I have a insulated frabil predator I use most of the winter but I would like to find a 1 man for early ice or anytime I have a lake I need to walk into.
The houses I found looking around at the local stores today
Clam keni pro $279
Clam scout XL thermal. $319
Frabil commando $180
What other houses would you guys suggest to take a look at? This will not be my main house so I am not sure if I will go thermal or not.
From what I’ve heard the Kenai is a tank to pull in the snow.
I have a basic kenai and its heavy, but the sled is robust, deep,and carry’s a lot. Personally I would love to see someone come out with a carbon fiber tub/sled with DAC aluminum poles, and siliconized nylon cover. Go lithium in the locator, and go with that Milwaukee powered k-drill. All $$$, but light.
I currently own a Clam Scout XL Thermal and I absolutely love it. With the thermal feature, it eliminates condensation that can cool down the shelter dramatically and you won’t have moisture sticking to the interior sides. It is a little on the heavier side but still manageable to transport it to different locations. Great quality and easy to use.
I am a fan of Clam but I have an uninsulated Frabill Commando for a one man. Its pretty light, I usually pick it up and strap it on top of the box on the wheeler.
From what I’ve heard the Kenai is a tank to pull in the snow.
I have the Keanai 2.5 seasons old, not worth the cost IMHO. The tub is not made for pulling in any snow with the angle of the approach and the tarp is chincey. The tarp is loosing its backing wherever there is a fold. From my understanding this has been an issue with clam, if it had been remedied I don’t know. I got $100 of on the house when I bought it new and still feel that was over priced after using it for a few seasons now. Clam products would not be on the top of my list.
If the tarp has now changed It may change my opinion of buying one now but I don’t like supporting companies that tell me to use a spray on plasti dip to fix their problem. Therefore, I can not good heartedly tell someone to buy a product that was not stood behind by the MFGR.
I sold my nanook to buy my frabil because of the generic fabric clam uses. The only reason I would consider another one is that it will only be used 10-20 days a season. Not sure spending the money on a insulated one for the amount it is going to be used is the way I want to go.
I went through the pains of looking for a 1-man house this year, I wanted something that I could fish in by myself or with me and my wife OR me and my 9 year old son.
If it was just me and my wife I had to worry about I would have picked up a 2-man, but my 9 year old needs to ride in the back seat of my outback, so I needed something that could potentially fit with only one of my two back seats folded down.
I looked at all the clam 1 mans and the problem is they were too wide/deep! The sleds are almost square shaped.
On a whim I checked out the otter xt650 cottage, and was surprised to find they are actually less wide(deep might be the better term) than the clams(albeit a little longer, but that’s not a problem for me). The cottage is a tight fit, but when I angle it in the back of my car I can still have one of my back seats up.
It actually worked out nicely because it’s much more comfortable to fish two people out of compared to a Scout or Kenai.
It’s heavier than a scout or kenai of course, but a smitty sled has made pulling it quite easy :).
Check out them new Amish built shacks. My buddy bought one off a guy tha gets them straight from the amish. They are built super nice really good quality. And the dire is out the back. And the sled is a little wider so the extra room is nice. The guy pulled into the boat launch and started selling it. I guess they sell at blue ribbon bait and tackle in oak dale. My buddy got his for 200.00 I thought with that kind of material it was a pretty good deal.
I sold my Clam Scout EXP and purchased a Clam Thermal Legend….best move I ever made! The thermal fabric is nice and the extra room is awesome!
Based on the fact he has the predator, I think his main criteria is ease of pulling when walking during early (thin) ice conditions. To that I say go lightest and build lightweight Smitty sled.
Or,here’s an idea take the Predators frame and fabric off of it tub and a fix it too a lightweight high clearance Smitty sled. for the top of the Smitty sled have just a lightweight sheet of plywood with a couple of boat cushions for your seat. The remaining area would be used to haul your equipment. This unit would pull like a dream even if you do get a deeper early snow.
