One man shack and gas power auger

[Rehtnug185vx]

Hey Guys and Gals!!!!  I am thinking about getting a one man shelter this year to be more mobile and for those only couple hours on the ice times.  I have a DX4000 now and like it a lot.  Works great for hauling the auger on top of it.  Just not the best to take down fast and move around muck..  yA YA you know what I mean.....

So my question-- What is the best way to haul your power gas auger with you on your one man shack.   I will be pulling it with man power only.  I have been leaning towards the clam kenai or scout exp models.   Just wondering what works good for the folks with these kinds of shelters.

Thanks

[esox_magnum]

I use a Kenai and just lay my Nils on the shack...I wouldnt recomend that shack though drags hard and after light use the black is flaking off the inside....When I find an Otter 1 man I'll be dumping the clam....

[Rehtnug185vx]

Thanks esox great info.  Is the black just a coating of some kind or is it the material wearing out, do you know.  I really like the lay out of the kenai though.  long sled.  drags hard though?   even when using longer rope or is it the weight of the auger?

[Rehtnug185vx]

Has any one else that has owned a kenai had the same issue as esox is having with the inside of the sled?   Just curious..

[esox_magnum]

No drags hard, my buddy was pulling both his and mine said mine drug 3 times harder than his and he had my auger on his shack....The black is a coating on the inside of the shack...Plus a 21 pound auger shouldnt even be a concern, Honestly I would rather drag my 3 man Eskimo

[Rehtnug185vx]

awesome info.   Do you or does any body know much about the scout exp model.   How does the side hold up with the removable chair bar attached to it???

Do the scout models pull easier then the kenai?


I am looking for a shack that has fixed pole design.   

[jumbo chaser]

Wow those one man shacks must pull hard . I have clam voyager two man and have had it in South Dakota in 12" of snow with a Eskimo heavy auger on it and it pulls fine for me but I'm 197 lbs 6' and have worked outside most of my life but I'm starting to get older so it may become a problem sooner than I would like .  Do the one man sleds pull harder probably because they are a lot narrower

[LarryClutch]

I have an Eskimo Quick Flip 2 and a Jiffy Pro4 and it pulls pretty easy.  I will be purchasing the UHMW runners for the bottom here soon to make it even easier.  My advise would be to consider a 2 man.  Having the extra room at least for me is very nice. Also you have more room for your heater, flasher, 3 or 4 holes and your beverages.  Then if you ever want to take a buddy out, there is a seat for him.

[Rehtnug185vx]

Thanks for all the info and updates.   I want to keep it simple and light.  My shappell shack works great for two men and gear.  I want to be able to load and unload easy and not worry about getting hurt trying to man handle a bigger shack like a yukon, voyager or even nanook.  The scout, scout exp, and kenai all weigh about 50 lbs.   I don't like the idea of having to fight the poles putting them up and down each time I want to move.  Space is nice, but I want to be quick easy and light. 

Can any one comment on the poles that I am referring to on the sides.  How hard is it to slide them up and down by yourself in the bigger wider two men shacks.

I have a friend that has a pro tc and it seems like he fights them each time he goes out.  Have to almost slide them together evenly to get them up and down at all with some what of ease.  I am worried that with a wider two man this would be a challange? 

What about the scout sleds, how well do they pull on the snow does any one know?

[phisherman]

What Larry said.  I have a 2 man Frabill Deluxe, plenty of room to haul a gas auger in there and room for heater, flasher, extra holes, and person.  I take the second seat out when going solo, to get rid of the additional 10-15 lbs of weight, and it weighs about the same as a one man.  It doesn't pull too bad, effortless on clean ice, but hauling it a mile over 2 feet of snow with full gear gives you a pretty good workout, assuming this would be labor intensive with just about any sled though...  I am considering an Otter for my next flipover, they have that nice draft skirt on the inside that looks like it would block the wind from coming in from behind on the floor corners.  Not sure why everyone else doesn't have that draft skirt, I wish my Frabill did.

[Rehtnug185vx]

I have a jet sled suv that is just about the same size as the scout and legend clam shelters sleds.  It pulls pretty easy in the snow with all my gear in it.  Probably weighs more than a one man would with two burner heater twenty pound tank two flashers and misc. poles and tackle.  I pull both my shappell with auger on it and jet sled with gear right now by myself.  Weight really is not a issue as the shappell dx4000 weighs about 75 alone and is ackward in size.   

I used to have a pick up with a bed cover that was easy to load the shappell in.   lift up a corner drag it over rest it on the tail gate pick up the back and slid it in.  throw sled on top of it with auger and heater and gear behind it in the truck bed and off I went.

