Eskimo QuickFish 3 Reviews

[cityfishin]

I just picked up an Eskimo QuickFish 3 for the new season. I can't wait. My wife picked it up for me at Costco today. 169.00 A decent price compared to online. I thought I saw it at the Ice Fishing Expo on special last year for 139.00, but can't remember. Anyway, anyone have one from last year that can give me a quick rundown? Set up time? Break down time? Roominess? Durability? Anything you can offer as a tip would be appreciated.

I like it for the way it sets up and breaks down easily. i have a small jetsled that I'm going to stick it on. I also like that the walls are straight and not slanted like my foldover. And weighs less and fits into my car easily. But that is just from observation. I want good facts.

Thanks in advance.

[ice dawg]

I don't have a Quickfish 3, but one of the local stores sold three times as many Eskimo shelters last year as any other brand of popup shelters. He said there were no complaints from anyone about them. I bought a Quickfish 4 a couple of weeks ago and I'm looking forward to using it. One of the three local dealers here dropped Clam this year, another almost did and the third doesn't offer Clam shelters. I think the reason is that Eskimo is outselling the other brands bu quite a margin and around here it could just be the difference in price or maybe that people like red shelters. My Quickfish 4 seems to be a quality built shelter though.

[squ1rr31_]

Only problem I've had with my Quickfish 3 was when my friend tried to set it up when it was tangled and yanked it and broke one of the rods, which sucked because it was the first night of our trip so we had to duct tape it the whole time which in turn meant a hand full of fiberglass. I called Eskimo two days after we got back and they sent 2 rods next day shipping from Speedee Delivery. Awesome customer service! As for setup time, we're talking maybe a minute, the Eskimo anchors are AMAZING. I fished in virtual gail force winds and all the shack did was shake, everything else inside was fine. I'll be selling my Quickfish 3 to my buddy so I can use my dad's Clam Fish Trap, or maybe possibly putting it towards a Quickflip 3, I like how rigid the frame is on those. Hope this helps!

[SmellsLikeFishNH]

I have the Quickfish 6, I love it. It goes up and down easily!!

I would suggest buying a set of the cam lock straps for tying it tothe ice. The string ones provided are pretty useless. The cam lock ones are similiar to ratchet straps, just no ratcheting. Just hook one end to your anchor in the ice, the other to the loops on the shelter and pull the strap snug. Works like a charm. I bring a cordless handheld drill with me to drill holes for the anchors and then use the straps and I can get the whole thing up and tied to the ice in under 5 minutes.:

[Dog-duster]

Last season I borrowed my buddy's Quickfish3 for a couple weeks to try it out. I liked the amount of space inside and how light it is. I also liked how tall it was so you can stand up and stretch your back out. It seems to set up pretty easy but I bet it could be a handful setting up in the wind. The anchor screws work ok but the tips bend pretty easily. I have a quickflip 2 and I really like it but it's kinda heavy. We didn't fish in much wind so I can't say how well they stand up but so far I can't complain about them. I have thought about getting one myself to have options.

[BigDynamite]

Scott D - Any trouble with those cam-locks freezing up afetr ssnow gets to them?

[Grumpyoldman]

Breakdown time is about 15 minutes.
I've broken 3 fiberglass hub rods in about 5 years.
The hub ends will push/rip through the covering material after time.
I sew on nylon web at those wear points as needed.   
It does winds in excess of 30mph, probably more.   
It's has room for three men to sit comfortably in chairs.

 
 

[SnowPerch]

Hi,

I was wondering which Costco you found these in?  Could you please let me know?

Thanks!

SnowPerch

[wiskeyfish]

they have them at marine general, reeds, red rock, Cabelas, Gander Mountain. To name a few

[SnowPerch]

That's good to know, but what I'm wondering is if it was a Costco in Ontario?  Most stores around here have them in the $260 range and I heard of a few Costco's last year carrying them for $179.00, but couldn't track one down. 

