Eskimo Evo 2

[59Cummins]

I've seen where a few of you guys have posted that you bought a EVO 2 but not much feedback other than first impressions.  I've been using a Clam suitcase deal for yrs but now I want to upgrade to a flip.  The reason I've eyed the evo is all the room.  I've got a 4yr old girl who is hooked on ice fishing, have to twist her arm to come off the ice and now the wife would like to come too.  So I want a flip that can hold two adults and a couple toddlers from time to time.  The evo looks like it would have room for a couple small chairs and thats what I'm asking.   Would it fit my ice crew?  I know it would be crowded and thats fine since it wouldn't be offen that everyone goes.  Shoot I usually don't get a chance to fish with guests, baiting hooks and taking fish off.  So would the evowork for me?  Also now that some of you have had them a few mmonths how are they holding up?

[Big Musky]

wondering about these too. they look like a great design.

[Nutsicles]

I looked at one on display at gander mountain, and I wasn't impressed. The sled itself is really small, and with the two chairs, two hub walls, and rear frame that all pack into the sled, you won't have much room for gear.

It's more "hub" than it is a "flipover". It's a neat design, but there are so many better options out there.

 The video below gives a good view inside and out, and the sled size. But he did cut out the part where he broke down the shanty and packed it. So that makes me wonder how big of a pain it is to move on the ice. Overall I think it would be a bit small for what you need.

Check it out.    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lec_hy4g1I

[IceFishinTy]

I stopped by a cabelas tonight and looked at both the one and the two, I think you could probably get two adults and 1 young person into the two. What I did not like was how big a pain it was to set up and take down. Eskimos you tube makes it look really easy, but in the store tonight it was a pain in the neck, maybe it would get easier with more practice. I think the concept is really cool, but hopefully there will be some revisions that make it a little more user friendly on their next release. If you do get it, let us know what you think after a few trips out, it is a great concept.

[Chris338378]

Someone posted some pictures on here of the EVO2 in the Pennsylvania section.  I haven't seen one set up completely but it looks like there would be enough of room for what you want to do with it. 

Here's a link to the post:  http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=322992.msg3403914#msg3403914

[1rksolid]

I checked them out at Reed's Sporting Goods when on vacation.  Was really impressed 35cft fishing area for a 2 man was a lot more than the 20 cft currently in my Clam Nanook.   Went home sold my Nanook and ordered a EVO2 from Reeds.  At this time waiting for house to arrive so I can set it up,install lights, etc and take my  first trip on the ice.

[32footsteps]

I was able to look at one on display and came away pretty impressed/intrigued.  It won't be for everyone and that's ok...just like a true hub isn't for everyone and a flip over isn't for everyone.  It all depends on what your own personal needs and preferences are.  When I looked at it I took the time to take it down and set it back up to get a feel for how it all went together.  Before doing that I was skeptical but now I could see this set up being a decent addition to my arsenal.  Others might not share that opinion and that's fine.  If an Evo2 is the best portable for you then by all means get the thing. 

What I think is great about it is that it rethinks portable fishing shelters.  This area of the market has gotten a little bit stale the past few years and there's only so much you can do with a flip over or a hub.  This provides a compromise.  Not quite as quick to move around as a flip over but easier and quicker to move around than a hub is if you want to stay on the move.   

[ice dawg]

I would love to have an EVO2. Probably a bit too large at times, but the EVO1 would be a bit too small for an old guy to stand up and stretch now and then.

[59Cummins]

Yeah I need to find one on display so I can try it out.  I've watched every YouTube I can find.  It doesn't seem to be any more trouble to set up than my suitcase style unit.  I looked at the Citadel too but 130lbs seems like a lot to pull by hand.   I really don't lile the hub style they seem like a huge pain but man do they have the room.  I guess that's why the Evo has my attention.   Wish I could trip over one on the ice so I could really see one in action.

[ice dawg]

Yeah I need to find one on display so I can try it out.  I've watched every YouTube I can find.  It doesn't seem to be any more trouble to set up than my suitcase style unit.  I looked at the Citadel too but 130lbs seems like a lot to pull by hand.   I really don't lile the hub style they seem like a huge pain but man do they have the room.  I guess that's why the Evo has my attention.   Wish I could trip over one on the ice so I could really see one in action.

X2

[BGhostman]

An Eskimo Evo2 may work this year and next year, but it may not work in five years from now.  You may need more room for 3 to 4 people.  You may want to keep the Clam for when your by yourself and think of a pop up/hub  for when the whole gang wants to go. 

[Chris338378]

An Eskimo Evo2 may work this year and next year, but it may not work in five years from now.  You may need more room for 3 to 4 people.  You may want to keep the Clam for when your by yourself and think of a pop up/hub  for when the whole gang wants to go.

