Author Topic: Camping on the ice.  (Read 72853 times)

Offline bassin212

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #360 on: Feb 18, 2021, 11:32 AM »
Hi everyone,

Camped out on the ice last Friday and stayed until Sunday afternoon. Fun times! We were going for big rainbows and unfortunately didn’t get one. Caught some salmon (which you can’t keep in NH) and some yellow perch. Friday night was super cold, about -7F I think it got to. We had a CO detector and ran it all night. Had a fan going to push the warm air down and foam flooring on most of the ground. There was a ton of snow on the ice so I did shovel some out but kept a thin layer down to not have a swimming pool at the end of the weekend. Pictures aren’t the best because I actually took videos and then realized I can’t post videos on ice shanty! Whoops. The only thing I’ll do different next time is maybe get some reflectix or a tarp for the inner roof/ceiling.




















Tight Lines!

Offline Akhardwater

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #361 on: Feb 18, 2021, 09:54 PM »
One of these years I’ll get around to making a how to video of my various set ups, im not a big fan of being in front of cameras.  For the tarp I just set up the shack at my house and fasten it with 5-50 cord to all the hub tie downs.  Make sure not to cover any vents or windows so as not to impede ventilation for your heaters.  Any tarp will do you may have to trim the corners to fit the octagon shape of your shack but that’s pretty simple.  I always just let my corners run long cause I was worried the wind might fray the tarp then I had to tie down the excess so the flapping didn’t keep me up all night. I prefer a thicker tarp so it will hold up in the wind a little better but it should be cheap so you don’t feel bad replacing it every couple years due to wear and tear.  Once you get it fastened down pretty snug just collapse it and leave it all attached.  I don’t use a bag so I can’t say wether or not it will fit back in the bag or not, I just use a cinch strap and bundle it all up and throw it in my freight sled.  Once you get to your spot just pop it up and your good to go, you may have to adjust it a little but that’s as easy as just pulling on some corners.  I’ve never used reflectix on the inside I always just cranked my heater and never have any issues.  I also have never used a CO detector, which I don’t advise, I always make sure I have two windows open and all vents to make sure I have good cross ventilation.  I’m still alive so I know it works.  With good cross ventilation it also cuts down on the moisture in the shack and helps with air circulation making the need for a fan not necessary.  I found that the simpler you make your setup the easier every thing is, don’t over think it. 
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Offline A man called horse

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #362 on: Feb 19, 2021, 05:57 PM »
Not on the ice,but on the Colorado river in Feb. Lee’s Ferry. After breaking down my tent it looked like an elk had bedded down where I slept.

Offline Nosaj

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #363 on: Mar 08, 2021, 09:31 AM »
Well after 5 years talking about spending the night on the ice on this thread Hawkeye and I finally did it last weekend!  We fished from Saturday morning until Sunday afternoon.  We setup on a river/setback for pike and walleye.  The walleye did not cooperate but we did have some fun with the pike with the largest being a nice 34" 10 # female.  Our set up for the overnight was simple in that we had our 9416I and a couple cots with a buddy heater for heat and a white gas coleman stove for back up heat. 





  We slept in 0 deg. bags with lots of warm clothing layers and put on dry socks before bead.  We shut the heat off when we slept which was around 1 AM when Hawkeye called it quits.  We alternated on getting up and checking the rigs through the night.  We used the simple frabill blinking lights on the flags to let us know if we had a flag.  That way we could check for flags from our cots.  We didn't get any flags through the night however did get them just after dusk and right around first light.  It is a little hard to see in this picture but the orange/red blur next to the black lab blur in the picture is the light on tipup letting us we had a flag.





For the most part the setup worked fine, we did have a little bit on water on the ice however not too much and that tightened by morning since we had shut off the heat while we slept.  The temps dipped down to around 11 deg. I didn't actually check but that was what was forecasted and that is what if felt like.  We did get a visit from the local police department at 5:30 for a safety check which was appreciated.  I woke up to hearing foot steps outside the tent and was thinking OK my pistol in under the cot when he announced who he was and that he was just there for a safety check, I thanked him.  The spot we were is close to the road
 and our vehicle which is convenient when you are doing an overnight.  The down side is that people can see you.

Lunch was venison steak with a garlic/onion/salt/pepper rub cooked in butter with fresh rosemary, yum.  Dinner was venison sausage, peppers and onions and the best eats of the trip was venison burgers topped  with bacon and eggs!