So just curious if there is an Ontario Costco that has these right now, at that price?

SnowPerch

[SmellsLikeFishNH]

Scott D - Any trouble with those cam-locks freezing up afetr ssnow gets to them?

Not at all! I used them in 50mph winds on lake Winnipesauke last year and they held it great and during a snowstorm another time and no issues at all!!

-Scott

[Jibber82]

I'm thinking of either a QuickFish 3 or a Clam Base Camp Thermal.  The Base Camp is $100 more but is made of the thermal material to help hold in heat.  Am I wasting my money on the Base Camp?

[Sinnian]

The Base Camp is $100 more but is made of the thermal material to help hold in heat.

Does it just hold in heat, or help with condensation too?

[Jibber82]

I can't speak from experience but according to Clam's website "With the FULL THERMAL IceArmor top you have a shelter that will retain more heat than any other portable pop-up shelter and reduce condensation. " So they do claim that it will reduce condensation.  Honestly I was sold on the Base Camp until I came across this thread and all the great things people had to say about the Quickfish 3

[SnowPerch]

Jibber82,

I hear ya!  I was the opposite though!  I was all set on the QuickFish 3 until I did more reading on the Clam.  However, with that said, I'm still leaning towards the QuickFish. 

Here's some more info to help you out. 

The Clam has two zipper doors and the QuickFish has one.
The Clam has a heavier Denier material than the QuickFish.
This could be a plus or a minus, but the Clam's windows are stitched in, as opposed to removable like the QuickFish.  I know they are prone to breakage in the colder temperatures, so it would be nice to remove them if need be.
The Clam's bag has a full length zipper, where as the QuickFish has just an opening at the top.

At this point, I want to put a disclaimer - I have not seen either one first hand, this is all from the information I've read

Honestly though, reading a hundred reviews, people have nothing but good things to say about both, so you can't go wrong with either.  It almost just comes down to which colour you prefer! 

After all that said, I'm still leaning towards the QuickFish!

Hope that helps!

SnowPerch

[holehopper]

I've owned both shelters and would vote for the Clam.  I like the fabric better (it is definitely heavier material) and I like the bag much, much better.  After a day of fishing in cold weather, the fabric on both shelters can get stiff once you shut the heat off and start to pack up.  The "stuff sack" style that Eskimo uses just doesn't compare to the Clam bag that has a zipper the full length.  It makes packing up faster and easier, especially if you are wearing gloves.  Other than that, I think they are both good units.  I own two Clams; the original "Hub" which is a 1 man and the thermal base camp.  The 1 man units are really nice if you are out by yourself.  They are very light and fold up really small.  They are easy to heat and have a low profile for the wind.  The thermal base camp is awesome with 2 or 3 guys.  Heats up really well. 

[ice dawg]

Jibber82,

I hear ya!  I was the opposite though!  I was all set on the QuickFish 3 until I did more reading on the Clam.  However, with that said, I'm still leaning towards the QuickFish. 

Here's some more info to help you out. 

The Clam has two zipper doors and the QuickFish has one.
The Clam has a heavier Denier material than the QuickFish.
This could be a plus or a minus, but the Clam's windows are stitched in, as opposed to removable like the QuickFish.  I know they are prone to breakage in the colder temperatures, so it would be nice to remove them if need be.
The Clam's bag has a full length zipper, where as the QuickFish has just an opening at the top.

At this point, I want to put a disclaimer - I have not seen either one first hand, this is all from the information I've read

Honestly though, reading a hundred reviews, people have nothing but good things to say about both, so you can't go wrong with either.  It almost just comes down to which colour you prefer! 

After all that said, I'm still leaning towards the QuickFish!

Hope that helps!

SnowPerch

Which Qwickfish has only one door? I have the Qwickfish 4 and it has two doors and I thought the Qwickfish 3 had two doors also, but I haven't had a chance to look at one yet since they haven't been set up at the local dealers yet.

