First, I’m qualifying myself as a rookie icefisherman My first shelter was the Clam Base Camp. Although the concept is good, that style of shelter is not what you want. Wind makes it more difficult to setup (not impossible), they “sweat” from condensation, which then gets in to the cams which can freeze & break. And to move to another fishing hole is not the most convenient either. They are inexpensive compared to my next unit I bought though.

The flip over style is the most efficient as far as storage of your gear, travel and setup and moving to mulitiple locations while fishing. I just bought the Otter Lodge Pro thermal. I love it. I can fish alone or bring friends. I like to have lots of room. I’ve heard horror stories of other “brands” that have the round tubing, which collapse in strong wind. Otter’s are square. Plus, the thermal cover is much thicker and does not sweat (produce condensation). It’s so much easier to setup/breakdown too. Best money I’ve spent !!

Thanks for the posts! I currently use the Navionics app on my iPhone, which is a great app BTW. My concern is the areas I want to fish have poor to no cell signal which tends to limit or slow down it’s function. A handheld, or dedicated GPS unit would eliminate cell signal issues. Since I don’t own a boat a handheld type would suit my needs best since I could use it for hunting as well.