One man, One sled

[swiafishingfool]

Ok, so im sure there are a million topics out there about "which is the best one man flip over, but that topic isn't really for me. Seems to big a big run around about mines better then that one, and so on, but I have a really nice two man for when my 6yr old son wants to go (which is about every other day) but sometimes, dear ol' dad wants to go by himself and so I want to know:
 Which one man flip over is the best for me in your opinion.
1) I have a lot of gear, 2 tackle boxes full of lures, treble hooks, bobbers, spare reels, and much more
2) I have a big buddy heater and I run both the 1 lb and 20 lb bottles when I fish depending on how long I'll be out
3) I pull all my gear with my god given legs, no motorized vehicles.
4) I load and unload into the back of my truck, so weight is a huge situation for me.
5) I use a Marcum lx-7 (first year) but also run a vexilar fl-8
6) I have an Eskimo z71 power auger

Will all of this fit into a one man if customized correctly?

[nocod]

The lightest shelter would be my choice, done the walking and dragging thing not fun, smithy sled helped, like I said it's all about weight.

[Huntnfishvt]

I would have to imagine that your son isn't much help with loading and unloading and towing of the two man being only 6 years old.  Why not use the two man setup that you already have and put the money towards ramps to load and unload into your vehicle.

[Tmuskie]

Maybe is all I can say. I have no shack or any type of cover on my own. I carry:

1) Tip ups in bag
2)Auger
3)Bag with rods/reels
4)Bag with assorted tacke and leaders
5)bag with various gloves ans and keep me warm gear
6) Grill w/bucket of charcoal lighting inplemments in bag above
7)Cooler w/ food/drinks and beer.
8)Tarp and heavy coat on top.
9) MY CHAIR. It's mine don't sit in it. LOL
10)Minnow Bucket

[Svengalli]

I would have to imagine that your son isn't much help with loading and unloading and towing of the two man being only 6 years old.  Why not use the two man setup that you already have and put the money towards ramps to load and unload into your vehicle.

This and build a smitty sled.  You already know your two man fits all your gear. 

[VTWoodchuck]

Check out the Shappell FX150, tons of room and the bench even slides back so you can put your feet in the sled.  Here is a youtube video of it... 

[gillicer]

I have a clam Kenai , it has a 17" deep tub . mine is I think 4 years old . has held up great . i put ski under it for the snow .We get here mine  has no  door , but the new ones come with a door weights only 50 lbs . I have to drag every on the lakes here in p.a. by hand.clam web site will let you get some info on it

[fish-kabob]

sure will you will not need the buddy heater you may want to buy a smaller one and run led lighting in the smaller one man shacks the fumes from the lantern and buddy heater will kill a person a in a small area... i got a frabill recon with no door on it all i use is a 1500 btu output colemen sport cat heater.  your breath alone in mine heats it just fine..  the buddy heater the regular sized one makes about 4000 btu's on low 8000 on high is what mine does... just a tip  with out that 20 pound lp tank and heater you maybe able to not wrench you back to? 

[lynng]

Do yourself a favor and build a "Smitty Sled". I carry more gear than you have on your list. I pull by hand and load everything in and out of my SUV by myself; and  I'm almost seventy. I cannot tell you how much easier the Smitty sled made this for me. Here is a picture of mine and all the "crap" , I mean gear, that I pull and load.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=281133.msg2913286#msg2913286

[rgfixit]

You'll get a thousand opinions about which is best. I have a Frabill Commando and  I'm very happy with it. What you need to do is go sit in as many as you can find. One will jump out at you and you'll make it home.

Just my $.02 worth!

Rg

[UFCreel]

Less is more. Know what kind of fish you are going after and bring just what you need. Not what you want. Less is more.

[hardwater diehard]

Stay with your two man ...remove one seat ...organize your gear into milk crates ..cargo/storage boxes etc ..if you have multiple tip up bags ,rod bags etc.. use a large carabineer to "clip" them together ..when loading up after your day on the ice ...empty the sled and load the empty sledi into your truck ..then your gear . Also a Smitty sled is a great option for easier dragging in moderate snow . Only advice for a one man is size matters ...can get a lil cramped in some of them ...amount of gear you can bring  is limited...weight is weight ..load it to much its  a bear to pull...Smitty sled will alleviate most of that . 

[fish-kabob]

@hard water die hard
you got some awesome points there man!

also if your sick of dragging around the two man what about a permanent shack? then you just got to bring your self and some gear. that if you fish the same lake about the same spot year after year. if not running and gunning is best with a portable shack..  you can make a shack like the one in this video with no floor is how we use to do it around here .. and just fish day in and day out in a small permanent shack.. by the way i don't leave any think behind but the shell of the shack so if some one broke in they don't get a thing. except a problem from the local Constable. 