[Grumpyoldman]

Two doors can be very handy when there are three guys.

What's the price comparison between the two?
What's the weight comparison.

They are all the same tech., so they all have the same weak points, namely the fiberglass rods and the hubs pushing through the material after a couple years.
They should have used a much heavier material at the point of hub/material contact in the QF3.
 
 
 

   

[wiskeyfish]

hey perch they have pop ups on www.costco.ca, just not Eskimo brand. supposed to be made well. worth a look.

[SmellsLikeFishNH]

Which Qwickfish has only one door? I have the Qwickfish 4 and it has two doors and I thought the Qwickfish 3 had two doors also, but I haven't had a chance to look at one yet since they haven't been set up at the local dealers yet.

My quickfish 6 has 2 doors as well!

-Scott

[ice dawg]

My quickfish 6 has 2 doors as well!

-Scott

My wife almost bought a Qwickfish 6 for me this spring when they were on clearance for $169. I could have parked my quad in one end and fished in the other. lol

[SnowPerch]

Just catching up...

Whiskey, got your message and sent you one back, but not sure if it sent properly.  I'm definitely considering the costco hut, but need to get some more feedback on it first - I think.

It would make sense that the QuickFish 4 and 6 have two doors, but my understanding is that the quickfish 3 has only the one door (maybe someone can confirm this).

The weight difference is the Clam is at 27lbs and the Eskimo is at 23lbs.  The Clam has a thicker material and heavier rods.  The downside is that the windows aren't removable on the Clam in case of a crack.

The price difference is about $30 cheaper for the Clam.

The Equinox at Costco seems to have the best of both worlds with the thicker material AND removable windows.  The downside to them is that I think they are just entering the market and I don't know where their quality lies compared to the other two...But at $100 cheaper than the Eskimo, it's certainly got my attention.

Does anyone have any feedback on the Equinox brand?

SnowPerch

[wiskeyfish]

Hey perch another route would be drive over to states. The Eskimo are 179.99 at Gander Mountain and walmart. Don't know how close you are to the border.just an idea

[ice dawg]

Redrock Wilderness Store has Qwickfish 3 shelters and they are $179 + change and $79 + change to ship them to Canada.

[Grumpyoldman]

Does anyone have any feedback on the Equinox brand?

SnowPerch

Never heard of that brand.
Before you buy one, you should do spec. comparisons w/ QF3 and Clam.

[Shienar]

costco kicks butt last year the had the quick fish 3 for 179
but with ice fishing still having a long way to go up this way
the ended up blowing them out for 99 plus tax after xmas


that was our the bent rodz crew family day
aint hard to tell we got them on sale and that aint all of them either
probably 3 more in the crew
no complaints from any of us

[SnowPerch]

Wow!!!

That's a heck of a deal.  I'm thinking Costco replaced the Eskimo with these Equinox ones for this year.  I thought I'd be ahead of the game and keep a close eye on Costco for when the Eskimos came out, but it looks like it may not happen this year.

I think I would buy two if I found them for $99. 

SnowPerch

[cityfishin]

Hi,

I was wondering which Costco you found these in?  Could you please let me know?

Thanks!

SnowPerch

Golden Valley, MN

But if you can, go to the Ice Fishing Expo in St Paul. Got one for $139 instead and returned mine to Costco. Sweet Deal.

[ice dawg]

One of the local stores is selling Qwickfish 3 shelters for $159 at this time.

[cityfishin]

costco kicks butt last year the had the quick fish 3 for 179
but with ice fishing still having a long way to go up this way
the ended up blowing them out for 99 plus tax after xmas

Sounds like it will be a foot race over to Costco after the Xmas Season. I hope they do go on sale. Even if I just bought mine. Does anyone have any thoughts on how to join them together? Maybe it won't work with the single door of the 3. But I'd love to figure something out.