Clam scout xltc or shappell fx100

[diabetik11]

What one would you choose and why I'm also considering the clam xl thermal I can get the clam for $269 and the shappell for $199. Money is some what of a issues but not really. I like the flared out front bar on the shappell for more fishing room but like the thermal of the clam.

[chilly-willy]

toss up calm uses aluminum poles wish are not as durable and shappell I don't like the seat / flip mechanism cause there attached in the shappell.. if I was getting new I would look at bayrunner or wide one inferno but it not me... last I looked a lot of guys were in favor of the shappells for good reasons.. thick water proof cover etc.. etc .. black out interior . narrow sled easy pulling...etc..etc..   

[holehopper]

If you have the $$, take a look at the new Otter Hideout.  That thing looks pretty awesome but it isn't cheap.  $500.

[lostbrit]

I'm looking at a few different huts this year.  I have looked at the hide out long and hard but I don't like the sled, it seem so small to carry much of anything.

[holehopper]

Good feedback on the sled.  i haven't seen one in person, just pics.  Thanks!

[diabetik11]

I don't want to spend $500 on a one man.

[holehopper]

Dicks is running a 25% off for today only.  You could get the Eskimo Wide 1 Inferno for $100 off.  Normally $399 but onsale for $299.  You get a $50 shipping credit so it would cost you $50 to ship it with the credit.  That would be a good option for the $$.  I personally fish with a Clam big mouth thermal.  it has the expandable front which does come in handy.  I don't have experience with the Shappell but I know lots of guys that are happy with those units. 

[Wingthing]

I have an FX100 heres my rundown,
Pros'
Light weight 39lbs
Big fishable space one of the biggest without needing to adjust anything
600 denier insulation
Price
deep sled
bench can easily add a boat seat which I did
Cons,
VELCRO at the bottom of the skirt to attach to sled to prevent drafts...came off after 10 uses which sucks large
Flimsy connections & poles
The locking system to keep the shack in a half flip setting is...cumbersome & not user friendly
In the end I would buy the best unit I could afford rather than going cheap.
I'm thinking of adding a 2 man flip to my ice fishing collection was thinking Frabill but the lack of weight info & insulation info on their website my push me to a Clam..

[diabetik11]

wingthing, so if you would do it again you wouldn't buy the shappell? How are the seams holding up?

[Wingthing]

Seams are fine but based on what I've seen from Frabill even though there information stinks on their website I'd go with one of them...just my opinion. The Velcro turns me right off from ever owning another shappell.

[3300]

take the fx100 and install reflectex in the roof. adds no weight and is semi thermal
reflectex isn't cheap tho.

Dicks is running a 25% off for today only.  You could get the Eskimo Wide 1 Inferno for $100 off.  Normally $399 but onsale for $299.  You get a $50 shipping credit so it would cost you $50 to ship it with the credit.  That would be a good option for the $$.  I personally fish with a Clam big mouth thermal.  it has the expandable front which does come in handy.  I don't have experience with the Shappell but I know lots of guys that are happy with those units.

gander mountain matches dicks sports plus 10% of the difference.

[chilly-willy]

Cons,

The locking system to keep the shack in a half flip setting is...cumbersome & not user friendly
In the end I would buy the best unit I could afford rather than going cheap.
I'm thinking of adding a 2 man flip to my ice fishing collection was thinking Frabill but the lack of weight info & insulation info on their website my push me to a Clam..

the locking system is riveted together right on the shappell ? if it is rivets it turned me off cause you can't repair it to easily if broken 5 years down the road etc... cant really do good rivets see my concern?

that is a good point to on going with the best not the cheapest you find reason why to go better right away and wish you spent the money...

 my frabills has been good to me I got a recon non-dlx version and it is light roomy enough to fish  for what I paid I can not complain about it either so why would I? it did not come with a seat but added one any how... I really like the construction of my frabill flip mounting points I think clam is the same way not sure? same with the wide one inferno shanty? but again aluminum poles . but of course they make air craft out of aluminum so how is it wrong ?     by the way have a frabill hub a pole broke and they took care of it right away sent a new shanty let me keep the old one etc.. etc...any how really enjoy the hub wile fishing for steel head/ salmon / etc.. in cold weather from the piers out here...

[BaitBucket]

What one would you choose and why I'm also considering the clam xl thermal I can get the clam for $269 and the shappell for $199. Money is some what of a issues but not really. I like the flared out front bar on the shappell for more fishing room but like the thermal of the clam.

The shappell is lighter at 37lbs vs 51lbs. The Shappel has more height 59in vs 56in. The Shappell is narrower 32in wide vs 36in wide. And its cheaper..

The themal on the Clam is ok, but you would be shocked how fast a non thermal 1 man warms up with just your body heat. If you find its not warm enough, use the 70$ u saved to get a little buddy heater.

