clam vs frabill

[chaddy721]

i'm sure tis topic has been beat to death, but i'm in the market again i have 2 of the fish trap's and another clam 5600...i have the scout and a 2 year old guide..gna stepup to the biggerst portable for 2 or 3 guys was looking at the voyager tcx and the frabill guardian...which one would you prefer, i kno the clam material is great..only downfall is the seat setup the seats on the seat bar tend to get sloppy a bit...thanks for the help....

[jigginnut]

i just bought a shappell rover 2.0dx and its amazing compared to others ive had.  like it better than my friends clams.  4 pounds heavier........ but you can easily fit 3 normal sized guys on the bench seat.

[fishermantim4]

when my buddy looked into a frabil or a clam the frabil support poles stunk. you could easily bend and dent the poles with just your hand. the aluminum was garbage. he got  clam its great

[rob2145]

Clam Nanook Thermal.  Great setup for 2, lots of room, easy setup, and drag.  Heats up and stays warm on those neg. temp days.  And no condensation drip.

[xcr440]

I have a  frabill magnum gt. Poles are strong, no denting here. I really like the clam thermal but not the price.

I had a small issue with a crack in the bottom of my sled. It was 1 year old. Frabill with no issue sent me a new bottom.

[Moose-51]

keep them coming guys... I'm also interested in opinions.

[chaddy721]

thanks for the input..def looking into sumthin..the guide my dad has is the same as the nanook i think, looking for sumthing a lil bigger..getting the shelter thru our wholesale supplier so gna get a big one and keep it for a few years

[Michigan Mafia]

I have a Frabill Trekker II and my buddy has a Clam trap guide.

At first I didn't like the seats on my frabill because the seat support had a tedency of folding up, dumping me in the bottom of the shanty... I lost a stretcher pole because of it. But with a little mod to the bottom of the sled the problem was fixed. I like the black color of the Frabill, seems to absorb more heat on sunny days, I also like that Frabill has removable clear windows.

As for the Clam, the seats slide from front to back and tilt to the side giving access to storage under the seat. Well we were fishing last weekend and I tried to get something out of my front pocket and the seat tilted to the right and it felt like I was going to fall out of the shanty, not a good feeling. I do like the storage under the seat on the clam, it's a great place to keep an extra pole or your skimmer.

All in all they are both great shanty's. The selling point for me was the black color of the Frabill.

[Wiener]

Just sat in the Frabil predator (2 man) at Fleet Farm.   I like the poles, they seem nice and sturdy.

The seats were nice, but I would like a thicker fabric.  It just seems cheap to me.

Now, if they made a one man like that I might be interested in picking up another shack for when I want to travel light.

I have the Clam Voyager.  Very nice, but heavy (like me) 


Wiener

[xcr440]

Out on a local lake about a month ago.

[ice dawg]

I have an older Frabill two person flipover. The only other portable I had that I didn't build my self was a Shoremaster DLX. I would have no problem with a Clam or Otter if I was looking for another brand.

[Northern Manitoban]

take a look at a Clam with the tent material compared to other brands and now with the thermol roof, why would you want any other product, they are built tough and worth the extra money quality counts.

[tomahawker]

i bought the dave genz pro its a one maner but it was used and looks like new only paid $150 dollars i like it and its easy to load and unload by yourself. i know guys with bigger shantys that struggle to drag them in the snow and load and unload them i wont mention any names though

[Moose-51]

I've thought about getting a thermal clam.

Those of you who have fished in theraml vrs non-thermal.

Is the thermal worth the extra $$$?

[crazy man]

.only downfall is the seat setup the seats on the seat bar tend to get sloppy a bit...thanks for the help....

Well if that's your only downfall then a seat mod could be in your future.  The seats stink on all of the portables, IMO. 

There are lots of threads with seat mods if yu search.  The best mods, IMO, upgrade to a boat seat on a quick release swivel.  That's what I did and couldn't be happier. 

