4 Man Ice Cube Pros and Cons

[UP jigstick]

Ok fellas here's the scoop! My son gave me a 4 man ice cube for my birthday. Set up in the living room it looks to be a nice rig, but out in the wild it could be a different story. Having never used one of these type of shacks before, what should I be on the look out for? What are your experiences with this shack? Give the good, the, and the ugly. Can't wait for ice!!!!!!!!!!

[ran7ger]

 i love mine, however that being said it did take a few trips to get really comfortable in it. 

 first thing i picked up is one of those small, packable shovels...needed to shovel snow on to the skirt, keeping the wind out.  if you're on ice without any snow cover (never an issue up here ) you will  need some 2x4's to keep the wind out.

 secondly, the ice anchors/screws are a friggin' pain to get started in the ice so i picked up a cheap drill to make set up way less labor-intensive  can't remember the bit size off hand, but any size smaller than the ice screws themselves will do just fine.

 nice thing is, both my shovel and drill fit perfectly in the ice cube bag.  other than that i did have one of the poles snap, granted -40c probably did have something to do with it, and i have heard that eastman is prompt to send replacement parts.  personally, the hut didn't lose any stability with the one broken pole so i haven't gotten around to contacting them about a replacement part. 

 i've heard complaints about the zippers, but take care of your unit and you should get years of enjoyment out of it!

 

[gulp]

Love mine too. Had it out when the wind came up and by the time we got the rest of the fishing gear put up the wind was up to 65mph. Did not dare to pull the shacks off in that wind so we left them. The next day they were still up and best of all had little damage. One shack has s slight tilt to it and the other has a small hole. Not to bad for the wind they took. Make sure to tie out the sides also. Lots of room for equipment when fished with just two. Good luck this year. Wish I had a son that gave me stuff like that.

[UP jigstick]

Hey gulp, good to hear they held up well in the winds. Yes, he's a pretty good kid. He is out in your neck o the woods right now. He lives in Cheyenne, and is stationed at FE Warren.

[walleye tattoo]

Give it some practice on nice days once you get the hang of it you will never change!JMO. Shovel is a good idea I also carry one , another thing I will add this year is a pice of outdoor carpet for under my feet as to keep my feet and other junk off the ice. I will take mine any where and set up in any conditions that is how good I fell about mine.

[fishhead16]

good to hear, they seem to be reasonable on ebay.

[darkhousefisher]

If the wind is blowing real hard, I try to put a corner into it instead of the whole side.  Never had a problem with the sides collapsing after I started doing that.  Just my $.02.  Best of luck.

[JOBBER]

Since there is discussion on how well these do in the wind, I have a question on set-up. Do you put the ice anchors in as you go, or pop up the whole unit then place the anchors? I mean is the unit self standing without the anchors, and they are only to keep it from blowing across the ice?

[Shack Man]

You peg the corner that is facing the wind, that puts the door away from the wind. Pop the tent up and use the remaining pegs on the tension straps. The last thing to do is put some snow on the skirt around the bottom. I've set them up in some heavy winds with no trouble.

[Hollywood703]

Here is my setup....

When i first get on on clear ice....I spike 1 ice anchor windward side. I get that all the way in.......and the start to setup the ice tent looping the ice anchor on the opposite side as the door........then i can get in the tent and not have to worry about it sliding.  I also take out some PVC 3/4", and 1 elbow, i take and spread the skirt out after it is set up, and then assemble my 4 pieces of pvc, 3/4 to 3/4 connector and then the elbow in the middle of the 2 long pieces once they are assembled.....the PVC privides just enough weight to hold the skirt down, and the elbow keeps it from moving away from the corner.  If i had a bit of snow, i dont take the pvc and take a small flat snow shovel...perfect for taking the snow out from around a hole and clearing a patch for the shanty. I have never had to use more than 2 ice screws even in the heaviest of winds.

[walleye tattoo]

I have done both with no wind I just pop it up and move it when I find I have missed the drop off (no never happens) in heavy wind one corner to the wind then all corners then pop it up.

[Mainehazmt]

Ive never had any luck with mine so as of yet it has never seen the ice   1  first got it pole broke   oh well tried anyway   broke another pole  got ahold of manf  they sent 2 more  set up again..lopsided broke another pole was able to take a few of the older poles put in the hub to make it work    I must be doing something wrong and others going to show me at moosehead trip  as of now  it was a waste of money   goes up hard  big PIA

[keepah seekah]

love mine. i have the smaller 2 man ice cube. i set mine up with one corner facing the wind, get it set up and peg it down. make sure the skirt is out from underneath and bank it with snow. i hardly ever have to heat mine after i do the this set up. but if it's really cold, or you have the kids with ya, a coleman camp stove does the job easily.

[BlackRhino]

NO cons whatsoever. I love mine, used it for 2 years and in my opinion it is one of the best out there. Black for collecting heat, the four man is large enough for two big guys to be VERY comfortable, light, easy to pack and the bag is big enough to store other stuff in.

I cannot figure out any of these companies that the shanties are not black. Blue should not be the "color of icefishing" when black absorbs heat.....

[PAluke]

Set my new "Cube" up in the living room last night.  I was surprised at how easy it goes up and down for the first time.  If anyone is concerned about set up/take down, it was a cinch.  I can see how the poles would break if you rough with them, but a little patience goes a long way. 

My wife is lucky I didn't have the blades on my auger or I might have been drilling through the floor to the basement! 

