Review: Otter XT Cabin Pro X-Over

[Baetis62]

Nice!!

[800stealth]

Good to hear you enjoyed the maiden voyage... They do keep ya toasty. My side entry clips are still tight 2 seasons in but I've gotten used to it, and just step on the floor bar and give a sharp tug and they pop off. I never really thought about the storage of mine in factory form, I knew before I got it that I'd be putting a deck on it. Built it to accommodate everything I carry plus a spot for a sleeping bag if an overnight comes about. Not really on foot friendly for anything other than glare but I tow behind a machine so didn't really care about weight much... This is what I came up with for mine. 3 hinged doors, one big enough for anything I haul out, the others for convenience. The factory swivel is mounted with studs and wingnuts so I can pop the seat and have a 76" deck for a pad and sleeping bag. It added about 50 pounds including the 18ah lithium battery that powers lighting and a small inverter for 110 power.









And yes that is in my kitchen, can you tell I'm single lol...

[fishEH]

Didn't want to pay the $30 for the Otter overhead storage hammock which honestly looked kinda small and I had a credit on Amazon, so I bought a basic cargo net and rigged it up. Should be nice for throwing coats and whatnot up there.

[fishEH]

After a few times out I’m getting my gear tweaked for the Otter. Changed out the Frabill Sit’n Fish bucket with a cat litter bucket.
Will also be swapping my 2gal minnow bucket with a small cooler I had laying around.


All this in an effort to conform to the Otter sled, which is essentially too narrow with the seat rail. It’s confounding to me because the roof bars and material stick out a good 3” past the “back/side” of the sled when collapsed. Making the sled 3” wider would have a lot of the storage issues with their dumb seat rail.
Anyway, a lot of moaning just to say I’m getting things dialed in and despite my griping I’m pretty happy. 😁

[fishEH]

Well, ice season is over here and my gear is packed away.
All in all I'm very happy with my Otter. It took a bit to get used to, but I've got my system pretty dialed in now. Quality of the Cabin XT-Pro is very good. The insulated fabric is pretty heavy, but does a good job. Setup is easy. I didn't need to use the additional braces at all this year. Not using them allowed me to quickly fold up, move, and flip back over. Placing the side entry poles in "side entry mode", then flipping the poles over creates a nice windbreak.

I use a cat litter bucket for supplies, minnow bucket, and a little buddy heater. Auger goes under the seats. Sonar sits on top of the seat or fabric.
Based on the wear I see on my Hyfax runners, I expect to get about 3 seasons of use before they need replacement.

I'm looking forward to many years of use from this shanty!

[Hardwater2]

Good to hear you enjoyed the maiden voyage... They do keep ya toasty. My side entry clips are still tight 2 seasons in but I've gotten used to it, and just step on the floor bar and give a sharp tug and they pop off. I never really thought about the storage of mine in factory form, I knew before I got it that I'd be putting a deck on it. Built it to accommodate everything I carry plus a spot for a sleeping bag if an overnight comes about. Not really on foot friendly for anything other than glare but I tow behind a machine so didn't really care about weight much... This is what I came up with for mine. 3 hinged doors, one big enough for anything I haul out, the others for convenience. The factory swivel is mounted with studs and wingnuts so I can pop the seat and have a 76" deck for a pad and sleeping bag. It added about 50 pounds including the 18ah lithium battery that powers lighting and a small inverter for 110 power.









And yes that is in my kitchen, can you tell I'm single lol...

Custom set up 800👍
I basically did the same thing to my Yukon XL Thermal. Mine is approx. 9 yrs old. Take good care of it. I’ve done multiple overnights in it in sun zero temps. The deck works out great for a sleeping pad and bag. Added a power station to charge my phone and added additional hole lights. Never had a problem being uncomfortable. The Otter is a real nice hut. You should have many enjoyable seasons in that!! Nice job