Please welcome Eyoyo Underwater Fishing Cameras.https://amzn.to/3siEgXn
I looked up ice climbing screws and you're right, they're pretty expensive! The cheapest I found was $40 for one screw! The Cabelas Deluxe Anchor set looks good but they're sold out with no indication of restocking. The Eskimo anchors are readily available though.
Polar bird 3T is all packed up and ready for its first trip to the ice. Can't wait to break it in with some fish! Heading north for a few days hope to hook a few touge.
My daughter won a Polar Bird 2T yesterday at the Jack Traps kids derby!!! We set it up in her bedroom last night to check it out. Looks like a really nice shelter. I can't wait to get it on the ice. The folks at Jack Traps really put on a great event. The turnout was impressive despite the weather.
Let us know how you like it! Congratulations!
Well the Polar Bird did great! Got on to a bunch of fish stayed very warm and dry. It was a warmer day and we had a couple of inches of water running across the ice but with my floor i didn't have any issues, the water stayed out of my shack. it was also raining (first time i have ever seen a group on the ice with an umbrella) only had a few drips of water get in around the roof hub and windy sides hub. I'm sure i can fix that with some waterproof spray. Overall it was a great weekend. Thank you Polar Bird for a great product!
After fishing with my 4T Polar Bird here are a few more tips. If the wind is blowing anchor a corner into the wind because the wind will collapse a side if it is squared off to the wind. The anchors cannot stand much pressure and must be drilled into the ice as far as the loop or else they will bend. Black ice is hard to put the anchors in because the ice will shatter. Putting in the anchors is the most time consuming thing of the whole set-up. Ice climbing anchors are the best because of the hollow center allowing the ice shavings a place to go. When setting up on a windy day it is best to anchor the four corners down before popping out the sides. Just my two cents.
You can definitely bend the Eskimo ice anchors... Just ask my friend who borrowed my shanty! After that happened I always make sure to screw them down all the way. My quick fish 3 is probably only good for one more season and I will be taking a serious look at the polar bird. My kahtoola micro spikes never leave my ice fishing boots (big tree fall hard), can the floor really handle those?