather than ride up on top. Generally its not a problem, but when I can’t use the ATV it can be a pain.

If your pulling with snowmobile it would be hands down Otter. They seem the heaviest made out of the bunch. I would get seats also.

If you pull by hand and walk out I would go as light as possible without built in seats. Many other brands.

I have an Eskimo Quick-Flip II. It has served me well for many years. The only thing I would have done different would be to pop rivet the skin to the tub before I used it. It can slip under the tub during wheeler rides or blow in during high wind.

Good Luck,

Ferny.

I got an X2 last season. I would not trade it for anything else so far. I pull with ATV and snowmobile, I don’t think I would want to pull by hand, I have it pretty loaded. It has a TON of room.

X2

Quote:

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I got an X2 last season. I would not trade it for anything else so far. I pull with ATV and snowmobile, I don’t think I would want to pull by hand, I have it pretty loaded. It has a TON of room.

X2

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What he said.

The X2 pulls better by hand with the hyfax runners.

Last year I was looking for a new portable sponsor since Polar Sport sold thier company. I compared all brands at the ice show and chose the Fish Trap X. I used the Yukon and X1 last year and beat the tar out of the X1 and its still in mint shape. I did sell one of my Fish Trap Yukons to Love2fish. Its great for two people. But some of my clients need me to be inside the house with them so I will be using the X4 and the X1 this year.

If you want to buy your last portable. The X2 is the way to go.

The otter lodge is a great house and it has lots of room!!

The one thing I hear a lot about on the topic of “which shack to get” is buying the best that you can get for the smallest amount of money, which is obviously the way to go. I have a shack I bought from Menard’s 6 years ago, I’ve used it at least 3 times a week every winter and it works great, never had a problem with it, and as far as it seems, I’m going to be using it for at least that much longer. Think I paid about 150 bucks brand new.
All I’m trying to say is, you don’t need to spend 469 bucks or more for a good shack unless you want all the bells and whistles and whatnot. I just bought a pick up for 500 bucks, I don’t think I’m gonna be shelling out that much money for a new shack. Just my 2 cents.
Good luck with the search.

I have a Eskimo QF III. Love the bench seat and have plenty of room for 3 to fish. Have lots of room out front for my buddy heater, flashers, aqua vu. I am in the process of adding a new lighting system with LED lights and fans.

I bought one from menards too, THE ICE BANDIT (remember that thing Derek)Used it 2 years. It did the job, in keeping me warm. But it was small and the zippers were pretty cheap. I would move a little in it, and the sled would slide on the ice, unless It was banked really good. It was a little flat one, that when pulled in even an inch of snow, it would fill up with snow. I paid around what you did, but am much happier with my X2. The ease and comfort is easily worth the $300 more. If I use it 10 years, thats $30 a year to have the nicest house available right now, in my opinion.

big g

I have a 2 man Shappell [which my youngest son always has] and a Fishtrap Scout which is the smallest one but fits my big frame just fine. It only weighs 27 pounds so its very easy to slide in and out of a small car’s back hatch. I was smart when buying the Fishtrap as I also got my youngest son one too so he wouldn’t always be using mine. We both love em. Otter makes a great pull over portable too but I needed the lighter weight of the Fishtrap.

Thanks, Bill