Insulated Shelters

[wood99]

Hey Guys,

Looking to upgrade to an Insulated Shelter.  Curently using the Eskimo 9416 and QF3.  Any suggestions or experiences with insulated shelters?  I'm leaning towards the 9416i but am def open to other brands.  Best price i can find on that model is 430USD from Marine General.

[dekatronic]

Insulated 9416 is nice. It's a lot of tent to carry but if you need the interior space then go for it.

[alaska mike]

I have an otter lodge, 8' x 8', that is insulated and I like it.  I was at first going to get one that was uninsulated but I'm glad I didn't. What made me go insulated was the complaints of condensation dripping with a heater. I haven't had any condensation forming on my hub. I usually run the heater only a couple of times a day for about 15 minutes till it gets to hot in there.  So it has plenty of opportunity to cool down and form condensation but it doesn't.  Insulated hubs are heavier, but not dripping on you, and holding the heat in is worth it.  One other thing that I liked about the otter was that it is dark blue in color with a black roof which helps draw in the solar heat.

[mboss13]

+1 on Otter XTH Pro Lodge.....love it, and the extra space is really nice. I upgraded from a non-insulated 2 man and wouldn't go back.

[gunn308]

I love mine and everyone I know that bought one was very pleased in workmanship and quality of fabric.
http://polarbird.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=59&product_id=70

[cwavs1982]

I would say to get the insulated.  May need it one day, and there is not alot of weight once you figure you are hauling alot of other stuff out.  Eskimo is coming out with a some good shacks for the price.  Clam or Otter are good units.  I like to fish in a house where I can take my coat off and just use a sweatshirt.  Don't need it to be a sauna, but its good to keep the heat in there.  My two main units for winter fishing are insulated.  I have an un-insulated unit for the early and late season, but if its winter - I am using insulated.

[ActiveTrapChecker]

Love my quickfish 3. plenty of head room for me to stand up and easy to put up and take down alone

[Fishermen]

I got the clam Refuge 900 denier three layers of insulation and black roof incredibly holds a large amount of heat no disappointments

[Scottjags]

Totally new to the ice fishing scene, but did get an Eskimo Quikfish 3i recently. Weather here in Wisconsin has been really cold and this shelter has been really nice.  Quality seems to top notch.  Recommend it.

[desmobob]

You can pick up an Eskimo Quickfish 3i for about $200 lately... an excellent deal on a great shelter.  I love mine.

Tight lines,
Bob

[4x4Dad]

Glad to hear good reviews on the Eskimo brand . My new Quickfish 5 i should be delivered sometime tomorrow . I needed something a little bigger to bring friends and family along . I used to use an old nylon ice tent when I was in my 20s . Last time we were out it got down to 8° with the wind bringing it down to -10 below . My buddy and I decided it was time for an upgrade to insulated . Can't wait for the weekend to get here to try her out !

[MarkM]

Picked up an Eskimo 949i last season and couldn't be happier. 

[kayl]

Glad to hear good reviews on the Eskimo brand . My new Quickfish 5 i should be delivered sometime tomorrow . I needed something a little bigger to bring friends and family along . I used to use an old nylon ice tent when I was in my 20s . Last time we were out it got down to 8° with the wind bringing it down to -10 below . My buddy and I decided it was time for an upgrade to insulated . Can't wait for the weekend to get here to try her out !

Grab some 6' lashing straps to make it easier to get back in the bag. I set mine up in the basement (the thing is huge, didn't really even fit!) and couldn't get it back into the bag without 2 extra straps compressing it.

[4x4Dad]

Grab some 6' lashing straps to make it easier to get back in the bag. I set mine up in the basement (the thing is huge, didn't really even fit!) and couldn't get it back into the bag without 2 extra straps compressing it.

Kayl , I read as many reviews as I could before buying the 5 i . Guys suggested getting a Christmas tree bag . That's what I'm using at the moment , but I have a seamstress fixing the original bag by putting a 61 inch zipper down the seam and reinforcing the attachment points of the carry straps . Basically the same as the Christmas tree bag . You are correct that using a ratchet strap to compress the shelter helps you get the valcro lashing strap back on . I'm just afraid of breaking the poles or hubs by compressing the shelter too much . Hopefully the modified original Eskimo bag will be large enough to not have to compress the shelter so much . I'll let you know in about 10 days when I get it back .

[Chris338378]

I have the Eskimo Fatfish 949I and like it a lot.  When I was buying a shelter I didn't even consider a non-insulated one because the insulation helps break the wind so much better, it's far warmer even without a heater running, and there's hardly any condensation.  I fished in a non-insulated shelter before and it didn't break the wind much at all and there was lots of condensation even without a heater.  The insulated shelters cost and weigh a bit more but it's worth every penny and ounce in my book.

[Walleyewacker007]

I have a Frabill uninsulated flip over and an otter xth lodge hub insulated. The Frabill rains on you non stop whenever the heater is on and feels a lot thinner and Fragill (pun intended) compared to the insulated otter hub. I have used the otter in -25 and didn't even need a heater,  although I was raised in northern Minnesota, your comfort level may be different. When I do run the heater it heats up fast and is bone dry, no drips from condensation. The otter is well made and has the best customer service in the biz from what I've heard.(I can't speak on that since I haven't had any issue with mine.) The bag is oversized with the hub fitting in easily with plenty of room for extra stuff and it has a compression strap to tighten it up real nice and easy even wearing gloves. The anchors and anchor straps are beefy and lock this thing down with ease. The zippers feel tight when the hub is all sealed up so I like to push or pull the hub pole closest to the zipper to relieve the tension on the zipper prior to opening it up. I only do it on the first zipper opening and the last one closing, just makes it open and close a little smoother in my opinion. The 8' x 8' ft footprint of the house is pretty spacious and can serve as a basecamp as well as a great portable shack. I got this on sale for $299, best purchace for a insulated hub IMHO.

[holehopper]

I have either owned or fished out of virtually every brand of insulated shack.  Finally broke down and bought a Polar Bird 4T long this year.  I've used it twice since I got it last week, both times in single digit temps.  All, I can say is wow.  Fished for 6 hours with two guys in the shack in 7 degree weather and had absolutely 0 condensation inside.  I was a little skeptical of the floor but after using it, it is pretty amazing.  The whole shack maintains an even temp with the floor in there.  No "thermocline" where the bottom half of the shack is cold and the upper is warm.  Nice even temp in the shack.  Really high quality shelter.  I'm very impressed so far. 

[4x4Dad]

Speaking of Polar Bird , their site says final mark down . Are they no longer selling in the USA markets ? If you ever thought about buying one , you better hurry before they're gone .