That's a really good point considering how fast kids grow.

[59Cummins]

They'll grow for sure
I didn't want multiple shelters but maybe your right.   Still going to look at the evo.  My clam is kinda cramped.  Would be nice to be able to stand up now and again.

[Vandam616]

I looked at the evo 2 last week all in all I liked the shanty but the main point that turned me away from it was the fact that the two swivel chairs are fixed at the end of the sled and if both poeple rotate towards the outside the backs of the chairs hit eachother. I ended up buying the frabill Aegis 2110 perfect for the money I spent($311) plenty of room for 2 poeple maybe check out the higher models of it might have a touch more room

[Nutsicles]

Look at the gander mountain 8x8 insulated hub. I was really impressed with it when I seen one all set up at the store. They're $300 and come with 2 chairs and 8 ice anchors. Some others on here say they are the same anchors as the eskimo ice anchors. They were on sale a while back for $200, and I really wish I would have bought one. Even at $300 it's a great deal. I'll be saving some money for one next season.

  3300 posted a preview of his on here.
http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=320731.0

[Johnsonarcher]

Here is a video where the guy does a walk through in his yard, looks kind of tight for four people in my opinion.

[bryantb2]

Just purchased the EVO2 yesterday. Assembly was a bit of a pain but i really like it once assembled. I have been fishing in an old two man flip over for several years and the difference in fishing space is huge. It looks like you could easily fish a third person either on a bucket or folding chair. As far as set up and take down goes both took less than a minute the first time I did it. The only down falls I see are is there isn't very much room in the sled with the shanty folded up and it looks like I will need to use the ice anchors in windy conditions.

[59Cummins]

Just purchased the EVO2 yesterday. Assembly was a bit of a pain but i really like it once assembled. I have been fishing in an old two man flip over for several years and the difference in fishing space is huge. It looks like you could easily fish a third person either on a bucket or folding chair. As far as set up and take down goes both took less than a minute the first time I did it. The only down falls I see are is there isn't very much room in the sled with the shanty folded up and it looks like I will need to use the ice anchors in windy conditions.

Thanks for the report!  I'm sold on the thing.  Might not be perfect but what is.
I think I'm going to wait at this point to maybe catch one on sale towards the end of the season.

[32footsteps]

  I really don't lile the hub style they seem like a huge pain but man do they have the room.  I guess that's why the Evo has my attention.   

There is a learning curve with hub shelters and I'm certain there will be for the Evo as well.  I am much, much more efficient with my hub now than I was the first year I had the thing.  It's not a pain once you figure out the way you respond to the quirks that happen.  When I first got mine I struggled setting it up in windy conditions.  Now it's a cinch.  More confidence, more experience, and I'm better prepared. 

This is why anyone considering an Evo should find one on display.  Sit in it, move the seats around, take it down, set it up, etc.  Get that personal "hands on" feel setting it up and taking it down in a controlled environment.  Or if you purchase one do this at home in a garage.  Just looking at it on a video or reading directions doesn't do as much as the hands on learning. 

[wiel0059]

There is a learning curve with hub shelters and I'm certain there will be for the Evo as well.  I am much, much more efficient with my hub now than I was the first year I had the thing.  It's not a pain once you figure out the way you respond to the quirks that happen.  When I first got mine I struggled setting it up in windy conditions.  Now it's a cinch.  More confidence, more experience, and I'm better prepared. 

This is why anyone considering an Evo should find one on display.  Sit in it, move the seats around, take it down, set it up, etc.  Get that personal "hands on" feel setting it up and taking it down in a controlled environment.  Or if you purchase one do this at home in a garage.  Just looking at it on a video or reading directions doesn't do as much as the hands on learning.

You took the words out of my mouth (or off my keyboard? lol)! I actually had a chance to work with these at an ice event I helped with at a local retailer in December. I loved the room / concept of them right away, but setting them up / taking them down on Friday was a bit difficult. Saturday it was easier, and by Sunday it wasn't difficult at all (I looked like the guys in the video lol) after doing it a few times and understanding the best way to do it. Your Hub comment is what I was going to mention. When I got my 6120i it was a process. Now that I've done it a ton of times getting it up / down is very easy. Same with these, you can't judge by doing it once. The guys in the video have done it a few times, remember...

[sledneck22]

I have an EVO 2 and finally used it last weekend. I was like all, hesitant right away about setting it up and down. But I did it in the store a couple times and just had some small hitches like catching the seats and such. Now that i've set it up and down a couple times, it goes pretty easy. But I'm also one that's going to search for fish before setting up shack. Once I am set up on fish I don't want to move too much. Thus when I'm set up, I want to most room and comfort for my buck. Which is why I went with the Evo 2.
Feel free to shoot me any questions one might have regarding this shelter, It seems not too many of us have one yet or had the opportunity to use it.