[SNAPPY]

Got one off ebay for $115 shipped to my door. Set it up and took it down a few times already just for practice. So far I really like it. Lots of room and material seems heavy duty to last a long time. Even the two chairs are the right height so no more sitting on buckets for me! Best of all, it will fit inside my jetsled so no more strapping the bulky shappell on top.  Only con with mine is the door zipper wants to jam at the center (sharp turn). Any one else have an issue with this or better yet a solution?

[UP jigstick]

Got one off ebay for $115 shipped to my door. Set it up and took it down a few times already just for practice. So far I really like it. Lots of room and material seems heavy duty to last a long time. Even the two chairs are the right height so no more sitting on buckets for me! Best of all, it will fit inside my jetsled so no more strapping the bulky shappell on top.  Only con with mine is the door zipper wants to jam at the center (sharp turn). Any one else have an issue with this or better yet a solution?

 

I did the same thing and had the same concern. I'll try either wax or silicone spray on the zipper to see if it helps.

[Bellybuster]

rub an old candle on the zipper, works a charm

[Shack Man]

Good idea Bellybuster why are the simple solutions alway's overlooked?

[yonderfishin]

I used mine just one season, ...I really have no major complaints except they can be a lot of work to set up on a windy day. Once in place and set up though you should really like it.

[Ice_Fly]

I love my 4 man Cube too.....

[woodfolks]

This is my second season with mine.
I put it up today in 20 mile an hour winds, two of us had
no problem. If you use all 4 straps it pulls the cube down and I need no snow
on the bottom.  you only need to put the one in the corner bottom in
for a total of 5 screws to keep it in place. I pop mine open first and get the winward strap
on then start lining up my holes on the back wall away form the
door. Then put the other straps in. In little wind one or two straps is plenty to hold
it in place.

The screws are hard to put in. If you hit them with a mallet or
use a good cordless drill to start the holes they will go in quick.
You will want this.
Yes I can put them in with out it but I wine.

Now If you move a lot for perch. You will want a different shanty
For a first shanty, lower price, only fish once in a while, or don't move much this
is a perfect shanty.
I have astro green outdoor carpet for the floor put never use it.
You will want it when its warm and the ice is slick and melting a little.

I love this shack when I go smelt fishing. We set up and stay in the same spot.
I also love it with tip ups as a warming shack.
I have never had anyother problems with it.

[rockbass]

I think the best way to set up the cube is to start one anchor hole before you even pop the cube up.  Get the corner hole started (without the shanty in the way) and once that anchor hole is started good enough to hold, THEN spin the anchor out, and get the cube's corner hole lined up, and anchor the corner in to the hole you had just made.  THEN pop up the cube.  The wind will tell you where it wants to go.  Once you've set the corner hole and then position the cube (or let the wind position the cube for you), then you can consider putting in one or more of the additional side anchors.  Usually I only need the corner anchor.  Sometimes I'll put in one or two side anchors.  I've never needed more than that even in heavy wind.  The only time you'd need more than that is if the wind was changing directions a lot.

[rockbass]

Also - If I'm setting any tip ups, I like to set them all in a line out the door so I can see them all from where I sit and jig inside the cube.  If it's real cold and I want to close the door, I'd set them up in a line I can see thru one of the windows from my jiggin spot inside the cube.

[J_Edwards]

I have broken two sets of poles on mine and the the poles continue to tear out the canvas they are sewed in with.  I have fixed this with dental floss and a needle and it works great now.  I have had this up in heavy winds, 55 mph once and it stood, with no real problems.. Wind came up from 25 and held tight for a few hours, waited till dark for the wind to die as I didn't want to tear down in high winds.  Lucky the crappie bite was hot. 

I don't consider this any more than a two man, I have fished three in it and it's a pain in the arse.

[Drift Dodger]

...  Only con with mine is the door zipper wants to jam at the center (sharp turn). Any one else have an issue with this or better yet a solution?

I have completely solved the 'tight zipper' issue on my Ice Cube by relieving the outward pressure of the 'popped-out' wall for opening & closing. I completely removed the tie-down strap from that side so that it can't be used at all, and only ever anchor the bottom skirt. Then whenever opening or closing the zipper, merely pull/push the zipper-side pole or hub inward slightly to provide some slack. You can't do that when the tie-down strap is secured.

I use a rubber mallet to start the anchors. Although low-tech it's very effective, and there's plenty of room for it in my cube carry-bag.

[swillerjig]

I have the two man and love it, other than the zipper broke--probably my own fault I got a little rough with it.  But the 4 man is on my wish list.  For the price you can't beat it.  It's not that heavy either, when you start pulling your gear through a foot of snow and slush it's nice to lighten your load and throw the shanty on your back.

[Bellybuster]

I really love my ice cube 4 man.
    Biggest advantage for me is it fits in my tiny car.
    I just don't get the folks that are having troubles setting it up, maybe I'll do a utube video. I have no issues at all. Pops right up in under 30 seconds.
    If it's not windy it is very movable too, just drag it. it's the same as dragging anything else. Even the flip over shanties need to be folded to move when windy.
   Only drawback? no floor but as said you ca bring a piece of carpet or foam

[Bellybuster]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbzcqA3M30U

found one although this guy makes it look harder than it is by not anchoring one corner first

[Drift Dodger]

...  no floor but as said you ca bring a piece of carpet or foam

I made a rigid floor out of OSB for my Ice Cube, fine for when I can drive my pickup out on the ice ...