Otter XT X-over Pro Resort vs Aluma lite or similar

Hey everyone,

Been fishing out of an Eskimo fatfish 949i for the past few years and it works great in most situations. Obviously the past two years we have experienced quite a bit of snow, and slush particularly became a big issue last year. My dad wants to have something “easier” and bigger to set up each time we go out, especially once first grandson becomes old enough to go out and enjoy fishing. He is pretty hot on getting a flip shack, and was sold when he walked into the Otter X-Over resort today. We usually just tow out of our cabin garage and right onto the lake.

At the price point and sheer size of the resort x-over, at what point do you just get a skid house? We do like getting away from crowds, and our favorite spots are never directly accessible from plowed ice roads (always snowmobile and ATV to get there). I know when the snow gets too thick moving the skid house is nearly impossible, but my thinking is why not go for a basic skid house with spray insulation and space for growing family and just park it on the hot spots we like? At what point (Snow or slushwise) does the skid house become overly difficult to tow compared to something as large and heavy as the resort flip over? IMO, I’m almost more tempted to guide him towards the lodge size due to weight alone if his heart is truly set on a flip over.

Thanks in advance!

The resort is certainly huge, but in all cases it’s going to be simpler to move, and a lot lighter than a skid shack.

In terms of ease of setup they really are easy but I find packing them back up to be the only mild “hassle”. Putting the cover on can be a chore when it’s super cold or wet out, but then again pulling home a skid is going to be somewhat of a chore too for different reasons. But, since you mentioned you go from garage to lake then maybe a skid is worth it. If you decide to travel the resort is going to be a no brainer since you could still toss it in a truck (with some help).

Overall the sled is going to be more portable no matter which way you roll the dice. In terms of space the resort versus a small skid might end up pretty similar. In terms of warmth If you go pro otter that 1200 gram insulation is no joke and probably also very comparable to a skid. I have an otter pro cabin and I run a regular sized buddy on low in the coldest weather and I usually take my coat off.

Well, I will put it this way…
You have never had a skid house have ya?

No comparison, skids are a PITA unless you have the plow equipment to move when there is snow.

What a out a small wheelhouse like the ice castle grandpas hideout? Even a wheelshack moves much easier than a skidder.

mark-bruzek wrote:

Well, I will put it this way…
You have never had a skid house have ya?

No comparison, skids are a PITA unless you have the plow equipment to move when there is snow.

What a out a small wheelhouse like the ice castle grandpas hideout? Even a wheelshack moves much easier than a skidder.

Have you had a lightweight skid shack such as an alumalite guide series? I’ve had experience getting a skid shack off of the lake vs a homebuilt wheelhouse for the WI shack removal deadline. The Alumalite wasn’t blocked high enough and needed to be chiseled out after some thaw/refreeze cycles turned the layer of snow into an ice/slush mix. Once it was free of the ice, it floated on top of the ice/slush and was on shore in minutes behind the ATV.

The wheelhouse took almost 8 hours to pull off. The tongue weight on the wheelhouse would cause the ATV to break through the crust and into the slush. 4wheel drive with V-bars on all wheels. The wheels on the shack would also break through and we ended up using boards and a jack to lift the shack, put 2×6’s under the wheels, and pull forward as far as we could before we broke through again. Once we had it close enough to shore, we hooked up enough straps to connect it to two trucks to pull it out. It was a spectacle. The photo is of the aftermath once we finally had it off the ice. Wheelhouses have less surface area and don’t “float” like the newer skids do.

Neither shack is owned by me, I just help get them off the lake every year.

In my opinion, if you can get through with the ATV or snowmobile towing the resort, you can also get through with a similar sized skid. For same lake fishing, I would do the skid. No teardown, stays warm when moving, and can be customized to what you want. I have an otter pro x-over lodge, and I will be getting an aluminum skid house for the cabin once I’ve finished saving up the money.

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I have a 6×10 ice trek (very similar to aluma-lite) skid house and an otter lodge. I use my tracked ranger or snowmobile to pull them. I set my ice castle up on shore at lake of the woods for the winter and go out every day with the ranger or sled. I much prefer running the skid house. Last year the only time I used the otter is when we loaded up and went to other lakes. The skid house is much more comfortable to fish out of. You can surely tell you are pulling it, but I do not think it has stopped me from fishing any of the spots that I want to fish, and we do not stay close to shore 8-10 mile runs if not longer. I think you may have some trouble with the wheeler in deep snow if it is on tires but the snowmobile will pull it just fine.

I have an Otter Resort. An Aluma Lite Lil Munchkin 5X7 less than 300 pounds and last year got an Aluma Lite 8X12 that was converted to a sleeper and used it with my Granddaughters. I pull all of these with a Bearcat snowmobile. Since getting a light weight skid house I have not used the Otter Resort. When leaving a skid house out I make sure it is jacked up adequately. Easy with a hi lift jack and some blocking. I sometimes opt for towing with a rope bridle rather than the rigid hitch when there is significant snow. The rigid towing can make it tough to start the unit moving after even a short pause as sleds like to stick at first. Spinning your track gets you nowhere but in a hole. A gentle one foot worth of slack with the rope bridle will most often break you loose easily as you go forward. Those skid houses can go lots of places through lots of snow. I live in the UP of Michigan and we average upwards of 220 inches annually here. I vote skid house all the way!