I have a insulated frabil predator I use most of the winter but I would like to find a 1 man for early ice or anytime I have a lake I need to walk into.
The houses I found looking around at the local stores today
Clam keni pro $279
Clam scout XL thermal. $319
Frabil commando $180What other houses would you guys suggest to take a look at? This will not be my main house so I am not sure if I will go thermal or not.
Weight is very important for a mobile 1 man shelter…
Kenai Pro – 45 lbs
Scout XLTC – 46 lbs
Commando – 59 lbs
Check out the Shappell FX100 – 37 lbs
It’s similar in size to the others on the list, but saves the weight in the seat. It basically uses a carpeted board rather than a padded swivel seat like the others, so if a comfortable seat is a priority over weight then it’s not a good option for you.
I know the seat in my Clam JM Pro weighs 15 lbs. The whole thing weighs 60 lbs empty, so 15 lbs is significant… 1/4 of the weight is just in the seat.
I have a Eskimo Wide 1 Inferno that I just bought this year. I like the fact that it expands in the front giving you a little more room. The thermal is nice cause I’m not getting drips down the back of my neck from condensation. Just one more shack to consider. Good luck in your search.
I have a clam scout I bought from an IDO member years ago. Mint. I mostly use it to pull out my gear and for a seat. Rarely do I deploy the cover but when I do it is nice and snug for fishing one hole with small heater and flasher.
Why not go with an Otter Cottage? Their sleds are much more durable and easier to pull than any Clam.
I would go with otter cottage. Great very durable shelter. But my next choice of finding is an issue would be clam scout thermal top. Or anything thermal. I had the commando and you will find a lot of condensation dropping down on your head.
X2 on the Shappell FX100 37lbs and is 44″ wide at the mouth.
Otter cottage is the perfect 1-man portable.I just got the XT650,and it pulls nice through 3″ of fresh snow.But I highly doubt if I will ever install the bench on it.I just use a storage box with a boat cushion,much less weight.
I was amazed on how well this one set-up.The poles slide easily,and the tent fabric was almost perfect.My XT900 was very tight when extending the poles to the first stop.
There’s an Eskimo 1 man at Mills for $169. Weighs 53lbs
I think Eskimo makes a good product at a reasonable price.
YKK zippers are pretty nice.
For a flip the cottage would be awesome. Have you thought about a hub shelter for those walk ins and early ice situations? Super light and compact when in bag. They really have them dialed in now.
For a flip the cottage would be awesome. Have you thought about a hub shelter for those walk ins and early ice situations? Super light and compact when in bag. They really have them dialed in now.
They do work great for a hub house. Not so much as a running and gunning house. I already have a house to leave setup and use as a base camp when I am not running and gunning
I just bought a Kenai to use more has a hole hopping wind block.
I assembled it in the house and the front was on the ground. When I
pulled it over on the lake the front pole was 2″ off the ground.
Did the tent shrink up that much? There was hardly any snow on the lake so the surface was fairly level.
I did the same as you with the same result. A combination of assy on carpet in a heated room vs flat ice with gear in tub and the cold shrinking the fabric. Lol. I just reafixed the rear fabric in driveway in the cold.
I don’t want the extra ventilation. 
fx 100
I use the eskimo quick fish 2, for 130 dollars, you cant go wrong, Ive fished Saginaw bay in high winds with no problem and small little lakes you haft to walk to. Im a big guy 265 lbs and still have room for a heater, vexilar and buckets. works for me. good luck fishing.
I still use an old fish trap pro noninsulated for light weight walk/hole hopping but still offers enough shoulder width that a guy can move. Pack light travel fast!
I am going to see if any of the new tents will fit my old Dave genz fish trap. The one I have has no door or vents so using a heater for more then a couple minutes does not work.
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Do you have a tent and awning shop around you? Or even a shop that does boat cover service. I bet they could add a zipper and vent panels.
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