   




Overall a good time was had by all and in addition to the fish and good food, we had a visit from a bobcat and a bald eagle to make the trip interesting.  We will definitely be doing it again.  I think next time I will bring some of the square foam mats for the floor otherwise everything went well.
















Offline bassin212

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #364 on: Mar 08, 2021, 10:12 AM »
Nice report! Glad you got to finally experience some winter camping. Catching fish makes it well worth it!
Tight Lines!

Offline FG Steve

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #365 on: Mar 10, 2021, 01:39 PM »
Pictures aren’t the best because I actually took videos and then realized I can’t post videos on ice shanty! Whoops. The only thing I’ll do different next time is maybe get some reflectix or a tarp for the inner roof/ceiling.

Good to see you got out! Thanks for the report! You could always post the videos to YouTube and them post here!  It is pretty easy.

Well after 5 years talking about spending the night on the ice on this thread Hawkeye and I finally did it last weekend!

Hooray!  Finally!  That burger looks crazy good!  So glad you finally did it, and that you had a good experience.  It really is terrific fun.  Thanks for the report!

 Happiness is a wife who can outfish you.

Offline mr.clean

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #366 on: Mar 10, 2021, 08:47 PM »
 Bassin212 thank you for sharing the photos from your trip

Nosaj glad you and Hawkeye were finally able to do a camping trip on the ice . Looks like Hawkeye had a great time going from your photos.
 
 Steve

Offline muskyon46

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #367 on: Mar 11, 2021, 08:00 AM »
Great stories and pics of your overnighters everyone. There is definitely a learning curve to get your set up the way you like it and its always evolving into something better. Sadly I put my ice camping stuff away yesterday. I'm planning on making hopefully 2 more day trips here. The camper and SXS are calling my wife and daughters name so its time to get that stuff ready. Here's a couple pics of our last trip last weekend, was just chasing trout and ended up with over 80 fish between 3 of us camping Friday to Sunday. Mostly cuts with a few bows mixed in. biggest came at 22.25in just barely pushing the slot limit where we were fishing







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Offline mr.clean

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #368 on: Mar 11, 2021, 08:48 AM »
Muskyon46 congratulations to you and the others in your group on a good weekend of fishing. Thank you for sharing the photos.
 Steve

Offline Nosaj

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #369 on: Mar 12, 2021, 10:02 AM »
Like this? https://www.firstlite.com/products/obsidian-merino-pants

Steve,

Great write up as always.  I have used those pants all season and love them.  I think they are the perfect pant to wear under ice fishing bibs due to their ability to retain heat if you sweat them up and they are light weight compared to the warmth they provide.  I bought a second pair because I wear them around the house all the time as they are so comfortable.  The only down sides are they are not good around briars (not an issue ice fishing) or a heavy wear situation and that they will shrink in a dryer.

Offline Hawks222

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #370 on: Sep 19, 2021, 08:12 AM »
Planning on camping Mille lacs in Minnesota this winter. Good walleye bite over night. Gonna go when I can drive out on ice with my truck on roads through a resort. I’m wondering about bringing a deep cell marine battery for power. I work at an auto parts store so can get one and a power inverter for cheap. Don’t gotta worry about weight of it. Just wondering if that was feasible.

Offline badger132

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #371 on: Sep 19, 2021, 08:27 AM »
It is feasible, but what is it for? Since you are talking about an inverter, I assume you are running 110V- what would that be for? If there is more than a slight draw it will not last the night. For sure you can not run a heater for more than a few minutes.
If the power draw is more than a battery will support, a generator is about the same $ as a battery and a large inverter, and will provide 1000 or 2000 W, or even more. That is why you see them running outside fish houses all over.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsman-1000w-inverter-portable-gasoline-generator-gen1000i




Offline IceAddict87

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #372 on: Sep 21, 2021, 10:01 PM »
I tried ice camping a couple years ago and haven’t bothered to try it again, but after talking to some buddies I think we are going to give it another shot. First time I went I had way too much stuff, need to thin it down a bit, my cot was WAY TOO BIG. Definitely didn’t allow enough time to setup, simple is best. Looking at going over New Years so the ice most likely won’t be thick enough for pickups, atv will have to do. Also trying ice camping for the first time when it’s -15 out with a 30mph wind was probably a bad idea.

