what is the best flip over shelter

I was wondering what the best 2 man flip over shelter is for 550 or less thanks

Clam Nanook by far

You will get a lot of opinions, Otter IMHO makes the best, great tub and fabric. From what I have read and seen just by looking at them, Clam looks nice as well. The others do not seem to have the same quality.

Eskimo has very good customer service but their tubs are much lighter.

Best is different for every individual.

With quality comes weight. Bigger poles, heavier fabric. How many times do you plan on being in cold cold weather? This weekend in 20deg my 300d fabric on the Eskimo I had my heater off half the time, toasty. Not like we strip down to our shorts in the fishhouse.

How’s your loading situation? My dad has a tough enough time sliding up his older large otter just on the trailer. Back of a pickup all the time, forget about it.

Thats like asking what half ton truck is the best…. lots of different opinions out there…

Speaking from my personal experience… I have owned a clam, frabill and otter flipover and fished in eskimos as well.. Without a doubt, Otter makes the highest quality shelters but they are also a lot more expensive than other brands. They are built tough and built to last but out of the budget you stated. Frabill comes in 2nd in terms of overall quality and durability and then there’s a big gap, and then clam and eskimo are at about the same level. The new clam shacks out there are just poorly made, they aren’t even close to as durable as an Otter or Frabill. Zipper problems, pole bending problems, fabric rips, thin fabric and just cheap materials are the main problems I had with my clam (and have seen numerous other people complain of the same issues). It seems like they are cutting corners to cut costs anywhere possible which is sad because the shacks they made 15 years ago were of much higher quality. The fabric in a clam is much thinner than Otter and Frabill too – keep that in mind both in terms of heat retention and weight. I’ve fished in 2 different eskimo flip overs but I was not impressed with either. They just seemed like they were poorly made and prone for problems in the not so distant future. I would avoid until they have been on the market a few more years and work out the kinks.

For your price range, I would order a frabill predator from marine general. They have last year’s model for $499 and the only difference is this year’s model had 2 side entry doors whereas last year’s had 1 front entrance door. I think that is the best combo of price and quality in terms of your budget.

EDIT– Just checked MG’s website and they dropped the price $100 to $399. That is a steal for that shelter.

Have an otter flip over love it for fishing. luckily im able to drag it on the lake with a snowmobile. awhile ago before snow had no snow and ice on the road so I had to put it in the back of a vehicle drive down the street and drag. The weight was a huge pain for getting it down the street. Guess what im trying to say is otter all the way unless your going to be frequently loading and unloading it by yourself. If it was lighter it wouldn’t be as nice of a house though. like other posts it really comes down to what you need. personal opinion not factual: otter best(somewhat heavy), eskimo underrated, clam overrated

I have a Clam Nanook thermal and haven’t had any issues with it. One thing I dont like is that I cant stand up inside it.

It is a great 1-man as far as space goes but works fine for 2 people. Its also light enough to pull around while walking.

Can be tough to load into the back of a pickup by your self though. I have to unload it and then lift it in.

I’ve found the Frabill shacks to be a good middle of the road in quality between Clam and Otter. I have a Trekker DLX insulated and love it. After about 5 years of hard use, my poles have become tight from slight bends and corrosion, but that’s it. Still works like a champ and it’s my go-to shack.

I say spend the extra money and get an otter. That’s what I did this year and I am so glad I did! Great quality and comfortable in any condition.

For me….My Shappell works just fine….

Drew wrote:

I have a Clam Nanook thermal and haven’t had any issues with it. One thing I dont like is that I cant stand up inside it.

x2. Everyone is different, but I won’t buy a flip or hub that isn’t insulated.

Otter!

Otter – heavy duty tub, also frame has heavy duty square tubing.

This is my 3rd season with a Nanook Thermal and have had no problems with it. I can’t stand in it (I’m 6’3″) but that’s not a deal breaker. I have also owned an older Otter Lodge (with the purple canvas). It was a great shelter but just too big & heavy as I mostly walk.

I’m an Otter owner but check out the Frabill Predatotor insulated from Marine General. Regularly $799, price knocked down to $399
Seems like a heck of a deal for a 2 man, insulated flipover

BigWerm wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Drew Johnson wrote:</div>
I have a Clam Nanook thermal and haven’t had any issues with it. One thing I dont like is that I cant stand up inside it.

x2. Everyone is different, but I won’t buy a flip or hub that isn’t insulated.

On the contrary, I just spent a significant amount of time looking for a quality non-thermal 1 man shack. I use a 1 man flip over when I’m making long walks by myself off the beaten path, or when I’m looking to be as mobile as possible away from crowds on early ice. If I wanted a nearly 100lb thermal shack (before gear), I’d just go the full distance and get a very spacious 2 person flip over.

Everyone’s fishing style is different, but I rarely sit over a hole that doesn’t have active fish reacting to my lures. I’m glad I don’t take the time to count how often I make quick movements throughout the day…but it sure helps me catch far more fish