I personally would go with the Shappell just because of the weight (14lb lighter) and narrower than the clam. Dragging a flip over thru the snow is rough. Lighter the better.

[DR.SPECKLER]

the shappell fx 100 is a good shack for the money and I like how light and small the sled is.i bring it out more than my frabill commando now because the commando is  so heavy to drag.i would try the fx100 and save your money or spend it on other fishing gear.roomy light weight and made in Michigan.

[diabetik11]

Any one with the fx100 mind to show me some pics of theirs no one around me has them set up so I'd need to order it. I'm really wondering how much room there is with the flared out front

[BaitBucket]

Any one with the fx100 mind to show me some pics of theirs no one around me has them set up so I'd need to order it. I'm really wondering how much room there is with the flared out front

No Pics, but we know the sled is 32in wide and the front bar is 44in wide. So it tapers out from 32in to 44in giving you 6in more on each side at the widest point. The distance from the lip of the sled to the front bar is 42in. With some masking tape and a tape measure you can map that out on the floor to see how big it is.

Also if you want to save more weight, u can remove the bench seat ant the hardware for it and just use a folding camp chair or bucket with padded seat.

[diabetik11]

Will try that thanks

[aacosta]

I have the shappell rover 1.0, it has treated me well, plenty of space and the cover is holding up well. The only negative has been the locking system rivets. They all broke and have been hard to replace. The shanty still works without the locking part. I added a stadium seat to the bench, lightweight and more comfortable. Have had shanty for about 6 years.

[diabetik11]

Is the locking system just for when u wanna use it as a wind block?

[Wingthing]

Is the locking system just for when u wanna use it as a wind block?

Yes I didn't even bother installing them. I've fished in the Clam Kenai & Scout trap along with Frabill Recon & my FX100 had more fishable area. Still I really like the Frabill Recruit. Everything will be tough to pull in 2' of snow.

[3300]

Is the locking system just for when u wanna use it as a wind block?

it is for locking half way open only.

 it would be hard to break it is all i can say. also a nut and bolt is cheap too. cut the bolt flush after its on.
if some one was really rough on their equipment and broke one they are;
10481          2011 Folding Brace                                  $  2.49
http://shappell.com/fx100pp.html

some pics of the inside
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=316792.0
i would buy another. it does have cons. show me one this light weight that does not have any. this one is Weight:  37 lbs.
the tubes are simple conduit you can buy for 4$ a stick that's 10' long. they are easy to modify. if you don't like velcro make your own bottom bars like i made my own wind bars. it's not hard to do.
specs and manual
http://shappell.com/iceshelters/fxseriesflips.html

they do have a warranty and if you have velcro falling off they will replace the tub for free at no costs to you and then you'd have two sleds like i do from them. earlier, when it first came out the corners were collapsing and then new ones came out and it added about 5 pounds to them, they used to weigh 32 pounds version 1.  version 2 is 5# heavier all in the tub because it's thicker now. version 3 they added sliding bench seat after i told them i made it for mine. they do stand behind their products. they also want to hear from us what we want from them in ideas for their shelters. i have seen custom mods where they make the candy cane bottom ice bars and add one on each side so when you flip it down, it grabs the tent and all of it is closed in one motion w/o velcro being needed at the tub/tent joint.
to keep it light weight you can install bleacher/stadium seats that weight next to nothing at all.
 the tents are made in china. the tubs are in michigan and it's a michigan company that eagle claw just bought. if they were bad products, other companies wouldn't bother taking them over. they want to own the name.

my worst complaint with them is the tents are overseas so they can't seem to control quality control. the roof to sidewalls seams are bad. they keep lying about it when asked. they say the same thing to any one asking about and say it's needed for vetilation. that means they do know about it. the seam is a single stitch with wide gaps in between the stitches and they used a  larger needle than a the thread that goes in it and makes daylight enter those holes and the gaps in between the stitches. it should have been a folded double stitch with water proofing in the fold before being stitched. if you call them out on it, they lie and say what i just said. i HATE lairs, but can't find a better flip for the weight ratio and modifying capabilities.
call them out and see! i wonder if the mean lady still answers the phone?
888-571-1144 - USA
517-622-2700
517-622-1435 - Fax

[Bumski]

 if you don't like velcro make your own bottom bars like i made my own wind bars. it's not hard to do.

. i have seen custom mods where they make the candy cane bottom ice bars and add one on each side so when you flip it down, it grabs the tent and all of it is closed in one motion w/o velcro being needed at the tub/tent joint.

This sounds very interesting,while my velcro is still intact I would like to do this.....
Any diagrams or pictures?   

[diabetik11]

3300, besides the seams not being good, sounds like u like it. Is it still holding up good for you?