[matzilla]

I think they'd be perfect for sit and fish style fishing....like a lot of us do on backwaters or heavily wood/brush structured lakes.

[beerduck]

my concern is the room for storage in the sled do you lose a lot of room  about what percentage of room is lost folded down compared to the regular flip style is there

[sledneck22]

my concern is the room for storage in the sled do you lose a lot of room  about what percentage of room is lost folded down compared to the regular flip style is there

I had a frabill 2 man Trekker before this. The amount of storage is about the same imo. You can group all the flip/hub material over to one side and push it in between the seat supports so it's all to one side.
I normally only take one bucket with me and I don't have my rod case in there but it hauls everything I need it to. The heater doesn't have to sit on top of the fabric/material, it can sit underneath the seats too if you wanted.
The only thing that is a pain for me with the way it packs, if is you have some loose things in the bottom of the sled rolling around and you want to pick them out without setting up the shack. Like I had a bottom of Diet Dew in the sled and from all the moving I did, it rolled under the tarp and I had to dig a little without setting up the shack. It wasn't too bad though.

[jcrow75]

I just bought my EVO 2 this afternoon. I have to put it together yet. I am very excited about it and can't wait to get it out on the ice. Thing is there hasn't been much ice in Western NY. It's coming though!

[sledneck22]

I just wanted to put a few more notes here since having my evo 2 out this last weekend.
Fishing with 2 people in the shack is awesome. Plenty of room and the ability to put the holes 8' apart helps a lot too. At one point the holes in opposite sides of the shack were in 11' and 15' of water. This helped narrow down where the fish were on the break.
Also, you need to anchor the shack down if there's any wind. I found that 2-3 anchors is plenty. One in the back, do this first, Then one or 2 more depending on which direction the wind is coming from. I'm going to invest in an adapter for the anchors for a drill or quick wrench.
The vertical supports that go in the front of the shack (hub side) are not necessary. I didn't install these as all yesterday and the shelter stood perfectly fine.
Also, if you want to move the shack say 20-30 yards. It drug just fine over the ice when pulled from the rear. If you're going to move more than that, then knocking down the hubs is required.
Getting used to setup and take down now and it's pretty easy. Much easier than a regular hub. I had no problem setting this shack up by myself in the dark. (anchor the rear, pull the shack up and pop the hubs, install rear vertical supports inside, anchor the front accordingly)
I was a little skeptical after my first time out but since a few adjustments on my end setting up and down I really like this shack and prefer it to my old flip over.
One last note, it was -10 when i fished yesterday, with my Mr. Buddy header on low, it warmed up nicely with a bit of condensation on the roof. But it drips on the edges not in the center so it wasn't bad at all being not thermal.
If anyone has further questions feel free to ask or send me a PM.
Regards,
Sled

[ice dawg]

Good review, thanks. I want one.

[hanley614]

Sledneck - quick question, any concerns with the roof collapsing?  I actually went to one store to purchase, but noticed the roof to be sagging a bit.  When I tapped on the roof to try to mock what I might experience with a gust of wind, it fairly easily collapsed.  This is of particular concern to me, since the windy days outnumber the calm ones, in recent memory (fishing ND and MN), and it seems a good gust could cause the roof to collapse on me, which could turn into a nuisance.  Thinking it may have been a faulty unit, or just the way they had it set up, I went to another local store and the roof on the demo unit was already collapsed.  I put it back up, and it seemed similarly susceptible to collapsing.  In general, it seems due to the size of the roof of the evo 2 that it might be more susceptible to collapsing, since the evo 1, with a smaller roof area, did not appear to sag at all.  Maybe anchoring it helps provide more roof support?  That all said, I'll probably still get one, and just place an extending tent pole in the middle, for more support on windy days.  Lastly, the chairs seemed fairly loose on the 2 demos I saw - any concern there?

[sledneck22]

The roof on mine has never been saggy. Actually, it's really tight, because this weekend i went to hook my gloves through one of the roof supports and I had a hard time getting the sinch snap on my glove between the hub pole and the outer material. I think you were looking at a malfunction unit or an incorrect setup? But mine was set up in about 15-20 mph winds Saturday and with it anchored down, nothing really moved.
My chairs are not loose at all. There is quite a bit to install on these out of the box and each chair has 4 bolts that need to be tightened in order to not be "loose". I would be willing to bet they didn't tighten everything (bolt assemblies) down as required for the floor model.

[Big fish tuck]

Can't wait to pick one of these up