Offline Hawks222

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #373 on: Sep 22, 2021, 01:30 PM »
It is feasible, but what is it for? Since you are talking about an inverter, I assume you are running 110V- what would that be for? If there is more than a slight draw it will not last the night. For sure you can not run a heater for more than a few minutes.
If the power draw is more than a battery will support, a generator is about the same $ as a battery and a large inverter, and will provide 1000 or 2000 W, or even more. That is why you see them running outside fish houses all over.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/sportsman-1000w-inverter-portable-gasoline-generator-gen1000i




Guess I was thinking charging phone/helix batteries, lights, radio. Maybe you’re right I don’t need it. Gonna be my first time this winter and don’t want it to be bad experience. It’s a 5 hour drive to Mille lacs for me where I’m planning on going.

Offline cwavs1982

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #374 on: Sep 24, 2021, 08:09 AM »
If you are thinking on using the battery to charge phones or lights, I would just get a couple of the power banks.  They are small/slim and plenty light.  These would operate your LED lights and keep your phone charged.  If you want to have a backup battery for your Helix you could look into a lithium battery. 

Not sure when you are heading to Mille Lacs, but cold can be an issue on your propane tank regulators, so you may want a backup and store in the truck.  Or, just put it inside your hut to keep it from frosting up.
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Offline Junkie4Ice

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #375 on: Sep 24, 2021, 08:18 AM »
If you are thinking on using the battery to charge phones or lights, I would just get a couple of the power banks.  They are small/slim and plenty light.  These would operate your LED lights and keep your phone charged.  If you want to have a backup battery for your Helix you could look into a lithium battery. 

Not sure when you are heading to Mille Lacs, but cold can be an issue on your propane tank regulators, so you may want a backup and store in the truck.  Or, just put it inside your hut to keep it from frosting up.

Ditto this. These are the ones I use and they are great. Multiple phone charges and we've charged fairly large bluetooth speakers with them too. The helix would be the only issue.

https://www.amazon.com/Miady-10000mAh-Portable-Charger-Charging/dp/B07XFBN7HX/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=battery+packs&qid=1632488493&sr=8-4
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Offline Hawks222

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #376 on: Sep 24, 2021, 09:07 AM »
If you are thinking on using the battery to charge phones or lights, I would just get a couple of the power banks.  They are small/slim and plenty light.  These would operate your LED lights and keep your phone charged.  If you want to have a backup battery for your Helix you could look into a lithium battery. 

Not sure when you are heading to Mille Lacs, but cold can be an issue on your propane tank regulators, so you may want a backup and store in the truck.  Or, just put it inside your hut to keep it from frosting up.

I do have an amped battery for helix. I don’t know if it would last 2 full days though. Thanks on the tip for those banks. I didn’t know they would do all that.

Offline cwavs1982

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #377 on: Sep 24, 2021, 09:52 AM »
Anker makes some nice power banks.  Depending on how much capacity you want to have you should be able to do all of your charging on one or two.  Here is a link of one:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-VoltageBoost-Technology/dp/B07QXV6N1B/ref=pd_ybh_a_171?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K0R28NS96TC8TFK3WBBT

You Tubers use these for video cameras, lights, phone charging. 

You may want a spare battery for your Helix - I can't comment on this, as I don't run that platform.  A spare should be much easier to carry than the generator.
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Offline Raquettedacker

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #378 on: Sep 24, 2021, 10:22 AM »
Anker makes some nice power banks.  Depending on how much capacity you want to have you should be able to do all of your charging on one or two.  Here is a link of one:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-VoltageBoost-Technology/dp/B07QXV6N1B/ref=pd_ybh_a_171?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K0R28NS96TC8TFK3WBBT

You Tubers use these for video cameras, lights, phone charging. 

You may want a spare battery for your Helix - I can't comment on this, as I don't run that platform.  A spare should be much easier to carry than the generator.

   I have one of those and they work great....   :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Offline badger132

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #379 on: Sep 24, 2021, 11:49 AM »
Planning on camping Mille lacs in Minnesota this winter. Good walleye bite over night. Gonna go when I can drive out on ice with my truck on roads through a resort. I’m wondering about bringing a deep cell marine battery for power. I work at an auto parts store so can get one and a power inverter for cheap. Don’t gotta worry about weight of it. Just wondering if that was feasible.