[3300]

3300, besides the seams not being good, sounds like u like it. Is it still holding up good for you?

the seams work like they wanted it to work and is not breaking or tearing or otherwise being ruined in any way. it's just not what i call a proper seam for a high stress and water gets in area to have used in the first place. it's like an after thought to make it "work" for them. the side walls seams are great and that shows some one knows how to do it right.
i added flowable silicone to them in a few feet at a time from the outside to make it water proof! i used windshield repair silicone from amazon. layed the fabric out as long as i could in a completely flat line so the silicone stayed put. i had to do it in sections.

buy yeah, it's holding up just fine! i have all three styles shappell makes and knew it should be a great product. if it wasn't for the poor seam choice used by the chinese, it would have been perfect. maybe the tent to tub joint where the velcro is, could have been thought out better like the added candy cane bar idea.

[DR.SPECKLER]

ive got one  and I like it .my seams aren't to bad .i get dripped on running a heater but I get that in my commando too.i would rate mine a 7.5 out of ten it gets the job done and for the price I didn't really expect a palace.i don't like the Velcro for the skirt but I haven't had any problems with the fx100 yet.oh yeah the travel cover is a very cheap. mine is wearing holes in the corners after 1 year and the bench is not all that great sitting in all day..i could add a boat seat but I need it to be as light as possible

[3300]

i use reflectex on the roof and i don t get dripped on any more.

This sounds very interesting,while my velcro is still intact I would like to do this.....
Any diagrams or pictures?

i have the conduit bent and in my basement that i fooled with it on. i didn't like them being on because they stood up when the shack is open and i think it would be in my way when i fish it open like i do a lot..

what i did was measure how far down to the floor it is when the shanty is in the closed position and where the conduit might fit closest to the tub. i want to say 11" but it was a few years ago. measure from the tub to a point where the last bar is that does touch the ice is so when you add another bar and attach it to it, it will be flat to the bottom of the ice, say 40", then you mount the short bend to the bottom bar and the long end to the same bottom bar. so you have added a "J" to it. make your parts longer than needed, it's easier to cut them to fit than make them longer.
attaching the fabric to the tent i didn't go thru with because i stopped when i had the J attached and didn't like the height of those added bars when opened. the shappell rover i copied it from made slits in his tent and used velcro to attach the tent to the added "J" bars.
i wish i knew how to make the bend sharper than the conduit bended allows so the short part of the "J" goes behind the tub and then you could use the velcro fabric already there. you probably can anyway, but would be nicer if it came back behind the tub more.
i could take a picture of the bent conduit i used experimenting, but you know the approach used and it's just a "J" shaped hunk of conduit.
maybe some other ways could be used like adding conduit to the bottom where the skirt starts with loops on the inside and a receiver to hold it so it's two parts instead of one.

pretty sure you don't have to worry about velcro falling off. if it did, you can reglue it or get it fixed under warranty or have a shoe repair place fix you up.
maybe magnets would work with a steel plate. you got me thinking again.

[Greg2ha]

I own a Scout and a Rover 1 and use them both. Both were similar in space but the Rover was lighter. I have mods for both of them but the Scout I haven't taken any pics yet. Not sure if weight is an issue to you or if new models are closer to the same weight now.

[diabetik11]

I went and sat in the clam tonight, don't like the seat how flimsy it feels, and I don't like how my head is hitting the roof but I do like the thermal part of it. Now I just need to drive an hr one way to go look at the shappell tomorrow

[graybeard1]

I like my fx100. I'm 6'1 and 230 and spent many long days in mine last year. Not roomy but adequate. I like to travel light and it works fine for me. Got room for heater, auger and a couple buckets with my stuff in the sled and that's all I need. Bought a cheap stadium seat at Walmart to put on the bench and that really helps the back. Very happy with it.

[Wingthing]

i stopped when i had the J attached and didn't like the height of those added bars when opened. the shappell rover i copied it from made slits in
i wish i knew how to make the bend sharper than the conduit bended allows so the short part of the "J" goes behind the tub and then you could use the velcro fabric already there. you probably can anyway, but would be nicer if it came back behind the tub more.
i could take a picture of the bent conduit i used experimenting, but you know the approach used and it's just a "J" shaped hunk of conduit.
maybe some other ways could be used like adding conduit to the bottom where the skirt starts with loops on the inside and a receiver to hold it so it's two parts instead of one.

pretty sure you don't have to worry about velcro falling off. if it did, you can reglue it or get it fixed under warranty or have a shoe repair place fix you up.
maybe magnets would work with a steel plate. you got me thinking again.

I thought is was a simple fix lol... And yes the Velcro peeled off my sled within 10 uses...I don't remember seeing anywhere on the website where it mentioned the Velcro connection when purchasing the FX100 after fishing the Recon for years & my buddies Scout the Velcro was an unwelcomed surprise. I haven't noticed the seams that much but I'm usually busy staring at my Vex.