anyone have Real world experience with 4 season wheel house?

[T-Hawker]

My wife and I have a 26' travel trailer and a 6x10 permie shack that I built last year on a pop-up camper frame.  After we went to the St Paul Ice Show in December and saw all the wheelhouses it got our "wheels" turning.  Don't think I'd have to ask her twice to get a wheel house if it could realistically double for camping (we'd sell the travel trailer).  We live in Northern WI.  We use the camper about 4 times per summer... week long vacation, two 4 day off-road race weekends (Crandon baby) and a music festival.

Last year we were driving on lakes with the wife's Jeep Cherokee pulling the permie by Jan 3.  Could have done it this past weekend already.  I'm guessing we'd use the wheel-house 6-8 times a year and now that our daughter is getting old enough to be on her own (she's not a big fishing fan unless they are biting), my wife and I would likely do a lot of overnights on the ice if we had a good wheelhouse (I'm going to be camping in our permie this weekend for the first time but the wife will drive the short 3 miles back home for the night).

My question...

For anyone who has previously had a travel trailer and replaced it with a four season Fish House... are you glad you did it?  Would you do it again?  Did you go full bathroom / shower (that is one thing we'd definitely miss if we didn't have).  Do you feel you compromise a lot when using the fish house for summer camping? 

Also, just curious why I don't see more wheelhouses in Wisconsin?  Even if the Northern part of the state where I live they are very rare... I think I've seen 2 on local lakes but people drive trucks on most lakes 8-10 weeks a year so I don't think it's an ice thickness / safety issue.  Gradually seem like more fish houses are migrating east from MN but not even too many dealers in our area.


Welcome any input.  Thx.

[bearlake16]

I have a Lot of the same questions. I think some of the problem is price of the units. My biggest concern is how do they tow over long distance with there axel system. I’m interested on what reply’s will show up on your thread.

[cstolp]

Every year I get the itch.  Like you I'd use it all year, but those things are heavy.  The ice castle 17' RV addition is like 5000#.

[tornadochaser60]

While I don't own one personally, I can rattle off 10-15 friends that own various factory built wheel houses.  Some bought full RV packages, some just use their wheel house in the summer by adding a window unit A/C.  I'll be fishing out of a 22' ice castle of my buddy's this weekend, that one has been to 4 states and canada with zero towing issues.

Some weekends at my cabin, there will be 3-5 ice castles parked there as my friends will bring them up to use as sleeping quarters.  Another buddy parks his at a lake here in SD and uses it every weekend in the summer.  I know guys that tow theirs out to Sturgis, We-Fest, tow them down south in the winter to camp in for hog hunts and waterfowl hunts, etc.  Buy a reputable brand and you shouldn't have any issues with towing long distances.