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

[CoachWalleye74]

Hows this shack for two people, four holes?

[GenesCamp]

I just purchased the bench seat version a couple weeks ago, and taking it out this weekend to finally field test it.  I got a pretty good deal on it, fully assembled for $700.  Like OP, I've got some minor complaints already:  I find the hut lists a little to the pull side, especially in the back.  Not enough to be bothersome - but it sends my OCD into overdrive.  If anyone else has encountered this and found a solution, I'd appreciate it.  I can't speak to whether or not if it was an error during assembly since I didn't assemble it. 

Also - Does anyone own this shanty that has opted not to install the hyfax runners?  I'll mostly be hand pulling it, and only occasionally hauling with a machine.  I've heard the runners can make pulling more difficult.  Thoughts? 

[Baetis62]

I've got the Cottage X-Over with Hyfax.  It's heavy and the Hyfax make it pull even harder.  So far I've only pulled it behind my Ski Doo but if you have it on a Smitty it should pull by hand just fine.

[GenesCamp]

I've got the Cottage X-Over with Hyfax.  It's heavy and the Hyfax make it pull even harder.  So far I've only pulled it behind my Ski Doo but if you have it on a Smitty it should pull by hand just fine.

I ordered a set and will probably install it.  Everyone I talked to this weekend that had an Otter shanty pretty much told me I'd be crazy not to.  Whether or not that's true, I'm not sure, but I guess I should probably protect the investment. 

It was a hard pull, especially on Saturday with the slush but not impossible.  Hopefully it doesn't get too much tougher with the Hyfax, but I'll probably use a machine whenever possible with it.

I really like it overall.  Easy to setup and break down, and easy to move.  I especially like that I can fit everything I need in the sled and have everything contained in one unit.  I had a medium sized jet sled before, and no matter how I packed it, I could never fit everything in there, and I was losing too much gear while pulling it with a machine no matter how I tried to strap everything down. 

[Baetis62]

You can fit a lot into the Otter for sure. More than I anticipated before I purchased it. I added the rear hitch on my X-Over Cottage last year and now can tow my old Jet Sled behind the Otter if needed.  If I'm fishing with a group that doesn't have machines I can put even more gear (including a hub shack) in the back sled.  I'm just super cautious about avoid slush.  The more you drag out the more you might have to carry off by hand if things go "south".