IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Canada => Ice Fishing Manitoba => Topic started by: Coleman on Jan 15, 2008, 08:14 PM
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just wondering who all purchased new portables this year and looking for any feedback on make and quality of material,ease of set up and take down,and how it stand;s up on windy day's.any like's or dislike's .
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I just got one of those quick pop up huts. The one that packs into a back pack. Stayed warm enough at -25, but with no wind. I think that one may be a little tough to manage in the high winds. It might as well be a sail for ice boarding.
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fish trap yukon. won't look back!
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I bought the fish trap guide series, one step lower than the yukon. Love it! Wanted the Yukon, but I am still in chiropractic school on a short budget- great shack for the price-I picked it up for 300 at Gander. It is a two seater, but I left one seat out for now for extra room for all my gear, and I normally fish in it myself anyways. Great material, extra storage pouches, storage hamuck under each seat, two vent windows on the side,window in front n back, zipper D door in front- so you don't have to lift the trap, door in back for optional hookup to another shack( a fishing buddy), easy to put up n take down, easy to load/unload, roomy, easy to move from one spot to another. I have mine set up with lights, lots of room with my vex, heater, 2-3 holes drilled, bucket, rods ect. I was out on it on a few days w 20+ mile/hr winds and it did good.
Overall great shack! Even thought I really like this shack- if I wasn't on a short budget I would have bought the Yukon so I could stand up in it and I tend to set the hook like I am throwing the rod over my head so that little extra room would be nice.
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I have a Yukon fish trap and I have not found any thing I do not like about it . This the second season that I have used it and there is still no problems.
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I have an HT popup. I picked it up for $65 at Cabela's bargain cave off season.It is easy to set up but not that good in the wind. It is not as big as I would have liked and the material is very light. 2 of us fish in it with all of our gear.The price was right but you get what you pay for. Next shelter will be a 2 man flip over. I will look in the spring for some end of season bargains at Scheels, Home of Economy, Cabela's in Grand Forks
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i got one of the shapel dx 4000's last year. came with skis that pop down from the shelter. the first time i brought it out i lost one of the roof suport beams so i have been using it with only one suport in the roof. i havent had any problems yet and it has been out over night in 40+ MPH winds. shapel was realy good about sending a new beam for me at a very reasonable price. the only drawback is the size when not in use. other than that i would strongly recomend
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i bought a fish trap yukon a couple of years ago, i ended up getting it for about 250.00. the wife and kid use it and it has a nice design the only thing that i do not like is the weight, it gets heavy.
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I am looking at a purchasing a shelter myself, so the consensus is the fish trap?
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buy the best you can afford. Not knocking the cheap shelters, but if you are going to use it a good bit during the season, and not twice a year, buy a fish trap or one of the otters. I went a whole season without a shelter, just to save enough to buy my yukon the next summer. Remember, you get what you pay for.
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got the quick fish 6 6'x12' so far really like it very fast and easy to set up have had not trouble with the wind yet they have a good set of ice screws with it. built a floor for it so it is very comfortable now.
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I have the 4 man Ice Cube and I couldn't be happier!
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I have an HT popup. I picked it up for $65 at Cabela's bargain cave off season.It is easy to set up but not that good in the wind. It is not as big as I would have liked and the material is very light. 2 of us fish in it with all of our gear.The price was right but you get what you pay for. Next shelter will be a 2 man flip over. I will look in the spring for some end of season bargains at Scheels, Home of Economy, Cabela's in Grand Forks
...take some bungee cords and hook above the first joint to the anchor screw to keep the rods from folding in the winds works great Tom
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Too Bad they still don't (can't) sell the Eskimos here. Was lucky enough to pick up a used Quick Flip II Deluxe (was like new) & this thing is sooooooo sweet. Quick set up, lighter than the other sleigh models & I can bring EVERYTHING with me if I chose to walk: auger, heater, propane, lantern, & all fishing gear. Pulls so easy compared to others. Have set it up in 55+ km winds with no problems. Plenty of space for 2 people, easy to keep warm & LOVE that bench. Made a few nice attachments to maximize space.
I'd strongly recommend to anyone who's thinking about picking one up in the US. Worth every penny. Don't forget to get a cover with it.
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Depends...if you have a snowmobile, I'd say the Otter Magnum Lodge or Fish Trap Voyager is the way to go. Pricey, but high quality. Pulling by hand? I first bought an HT Polar Iceman 2nd hand at first because thats all I could afford, material was pretty weak so I moved on to the 4 Man Ice cube last year....I found it limited my mobility, so I sold it this year and bought an Otter Den. I still think the Ice Cube is a decent shelter, especially if you like to set up and fish a spot.
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I picked up an otter pro den small package a little while ago. Not only did i get it at a great price material and craftsmanship are second to none. It is the perfect size for one person and all their gear. Haven't had to pull it through any deep snow yet but I don't think that it will be a problem. I believe that otter still has them for sale on their site.
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Know what you mean about those Otters. Talk about heavy duty construction. Saw some americans at BB with them & couldn't believe how good they were built, but there's no way you're pulling that by hand......sled or quad a must. They had the Resort & Lodge models which I believe are the 2 & 3 man models.
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I purchased the Fishtrap Pro for myself and a Fishtrap Scout for my son this year. I can get both into my truck at the same time and they are both highly mobile on the ice. I really like them.
