Clam Jason Mitchell thermal x2

[Moretto]

For those who own one. Do any of you pull this by hand. Is it worth it or should I go smaller.

[Boomer.]

Its listed at 120 lbs.  I pull the otter pro lodge, which is 20 lbs. heavier.  Its do-able.  I picked up the clam pulling harness and that made it 100x easier!  The way I see it, pulling it makes me earn my beer!

[hole_hopper454]

If I was pulling by hand I would want the lightest shack out there, but that's just me. I have some long hikes to get to some of my spots but if you fish close to access points it may not make a big difference for you. The Shappell FX200i weighs 76 pounds.

[Mancaveburnett]

Go smaller not worth it if your dragging by hand. I have the x2 and I got caught up on how great it is with the room, comfort, and ceiling height. Through experience I have learned lighter is better. When the ice gets thick enough, I pull it with my machine, and a friend is with me, it is great to have. The majority of the time I prefer to stay light. The other thing to think about is the x2 + other gear= total weight to have to pick up and put in a truck bed or trailer. A truck bed is high to lift all that weight especially if your fishing alone. Most likely you will be like me and also buy something to drag out by hand, for me in early and late season with thinner ice. I have found that the drag out to fish isnt so bad, the drag back is brutal.

[cwavs1982]

Agree with all comments above.  If you do go with the JM X2 - you could build a Smitty Sled.  That will make it much easier to pull.  I did this with my Yukon.  This unit is smaller in size than the X2, but its still a bear to load into the back of the truck.  When you have the Smitty Sled, you can use the ski's to act as a slide to help maneuver into the truck bed.   

[esox_xtm]

Go smaller you'll always reach a point where you wish you had more room. Go bigger you just find more stuff to pile into it. It's the devil and the deep blue sea...

I haven't pulled anything by hand, large or small for decades. Didn't spend anything on a harness either. Picked up a length of 3" nylon web out of the trash @ work. It broke at one end and they needed a specific length and it wouldn't "stretch". Almost 20' long, doubled into a loop, carabiner at one end. Step into the loop, bring the front over your head and behind your neck leaving the two sides under your arms. After a couple of years I did add a chest strap to shift the load down a bit. It's very comfortable to pull a large Otter lodge jammed with three guys stuff and I'm almost 65.

Whatever you decide do go the harness route. It's not even half the work...

[jr50]

I have this house and pull it by hand all of the time.  I did put the runners under it which helped.  I have no issues pulling it by hand or loading it into my pickup, I lift the front up and place it on the tailgate then walk to the back and lift and slide it in.  I usually have about 30 lbs extra in if and it's not bad to load.  I have tried loading other brands similar in weight and struggled keeping the front from sliding off the tailgate, the sloped fronts on the house very difficult to load by yourself.