I will alway use the boat seat no matter what shanty I own and any shanty can be modified for a seat upgrade.  The seat is by far the most important feature of a portable shanty again, my opinion. 

[trapper2000]

i have  a  shapel  and a clam ,  but  as  years go  by  we  tend to learn  and what i  learned was this   it's a whole lot  easier to  drag a  jet sled  with a  pac shack on it!...plus  i'm a  crappie fisherman,  if i  move  to another hole  a lot less  noise....there comfrortable  and light  easy to  store  and  with a  small heater   very warm .... i still use   my others  but most of the time i  use  the "tent"....for  me it works  better  and  a lot  cheaper

[Northern Manitoban]

Thermol top is worth it , i have fished from both, as for seats the Yukon and the Voyager has nice large padded seats they are not sloppy and are very solid! my friend has an older clam 10 years old his seats tip and I almost fell over once i guess the older models had seats that tip

[howesfc]

Clam's Pro Scout, it's the Cat's Meow!

[jigginPig]

i bought the dave genz pro its a one maner but it was used and looks like new only paid $150 dollars i like it and its easy to load and unload by yourself. i know guys with bigger shantys that struggle to drag them in the snow and load and unload them i wont mention any names though

Im the guy that "struggles to pull my Guide", Its not that bad. All I will say is the fish traps are very fire retardand,huh,Tomahawker?

[DON-E-ICE]

I sat in the nanook and I loved the room but the seats seemed small.  Are the Yukon seats larger?

[Northern Manitoban]

Here's my Yukon seats very comfortable they dont tip or slide nice and solid same on the Voyager

[stumper]

Clam's Pro Scout, it's the Cat's Meow!
(Image removed from quote.)

That dont look big enough for 2 to 3 people.

 Dont forget about the Clam Yukon TC.

[Slammerman]

I love my Frabill Ultralight  ... on it's 4th or 5th? season now. I don't mind sitting on a bucket. I used to either watch two Slammer Tip-Ups and just sit, or jig one rod in the shanty and watch a Slammer. On a nice day, I'll leave the top down and jig two rods (usually perchin'). Now with Michigan's new 3-rod limit, I can jig in the shanty and watch 2 Slammers.

[howesfc]

That dont look big enough for 2 to 3 people.

 Dont forget about the Clam Yukon TC.

Not if you get 2-3 of them and I read on here some I.S members fish with thier kids in them.

[stumper]

Not if you get 2-3 of them and I read on here some I.S members fish with thier kids in them.

Might be a bit difficult to find though since they stopped making them.

[chaddy721]

Here's my Yukon seats very comfortable they dont tip or slide nice and solid same on the Voyager
(Image removed from quote.)

thanks for the pic..was looking into them..think i'll stick with blue again..be number 4..but could you take a pic of the fishable  area in front of the sled like setup...thanks-chad

[Northern Manitoban]

Here is the fishable area comfortable for 2 guys easy! the Voyager fishable area is somewhat bigger then the Yukon's

[chaddy721]

thanks again for the pics..yea i'f def thinking your yukon tc or the voyager will be perfect..what version of the youkon do you have?..just woundering if the extra 4x9in is gna make a difference in size between the models...

[summit-viper]

thats the clam yukon tc, i have one and couldnt be happier, enough room for a bucket in between the seats for a small person, warm, isnt no 107lbs like the box says, tough, all in all a perfect shanty

[Northern Manitoban]

thats the clam yukon tc, i have one and couldnt be happier, enough room for a bucket in between the seats for a small person, warm, isnt no 107lbs like the box says, tough, all in all a perfect shanty

Totally agree glad the pictures helped, Yukon is a great ice shelter for sure only reason I did not get the Voyager is it is longer and wont fit in the truck as well and its allot heavier, I can handle my Yukon alone no problem, who knows down the road might upgrade to the Voyager as it does have more fishable area and comes with centre console I have to order one for my Yukon, I think these clams should come with the travel covers and not have to buy it