Thanks all – this is great feedback. Mudneck – I loved the roomy nature of the hub shelter, but construction was horrific. I’ve heard two guys here now speak highly of the Eskimo…have you ever had any issues with it? Could we chat a little more about it offline maybe? These shelters are exactly what I want, I’m just a little hookshy now for obvious reasons.

Otters come highly recommended on the forum, also. I’ll bet shipping is a killer – doubtful there are any Otter dealers in NE.

Thought I’d provide an update on the decisions I made thanks to the help of this great forum!

1. Vexilar FL 20 – pricey, but love it.

2. Strikemaster Lazer Mag auger – 4 cycle – starts on second pull every time, and is light as a feather!

3. Went with the Cabelas 6×12 hub shelter – been nothing less than a nightmare. First one I purchased…took it home, set up, there were already two holes where seams were coming unstitched. Kudus to Cableas Customer Service – they sent a truck to retrieve mine and exchanged for another they visually inspected themselves AND knocked $100 off the price. Despite their willingness to make it right, still didn’t prevent this product from falling apart during my next two trips. Had a zipper malfunction, then one of the plastic hubs snapped in half, so the support poles on one end were useless and the tent just collapsed on itself.

Thanks to everyone for your advise and guidance!

Tom

Howdy Norge;

I’m new to the forum as well and just posted some questions regarding these larger tent style shelters. Cabelas, Clam, Frabill, and Eskimo all have similar models and I too am looking for any feedback on their quality, etc. I read some bad reviews on Cabelas regarding the Clam – but who knows might have been lemons. Look forward to your feedback!

Thanks James – top notch website and forum here and excellent presentation on the Marcum. Dang, that was one take…you know your stuff well and sure can remain focused!

Looking forward to sticking around and getting to know you all better.

BTW – any suggestions on the model you’d suggest for my fishing applications? How about any feedback on the tent style shelters or gas augers? If you need to PM or email me I’d sure appreciate your take.

Thanks again!

Hey Chomps – thanks for the feedback. I do have all the necessary warm weather gear as I’m used to gutting it out in the elements – its all the additional cool stuff I need to keep me warmer and moving faster that I need now!

Thanks for the shout out – and that’s a heckuva nice looking shelter you mentioned. I’m preparing myself for the sticker shock later tonight…

I have heard nothing but 100% positive things about the Marcum LX5 model to which you refer. Honestly it’s all greek to me – I don’t know how to operate these very well let alone the advanced features – but I suppose a day on the ice with the manual would help – or maybe I can get Chuck out here to provide a lesson or two and take home some fresh YP fillets for his family!

Hi Chuck – great to see another Husker on the forum. Thanks for your feedback – I too rarely use a shelter if I can stand it – but with a 9 and 7 yr old [and a pansy wife who hates the cold] I want to try and get them out on our ponds more often and not wait for the windless, warm days that happen to fall on a weekend! If I can get a tent set up we can simply drive the 10 minutes to our spread after school and get some fishing in!

The price on the Jiffy sounds a lot kinder than the 400 I was considering spending on a new model. I would appreciate an email regarding this if you wouldn’t mind. I’m at [email protected].

Sounds like a guy can’t go wrong with a Marcum 5 – but I have an Aqua View and wonder if that wouldn’t suffice? Yet, I’m a shameless gear bomb addict, and I know I won’t be satisfied until I do have a flasher. I’m interested if someone has a gently used unit for sale. Otherwise I guess I’ll keep my eyes peeled here for some more feedback and see what model I should focus upon. Thanks for the Marcum advice, seems a popular brand on the forum.

I’m always down for meeting fellow fishermen – so let’s definitely keep our calendars open for fishing together! I’m just a stone’s throw away from you.

Thank you for the lead. I checked them out online and they look a lot like the Cabelas and Clam – but actually hearing from someone who owns one tips the scales in the Eskimo’s favor. Any issues with wind or ripping seams? Like I mentioned before, the Clam got some very negative feedback for these specific issues….thank you in advance for any additional feedback you have on the Eskimo!