Ice house

[Frank C]

hey guys I am in the market for a new ice hose and its between the clam 5600 and frabill outback. Need some info on these items. Are the easy to asemble, light to pull by hand and are they made well?


thanks
Frank

[bea3bri]

first you should check out the orginal otter sled with the insulated canvas, it is worth spending the money for the insulated canvas, also the inside is white and you really only need one 12 volt light for fishing after dark. i have used mine for 3 years and it hardly shows any wear, and will not use any thing else.

[balsa]

otter sled is the way to go. I have the otter lodge a little hard to pull by hand, but the size is great for all day fishing. Also it is great in the wind.

[overdalimit ul]

I have a two man igloo. Don't buy one of those! CHEEZMO! I want an otter or a clam.

[Seedtree]

I have a 5600 and have used it a lot. For me it works well and I like it. Others who like to move around a lot might be better served with a sled-based shanty.

However, I prefer to set up in an area and I use the 5600 for a base camp/storage area on the ice for short forays around an area. My 5600 is a nice heated windbreak when needed. Also, we fish in it too, of course.

Its a suitcase-type shanty, so its easy to drag on the ice when the snow isn't too deep. If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow, a sled-based shanty might be easier to live with. However, I am currently designing a ski-based raised sled to haul my 5600 and gear, so this should make it easier to drag in deeper snow.

I especially like the double insulated floor. This helps a lot on cold days, especially with kids and dogs. The quality is top notch -everything is durable and its easy to see that lots of on-ice experience went into the layout of doors, windows, holes, vents, etc. You get what you pay for and with a Clam you're going to spend a bit more, but if you take care of it, it should last for a long time.

My .02s.

[Catman59]

We had a 5600. Great shack with a lot of room. Good if you "stay put". If you move around at all , get a flipover shack. They are the way to go. I have a Fish trap Yukon and have no complaints what-so-ever. Just my .02 worth

[purple otter]

Otter sled all the way,they are super tough and have square tubing that is very nice for drilling and mounting stuff too. I drilled two holes to the bottom of my frame and ran ice screws through them and i can fish through a hurrican and not worry.

[catchoo]

The clam 5600 is great, as a base camp. It's great for the older kid's plenty of room.