I have the same sled. I don't use a cover as I haul my rods in one bucket and my round traps and flasher in another. So, a cover wouldn't work for me. If cover is hard to put on at home your husband won't want to fool with it out on the ice. I am assuming he isn't towing the sled, but manually pulling like I do. The bench seat is hard on the under carriage, so I slide the seat back and sit on my padded rotating bucket lid, all placed inside the sled. Most of the time I just deploy the flip as a wind break. The Shappel 100 is the lightest sled out there and that is a big deal for me as I can easily load and unload and much easier to drag. That said, when flipped, space is limited, and short rods are the ticket. I also recommend installing a 4-inch piece of PVC pipe so as to hold a one-pound propane cannister that I attached to the Little Heater Buddy. That makes for more room up front for fishing and no danger of burning your line. You need to attach far enough back in the tub/sled to clear the flip up arms.