If you are bringing a truck, and that is all the power you need, your truck battery and alternator can provide all you need. Just get the appropriate car chargers for your electronics.

Offline mhexum

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #380 on: Sep 24, 2021, 09:31 PM »
Anker makes some nice power banks.  Depending on how much capacity you want to have you should be able to do all of your charging on one or two.  Here is a link of one:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Ultra-Compact-High-Speed-VoltageBoost-Technology/dp/B07QXV6N1B/ref=pd_ybh_a_171?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=K0R28NS96TC8TFK3WBBT

You Tubers use these for video cameras, lights, phone charging. 

You may want a spare battery for your Helix - I can't comment on this, as I don't run that platform.  A spare should be much easier to carry than the generator.

So this battery pack being 10,000 maH, does that work out to 10 AH? Or is those not equivalent?

Would there be a way to convert from USB to 12v to use something like this as a back up for a flasher?

Offline cwavs1982

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #381 on: Oct 14, 2021, 12:10 PM »
So this battery pack being 10,000 maH, does that work out to 10 AH? Or is those not equivalent?

Would there be a way to convert from USB to 12v to use something like this as a back up for a flasher?

Correct - 10,000 mah = 10 amp hrs

USB's output voltage is 5 vdc.  The flashers run on 12 vdc.  You will have to carry a spare 12 vdc battery either sealed lead acid or lithium cell battery if you think you need one.  The SLA's probably will need to be recharged each day depending on how much load you put on them.  The lithium cell batteries should be good for your camping trip.  It just gets down to how much do you want to carry out with you.  SLA batteries are about $25 each and the lithium are about $125 with charger included. 
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Offline Nosaj

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #382 on: Oct 18, 2021, 06:42 AM »
We have these in all the vehicles.  It is light weight and will start a 6 L gas engine.  I have used them on boats as well plus they will charge phones. 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TKUPIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Offline Sylvanboat

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #383 on: Oct 18, 2021, 06:51 AM »
We have these in all the vehicles.  It is light weight and will start a 6 L gas engine.  I have used them on boats as well plus they will charge phones. 

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B015TKUPIC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I understand the GP40 is only a jumper and you need to use the GP70 to use as a power source.  Correct?

Offline lowaccord66

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #384 on: Jan 06, 2022, 10:06 PM »
Pumped for another season of sleeping in a popup catching fish.  Some great posts last season, looking forward to reading some great stuff in here this season.  Anyone slept on the ice yet?

Offline bassin212

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #385 on: Jan 07, 2022, 08:13 PM »
Not yet, but I plan on doing more of it. Ideally would like to find a good cusk spot and or crappie spot to give me something to “chase” at night. Maybe I’ll try my luck over in Vermont for my first ever walleye if I’m feeling adventurous
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Offline jethro

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #386 on: Jan 10, 2022, 02:13 PM »
Pumped for another season of sleeping in a popup catching fish.  Some great posts last season, looking forward to reading some great stuff in here this season.  Anyone slept on the ice yet?

Slept in the bunk in my flip while it was set up in my living room, that's about it! Got a trip planned the end of this month though.
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Offline lowaccord66

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #387 on: Jan 10, 2022, 06:04 PM »
Not yet, but I plan on doing more of it. Ideally would like to find a good cusk spot and or crappie spot to give me something to “chase” at night. Maybe I’ll try my luck over in Vermont for my first ever walleye if I’m feeling adventurous

Trout are active at night and a lot of guys do not chase them.  I catch bows and browns often enough at nignt to target them. 

Offline bassin212

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Re: Camping on the ice.
« Reply #388 on: Jan 10, 2022, 07:16 PM »
Technically in NH we can’t target trout at night.
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Offline IceAddict87

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Re: Camping on the ice
« Reply #389 on: Jan 10, 2022, 09:05 PM »
I have a few posts on this thread, one of which chronicles the disaster that was my first camping attempt. I learned a few things and I changed my equipment around. First of all I have downsized cots, the slumberjack big cot is still my favorite cot but it is just way to big for ice camping. Downsized to the regular slumber jack, still a big cot but it fits much better. The inside of the otter is light colored which also makes it feel larger. Now I just have to plan an overnight trip. Will definitely be using the K.I.S.S. system, the simpler the better.

 



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