Transporting Ice Fishing Equipment Question

[Ice-Bing]

Hey all you out there,
Just wondering what different methods you use to transport your ice fishing equipment to and from the lake.
I made a smitty sled last winter, and a wood tonneau cover for the 8' box on my truck that it slides nicely underneath.  But it means taking everything off the sled when i put it under the cover and vice versa when i arrive to the lake but I worry about things flying out of the open bed of my truck, as well as it filling with snow in the winter.

What have you guys done to ease your transport and on/off loading of ice equipment.

[FG Steve]

For years I have put most of my equipment, including a homemade ice fishing sled (glorified box on skis) into the back of my SUV, then pulled two snow machines on a flatbed tilt trailer.  Arrive, unload sleds, pack gear, head out.

This year I'm transitioning to a drive on/off trailer and moving the ice fishing sled to the trailer with the snowmobiles.  But I'm still going to be in an arrive-pack-depart mode, with a pile of gear in the vehicle.  Just cant stomach the expense of an enclosed trailer to be pre-packed, and I can't bear road gunk on my gear.

[RyanW]

Well, considering the hatch on my HHR won't open, I take out my kids booster seats and put my jetsled in empty through my back door. Then I load my sled. Once I get to the lake I empty the sled, then remove the sled, then load up again. After that, I walk about 1/2 mile out and set up shop. When it's time to move to a different lake or when I'm done for the day, I do the same process in reverse. Load, unload, load, walk.....

That's a big reason why I invested in a Milwaukee M18 Fuel for the upcoming season. One less hassle I have to deal with that takes up too much fishing time.