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Just an FYI for anyone- Reeds Sporting Goods out of Minnesota just put the Fish Trap YUKON on sale for $399, Great Price!
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i also have a eastman ice cube 2 man just wondering if anybody has noticed a lot of small pin holes in there ice cube as well.
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8) 8)I bought a 2 man Frabrill trekker flip up it has 2 seats the sleigh is very easy to pull It sets up very easy.I love it.
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i also have a eastman ice cube 2 man just wondering if anybody has noticed a lot of small pin holes in there ice cube as well.
They all seem to do that (I've been in 4 or 5 different ones). They do get worse over time, but I haven't seen one wear through yet...
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Depends...if you have a snowmobile, I'd say the Otter Magnum Lodge or Fish Trap Voyager is the way to go. Pricey, but high quality. Pulling by hand? I first bought an HT Polar Iceman 2nd hand at first because thats all I could afford, material was pretty weak so I moved on to the 4 Man Ice cube last year....I found it limited my mobility, so I sold it this year and bought an Otter Den. I still think the Ice Cube is a decent shelter, especially if you like to set up and fish a spot.
Ash....
I'd like to know what you meant by "it limited my mobility"?
Blue Igloo :tipup:
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Frabils are HEAVY compared to Eskiomo & others. Also not as easy to pull.
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I move around a lot when I fish....it takes longer to set up and take down the Ice Cube than it does to set up an Otter or similar type of shelter, especially if it is windy out and you are by yourself. It depends on your style of fishing....if you prefer to set up on a spot and spend a few hours there, the difference probably doesn't matter. But if you are moving every 15 minutes, a sled type quickflip is the way to go.
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Sorry Blue, I think I would side with Ash, while the cube is amazing as far as getting to the spot, and setting up is fast enough, it is a bit worry some to tear down and move (time in the cold +wind). I think i would like the otter better too, but it is big, so I would need a trailer to haul it and a snowmobile, but once on the lake mobility would be better. (and I told the wife I thought I didn't need any more Ice fishing stuff ::))
Oh and coleman, you need those holes for venting the cube with your heater in there ;D ::), yes there all like that, I was concerned too where I first set mine up.
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Last year I purchased an Eskimo Quik flip II just before they were yanked off the shelves.
It has been great. Plenty of room to store my Jiffy and auger blade, propane tank and heater, fish graph, small shovel, rods, tackle and a small cooler with lunch.
I also have the Sleigh hitch to tow it behind my snowmobile.
This is where I found a weekness in what was an almost perfect ice shack.
The light weight plastic sleigh tray it all fits into proved insuficient on the hard ice trails left behind in a slushy lake. The front corners took a pounding.
It turns out that the Jet Sled XL from the Fishin' Hole is a very good (and tough) replacement. Very few mods. were needed to swap out the sleighs.
It's how I made a great shack even better.
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why did they pull the quick flip II from the shelves?
I have a 4 man ice cube and am getting a flip type two man
So I can move and set up quick. The cube was great for
two seasons but now I want to move up.
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Eskimos were pulled last year because some yahoo in Alberta burnt his down around himself while drunk. Then, he had the audacity to complain to the gov't that it wasn't fire retardant enough so CSA started testing all shacks.
They're back on the market this year because of new & supposedly better fire retardant.
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will Eskimo QFII bench hold
my 300 lbs and someone else?
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I own one & don't see why they wouldn't. Pretty sturdy benches.
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If you like the sturdiness and accessories (and weight) of the Otter Sleds, check out this company's shelter built for the Otter sled. I had one of their "Northlander" models for 8 years and sold it and upgraded to their Otter skin setup with the insulation. You get an outer layer of canvas, a layer of thinsulate, and then a light colored inside canvas layer. Their zippers are also top notch. My house is super easy to heat and lights up so easy since there isn't the dark canvas to absorb all the light. You won't catch me pulling it out by hand more than once or twice a year though. A sled is a must. They are also pricey, but I think I will have it for 10-15 years based upon my experience with one of their previous products.
http://www.canvascraftinc.com/iceshelters.html
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i like to see a topic that i started over a year ago still going strong...as is the same with my ice cube right to -57 still all together...can't say the same about myself..lmao..
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A little off topic here but I am thinking about building a foldup selter this summer out of plywood, does anyone have any plans or tips they can share with me for the build?
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k well....we used ours today at lake manitoba...and they said it was gusting to 60 km...felt like more... but the shacks were holding down...if all pegs were down i would have been a little more confident in it...the hard part was taking it down in the gusting wind...it would have been like a huge kite that flew away lol
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Heard it was well over 80k west of the city today & I SURE beleive that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jitty, I have some plans somehwere, I'll look for them & let you know.
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Eskimo 3, easy to set up, good in the wind, cross braces give it great support.
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Used a Cabella's 2 man pop up tent and have not been happy with it.
After 4 uses from new it had broke 2 arms on the roof, the paint on the brackets has peeled off and is rusting, and the fabric seems rather stretched and unreliable, but who knows could just be me.
One good part is as it was bought in the states Cabella's USA has agreed to send replacement arms to replace the dmg. bad part is a third one broke since talking to them.
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I got the Fish Trap Vouyager. I am pleased with it. Very roomie for two and just right for a kid as well. We had three 3000 btu heaters going in real nasty weather (-30 celcius with a wind chill warning) and we were comfortable!