MyFishFinder.com Just like iceshanty but warmer
What kind of tarp do you folks use to put over the hubs? The cheap blue tarps? or something a that is not plastic--more like a canvas etc?MD
I have the Mr. Buddy Heater, a little bigger than yours, and have slept in a tent all night with it going, with no issues from fumes or carbon monoxide. The heater is supposed to be safe for indoor use. We have also used it in our Clam shelter for full days and still no issues. I think you would be fine!
I just bought the same shelter this year. I am also planning a couple of over night trips. I have outfitted it with a small woodstove I bought at princess auto. I used one of the windows to vent the stove. I bolted a steel thimble/plate to a fire blanket. Cut a hoe for the stove pipe. Glued Velcro on the blanket in the same pattern as the shelter has to secure the window. I tried it in the yard last week it works great. I also put some fire resitant shields, its like cardboard with silver tinfoil type material glued to it, above the stove sliding it behind the tent poles. I put a heat sheild bolted to the base I made for the stove as well. I will try to post some pics.
Great tips here guys. A few questions for the experts. I want to do a weekend trip with my new Eskimo fatfish 949i which is insulated. Will the insulated fabric cut down on the condensation issue? Also I bought the 4x6 golds gym mats which I plan to use as a floor. Anyone use these and have a problem with them freezing into the ice after a few days. I have a buddy heater and a sunflower heater which I plan to run off a 20 lb tank. I will use either or depending on the temperature and should be good on propane for a weekend trip especially if I only have to run the buddy heater. Now at night I planned on running a small electric space heater off a generator to cut down on the possibility of CO poisoning. Is this necessary or can I get away with venting well and running the propane while I sleep and maybe getting a battery operated CO detector for safety. Thanks for the help
Wow were to start. I probably spend more time camping and fishing in my Q6 than anyone alive. I will often spend a week at a time camping and fishing in some pretty harsh conditions. I use my shack as moose camp in the summer and useally end up living in it for a month. In the winter I useally average about one week a month on the ice, just to give you guys a little background. Lets start with the floor. I built a custom plywood astro turf floor for my shack which is great now that I have a custom sled to pull it around. Before I could only use the floor if I drove on the lake. The floor is absolute luxury, it gets you up off the ice and you don't have to worry about the puddle. If I am not using the floor I just use a good size indoor outdoor carpet to give a little traction once the puddle forms. I always use a cot so the puddle is just more of an annoyance than anything. I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about when I say puddle. The puddle is created from your heaters and for the most part it can't be helped, but I do have some tips to delay the puddle. The first and biggest is to get the heaters up off the ice. I carry several milk crates and 2 small pieces of plywood that I use to make tables, put your heaters on those. For the record I am mainly talking about the sunflower heaters and the little buddy heater. Second is to place something like a stool or aluminum foil underneath the heater to block the heat from going down to the ice. Like I said this will not stop the puddle but it will delay it. I am seeing allot of concern over air quality. Two weeks ago I was camping out at like 30-40 below and I was running 2 sunflowers on high the whole time. I had one window open and both vents with no air quality issues. I had to open another window while the lanterns were on. I learned this little trick on checking the air quality by taking a lighter and holding it up in the top of the shack. If the flame looked normal the air was good, if the flame was dancing around erratically its time to open the door. Trust me you will know what I mean if you do it. Lets talk condensation. Propane heat gives off allot of moisture as well as your breath. To control the drips I simply place an 8x10 tarp over the top of the shack making sure not to block off any vents. What this does is it creates a dead air space allowing the ceiling to breath. With out the tarp moisture will freeze to the outside off the ceiling causing the moisture to condense and rain all over you and your gear. This is probably the greatest tip I can give anyone. Having a dry ceiling is huge when your camping out for multiple days. Another big tip is how you pack the snow around your shack. Don't just throw snow over the skirt and call it good, you need to lift the skirt up and place snow underneath before you pack it on top. If you don't do this I guarantee your skirt will freeze to the ice. I have some pretty gnarly holes in my skirt from were I had to chip it out with a hatchet. Also you need to block up the corners and anchors to keep them from freezing in. Trust me it only takes one night for everything to freeze in, when in doubt block it up. Always guy off your shack 100%. The wind can come out of nowhere and theres nothing worse than being woken up at 2am to your shack callapsing around you. I know from experience. Always zip your zippers up. If you leave your zippers down there is a good possibility of waking up in the morning and finding yourself trapped inside your shack cause your zippers are froze. Not a good thing when you really have to pee. These are just a few of the major tips I've learned over the years. I have a whole bunch of other little tips but I'm getting a little long. Just to be clear I'm useally out in conditions far worse than anything you will find in the lower 48. I rely on my gear to keep my alive so I know it works. I always carry a spare everything because when your 20 miles from the truck and a 3 hour drive from civilization and its 40 below a broken heater could be life threatening. I hope this helps you guys maximise the potential of your popups. O one more thing DO NOT EAT THE SHANTY ICE it will make you sick.
Wow, there is some great tips in here guys. Im almost tempted to give it a shot sometime.
screw running the heater while you sleep, just bring a whole bunch of blankets and warm your boots up in the morning with the heater?
Let’s bring this back to life.