Who makes the best portable ice house ?

[jighead]

Just looking for a 2 man ice house that will last and is not so heavy,
dont care so much about the cost as i do the Quality , i fish in the wyoming wind and will tear up a lot of flimzy houses.

[BGunn]

I would have to vote for the OTTER fish houses. I have an Otter II Small Den, and a Shappell 3000. I like the Shappell when I can tow it out on the Ice with my 4-wheeler, as it has allot of room in it. I have it set up with 2 sets of skis, cut in half, and screwed to the bottom of it. This way I can set it up at the truck, put all my stuff in it, and tow it around ready to fish.
The comparison of the Shappell to the Otter is that the Otter has MUCH better zippers, better canvas, more windows, and has built in vents. The tub of the Otter is built better than any other tub you will find. Some of the tubs out there will only last two seasons, and will have holes worn in the bottom.
I always go to a Goodwill store when I get a new hut, and buy a set of used skis to attach to the botton of any hut I get. Where I fish, it is common to have to pull the hut down a road a bit, before I get to the ice, and that will wear out the bottom of any hut in a hurry. The skis run about $5.00 to $8.00 a set, so it is well worth it.
The Otters come in at least 4 sizes, and I'm sure one of them will fit your needs.
To look at the different Otter huts go to Otteroutdoors.com

Bill

[Mattman]

The Otter. Best house available if you want a flip over style house. Canvas Craft is the one to get. For two guys you'll want the medium at bare minimum. The next size up would be the best for two guys.


Better to have and not need than to need and not have!

Matt Davis

[slick2526]

frabill or otter i would have to say.

[vetspet(ind)]

just bought the otterskin...which i'm thankful for guys like tbomn who enlightened me just before i was to buy the ottersled...the two systems are almost identical except the otterskin has steel poles which intentionally are somewhat sloppy...the ottersled has aluminum poles which are much closer machined...the problem occurs when the aluminum either bends or gets stuck...you can't collapse it and have a mess..the otterskin is somewhat heavier due to steel vs aluminum..otherwise they are very similar...skeeter has the otter 2...and says its plenty big for one but not for two...he rec. i get the otter two magnum...i did...it is big...75" by 33" or so and will be hard to transport in some vehicles..other than the wt...90 lbs...and size...it will be fun to fish out of...you can bank it all the way around...large windows....vents....sturdy...military grade canvas...etc...steve...have not had any cold weather for me to use my new toy...somebody said this would happen if i spent that much moola on this...700 after getting hitch...two seats...cover..sled and tent

[Kelly]

Try the 2-man Zephyr, it's a great shack. It folds up and has a rigid bottom so it's easy to pull across the ice and you can also toss all of your gear on top while getting to your spot. I live in Canada and as everyone knows we rule the winter sports, so it is a very well designed unit. I paid $279.95 Canadian dollars for mine which would be about $180 US. Try either Russell's Sports, Wholesale Sports, or The Fishin Hole as I believe they all sell them, they're a very popular item. Good Luck.

[KP]

I have to vote for Clam. I have had the Original, now called 5600, for 9 years and it's still in great condition. Clam replaced the old pole system with the new system for free a couple years ago. Now that's customer service! When open it's 5' x 6' x 6'-6" tall. Enough room for 3 but 2 is much more comfortable. Folded up I can carry it in the back of my VW with the rear seats folded down. The floor is a thick, 2 layer insulated plastic that does make it rather heavy to tow through the snow once I have my auger, propane tank, battery, and gear on it. But I have a ski sled to put it on when I need to cover a long distance through snow. The canvas is heavy silicone impregnated fabric that stays flexible and holds heat when it's well below zero.

http://www.the-clam.com

[curt quesnell]

i have an otter and i like it alot...but when i look and see
what the clam is doing with in-house seating i give them lots
of credit for inovation.

otter has some ad-on seats for the house that might be ok but
i dont think it compares to what the clam has done. when you buy
the clam it all comes with the deal.

this winter i will try those new fold out cloth chairs that collapse into a storage bag to see if that is comfortable.

i am not knockin the otter even a little bit, it is a much better
portable fish house than i ever thought i would be proud to own.
but, ##### those clams are nice...


curt quesnell

[Backwater Eddy]

Wind huh, the Dakotas has a occasional gust too Eh, they like to start on January 2nd and stop on or near December 30th of the same year, maybe.

My vote for 2 man units would go to Frabill XLT Deluxe,the Fish Trap 2002 Guide, and then to the Otter Skin lodge if you wish to spend that much "CHA-CHING".

For a one man unit I would recommend the Frabill Cub (I like the new Cub best of all the new units) and the 2 man Trap used as a one man unit with roam for 2 if need be. These units are strong and light with great functionality built into them.

..><,GO PIGGY,>

Backwater Eddy......><, ,>

[rick]

Has anyone checked out the " GLACIER " Supposed to be VERY light and I've heard some good reviews on em,.....

[sib]

I didn't like the plastic tarp like material in the standard 3000, so I opted for the Shappell DX3000. Same base, but upgraded nylon shell(Like a thick tent) and larger windows. It's much quieter and the black tent absorbs heat via sunlight during daylight hours. I just picked it up and I'm cringing for cold weather, this warm spell has to end some time.

[Xplorer]

Hey KP,
I have an older 460, the smaller version of yours. I never heard of them replacing old poles with a new version for free? I see on the website that they use interlocking square poles now, mine are the old round ones that manually go together like a screen tent. Was there anything special that you had to do to get the new poles?? Just wondering if I missed out or if they would consider replacing mine for free too!! :) Thanks for any info. Xplorer

[KP]

"this winter i will try those new fold out cloth chairs that collapse into a storage bag to see if that is comfortable."

I've been using those chairs for 3 seasons. They work great and are very comfortable. It helps if you use a throwable flowtation cushion behind your back.