Been a Ford guy 30 plus years but went with a Ram in 2013. I know turbos have come a long way but the bottom line is put your foot in it and the turbos going. My Ram has the 5.7 with 6 speed tranny. Gets 17-20 without a load and around 14 pulling a 27′ travel trailer. I stayed away from the Eco boost because turbos are hard on a motor. One great thing for truck guys Ford, Ram and Chev just keep improving them.

The bottom line is enjoy what you do and do what you enjoy. 40 plus years ago I spent many hours ice fishing out of the door of my car. The hole was drilled with a hand auger and the fish were caught on a hand made jiggle stick. In the summer it was a 12’boat and 3 horse Johnson. My boat,auger,rods,electronics have been upgraded over the years but the one thing that stays the same is I love to fish. A bad day of fishing is always better than a good day of work.

Check out Cabelas tundra case. Holds 8 rods and has 5 outside pockets for tackle etc. Holds everything I Need. They were on sale for 60 but that was a couple weeks ago.

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.

Nothing better than fishing with your kids. And now grandkids. One of my favorite ice fishing memories was watching my son slide a big walleye back down the hole and having it splash water all over him. He was 10 at the time and now he is 25. It is so nice to see a dad spend time on the water with his kids. My hats off to you Bryan. I truly believe that the quality time you spend with your kids now comes back to you as they get older. Again thumbs up to you Bryan.

It almost sounds to me like you maybe got a house someone returned? I ended up with a extra bag of bolts for mine. I use 27 and 28 rods in mine. What I learned on my first trip is if I set the hook to hard I hit the roof or front. It all comes down to how big you are and your jigging style.

I use the frabill led shelter lights. They come as a single lens or a four lens light bar. They both have rotating lenses. They have Velcro straps so you can attach to the support bars or wherever. They run on 2 AA batteries. I have 2 of the single lens that I will use in both my one and two man shacks. I used them for the first time last night. They put out a nice bright light and after about 2-3 hours of use they were still as bright as when I turned them. Makes me think they are going to be easy on batteries.

I also use 2# Suffix ice magic for panfish. Try putting the line between your thumb and a finger and pull it from the jig to about 6 feet up from the jig. Do this 2 or 3 times. Have not tried this on heavier line yet, but works for 2#. The idea is that this heats the line and relaxes it removing twist.

I think you made a good choice. With the holidays and work not been able get out again. I forgot to mention I use a little buddy heater to heat mine. It was in the teens with a good breeze and with the heater on low I was warm as toast. It’s nice to pop a hole flip the house and start fishing. Hole hopping will be easy. Let me know what you think…..

Was finally able to get on the ice a couple of days ago. All I can say is that it is very warm and comfortable. It is advertised as 18 inches high when folded down. The reality is with the seat mounted to the seat bracket it is about 21-22 inches. Just enough clearance in the box of my Ram with a trifold cover. Much easier to pull out than my 2 man otter I used the trip before. I’ve seen the review that Mix it up Outdoors did. The reason his bottom bar raises up when he sits back is because the skin is pulled to tight in the back. Not a problem with mine. I believe his post is of last years model. For me the seat height is perfect (I’m 6’1″). and swivel is very smooth. Just not sure yet how comfortable it will be on an all day trip. Overall I would give it a thumbs up.

When you have a pile of panfish to clean I love an electric. I also have the Mr. Twister. As has been said it all comes down to preference.

Just got my new house yesterday. Assembly was about 2-3 hours with a break for dinner. So far I am very impressed. Heading out in the am to give it the real test.

I just ordered a wide1 inferno and should have it in the next week. Be glad to review it as soon as possible. Should you get one before I do let me know what you think.