I have a new vehicle (minivan) I will  now be using to haul my equipment around in.   So loading will be differant this year.  Not as tall to lift things into but will have to be more careful of the rear bumper not scratching it all up loading and unloading.   lol 

>>>>>>>>>My main concern is with the bigger two men shacks that have the poles that slide up and down.  How hard will it be for one guy to get them up and down together by yourself and the time it will take to do it each time you want to get up and move and the headache it will be in the long run...    Clip not locking into place or breaking off not allowing pole to lock into place.   Like I said, my buddy has a pro tc that he seams to fight with the poles all the time he moves.   

This is why I am leaning towards the kenai or scout models.   Just don't like the fact I heard the kenai pulls hard and flakes off.  Must be the differant material they used on the sled.  Are other clam sleds made from the same material the kenai is does any one know. 

Just trying to get feedback to help make a wise purchase for the future adventures on the hard water.

Thanks

[jkujawa81]

Check out the new one man eskimos

[drewgills]

i love my kenai .on bare ice she pulls like a dream.. with snow its like any other loaded down shack.  i put a boat seat in mine , the molded tray and rod and cup holders are nice , best one man sled.  solid tub

[esox_magnum]

i love my kenai .on bare ice she pulls like a dream.. with snow its like any other loaded down shack.  i put a boat seat in mine , the molded tray and rod and cup holders are nice , best one man sled.  solid tub

 I couldnt pull mine up a hill I can pull my 3 man up last weekend, buddy had no issues with his old clam 1 man ( no idea what model) He helped me finish the hill and asked why mine pulled so much harder than his, we still dont know why...

[jumbo chaser]

Ya hills seem to get taller every year I think it has something to do with our ages . We're not getting any younger

[esox_magnum]

Ya hills seem to get taller every year I think it has something to do with our ages . We're not getting any younger

 So true but I'm still able to outwork most of the young guys in my crew.... I'm not aged yet only 46....

[Woody61]

I just sold my Pro scout basically the same as the new exp and it did pull harder then I thought it should for a 50 lb sled. My Otter cabin pulls a little better and weighs 30lbs more. I think a lot of the problem is the footprint of the sled in snow. The otter while heavier(loaded with the same or more equipment) spreads it's weight out better than a smaller sled, also the angle of attack is much better on the  Otter type sleds vs the tub shape on some of the smaller tents.
 As far as spreading the poles that is a non issue, I'm only 5'8" and can raise and lower my cabin with no problems whatsoever.

[hawkfan24]

I have an Eskimo two man, I've fished in it by myself many times and a couple times when it was windy and not much snow on the ice it was a real ***** trying to get the poles collapsed and taken down by myself.  Last year I bought a Clam Big Mouth, basically it is the Scout but in the front the bottom pole expands to give a little more fishing area.  I think the Eskimo one mans might do this too?  I really like my one man now without the expaning poles.

Best advice I could give you is if you will be pulling by hand check craigslist or other places and buy a set of used downhill skis.  I mounted a set to my one man and also built an auger rack off the skis to hold my gas auger horizontally.  Pulls like a dream and don't have to worry about getting gas on anything.  Or you could also build a Smitty sled or a custom version of a Smitty sled.  Check out the post on here regarding Smitty sleds and you will get many ideas.  I just replaced my UHMW runners on my Eskimo this fall with a set of downhill skis as well.

[Rehtnug185vx]

Thanks for the info.  Good idea for a auger rack on the back of the skis.  I was thinking how to pull the shack and auger together.  I have a shappell suv sled that I thought about putting the auger in to pull behind ice shack with a longer rope, to help lighten up load on the shack and not damage tent fabric. 

Does any one own a pro tc?  what do you like about it or dislike?   How well do the rachet style seats the new scouts come with hold up, does any one know as well?

Thanks again.

[jumbo chaser]

I hear ya most of the younger guys are kinda lazy that I have worked with not saying all of them though

[hawkfan24]

Thanks for the info.  Good idea for a auger rack on the back of the skis.  I was thinking how to pull the shack and auger together.  I have a shappell suv sled that I thought about putting the auger in to pull behind ice shack with a longer rope, to help lighten up load on the shack and not damage tent fabric. 

Does any one own a pro tc?  what do you like about it or dislike?   How well do the rachet style seats the new scouts come with hold up, does any one know as well?

Thanks again.

The auger rack I built off of the skis keeps the auger away from the tent fabric so there really isn't any worry of damaging it.  The longer rope helps as well.  Mine pulls like a dream like this, I can walk with a gps in one hand and pull the shack with the other.  I don't think you would need to pull your auger in a seperate sled with an auger rack. 

Have you sat in a Pro TC and a Scout?  That is what I would recommend.  They are both going to be pretty similar, there might be a few small differences but the main difference would be expandable poles vs not.  I think the model for this year that is similar to mine is the Scout EXP, that has the pole in the front that expands.

I removed the factory seat because I had a Tempress boat seat in my two man and it is way more comfortable.

Here's a couple pics of the auger mount I built.