 

 

[Oldbear]

The whole object of a one man is cutting down on weight.  I just turned 68 yesterday and have a 1  & 2 man pop up.  The two man I pull with a ATV and the one man is packed as lite as possible.  The one man getls a 5 lb. LP tank, 2small boxes of jigs, buddy heater, auger & a ladle with maybe 3 poles instead of a whole bag full.  My one man is a frabill recon dlx.  Mine was cheap and small but thats what I wanted.  Someone mentioned the Commando which looks to me to have a longer front which would be nice.  I think you'll have to down size equipment if you want the one man but they pull great.

[rdhammah]

bought a glidelite to train myself to travel light. 4 rods. bucket to double as seat and bait bucket. flasher. 2 plano plastic boxes for tackle. 4 tipups. thermos, maybe a sandwich and snacks. bait pucks in my pockets. extra pr of gloves

[Sodusitous]

Another one to consider is the Shappell Bay Runner. This is a very roomy
1.5 man shanty. A little heavier than a 1man but huge inside. Priced like a 1man.
Plus, sets as fast as a flip but you can leave it set up when relocating which is nearly
impossible with a flip. And because you fish through 2 trap doors in bottom of tub,  warmer
drier feet. Worth checking out IMO.

[Lobes]

Your idea to keep it simple is the way to go. With whatever you add for your son you may want to add the Smitty Sled to make moving around easy (link below).
Keep us posted on you and your partner's new setup!

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=103927.0

                                             
NBG

[wallydiven]

In your case I think I would be looking into getting a 1.5 man flip. Also, minimize your gear. How much do you really use during an outing?

[FISHFORPIKE]

Well, with that list, I don't think weight is a consideration; so just continue pulling your two-man out.  If it's too much, put it on a Smitty.

[Dogger]

Smitty works great. I made one last year for my Yukon and it made a huge difference.

[brink]

bought a glidelite to train myself to travel light. 4 rods. bucket to double as seat and bait bucket. flasher. 2 plano plastic boxes for tackle. 4 tipups. thermos, maybe a sandwich and snacks. bait pucks in my pockets. extra pr of gloves

I love my glidelite after some mods to attach my LX-7 head and GPS mount.  However, there are days when the shanty is a more comfortable option.  Having both is quite nice.

[Captain Happy]

Get rid of the whole seat and use a lawn chair, bucket, milk crate to sit on,  build a smitty sled.

[nocod]

I love my glidelite after some mods to attach my LX-7 head and GPS mount.  However, there are days when the shanty is a more comfortable option.  Having both is quite nice.

great little rig,keeping it small is the way to go.

[Corndog]

K. I. S. S. (Keep It Super Simple). I have both Fish Traps(2) and the older, yellow, Frabill Ice Shuttle's(3, actually one is black). I use the Ice Shuttle when it's nice out and a little breeze. But when I plan on being out on the ice all day and the wind is howling, and I will use the fish trap. I carry a little buddy, heritage style tip ups, tackle bag with jigs, line, hooks, pliers first aid kit and multi tool, small tote with extra gloves, and odds and ends. Always have my Throw rope and monkeys fist. And of course rods and my Showdown troller and Clam plate w/drill and auger. Heck, some I've been know to even bring out my propane grill for some Bubba burgers and dogs!
I also have a woven trappers basket if I really want to go light. But the best addition to haul my fish trap loaded down with near everything is my Smitty Sled. It will make even the heaviest load effortless. In addition, I scored a fall arrest harness from a buddy. Slip it on and you pull the sled hands free. And being my walking isn't 100%, it makes thing real easy.

[fish-kabob]

early ice i keep it simple but later on it get to cold to bare so i use the shanty early and late ice all i use is a bucket a auger a fish finder a couple rods and some tackle.. how i get it out there  hook the bucket into the auger dip in the auger handle  and carry spud in other hand spudding away. get a half moon bucket like i think ht brand sells them you should be fine for carrying it all out there all at once if you and a buddy fish for crappie have him follow you carrying the lantern very very simple and easy set to carry...

[royjulius]

I use a Clam Nanook. It is a 2 man, but I left one seat out. That gets the weight down to the upper 60's. I pull on foot also, and the Nanook has a shallow sled that doesn't plow snow. I did a lot of shopping and compared every sled on the market and this set-up is, for me, the ultimate one man. 20 sq ft of fishing space and a back door so my dog or in your case your kid can come and go without having to flip up the front or use the front door. 

[ran7ger]

 i pull a trekker dlx minus one seat and love it.  nice to have the other seat the times a buddy comes out. i can load this fully loaded into the back of my silverado if i put the front lip on the tail gate and then lift the back and slide it in.

 another good tip to ease the effort when dragging your stuff out is to use a really long pull rope, helps especially in the deep snow.