Eskimo hub shelters

[pondhopper]

Any feedback good or bad on Eskimo fatfish or quickfish would be appreciated,thanks and have a happy New Year !

[ocburg17]

Love my quickfish.  I wish Eskimo would have had the fatfish when I bought mine (3 years ago). Build quality is far superior over cabelas pop-ups (only other shanty I've used). 

The only issues I have had with my quickfish were windows cracking and a pole breaking.  The pole was my fault, but was replaced by Eskimo since I was still within the warranty.  The windows were also replaced under warranty.  Now they are using a different material in their windows so they won't crack in the extreme cold.  So far the new material has been good for 2 seasons.

[idahonative]

I have a QF2 and I love it! I put a small Coleman Sportcat heater in there and It keeps plenty warm. The material is very durable as well.

[ASATMillerbluegill]

I have a QF-6 and a Fatfish 949. Love them! I set the Fatfish 949 in 38-60 mph winds this weekend. The shelter handled these winds fine, and was setup for 20 plus hrs and endured these high winds and snow!



Fatfish handling 40 mph plus winds

[WYOBEAR]

I have a question on your FatFish.   I just got a FatFish 767 and am trying to figure out the anchors. Do you put the anchors on the inside or outside the house?  If you anhcor it down from the outside then your storm flap will not lay flat on the ice..  and I dont know how you would anchor it on the inside before you set it up.   Thanks for the help.

[ASATMillerbluegill]

Anchor on the outside and the storm flap does lay flat.

[WYOBEAR]

How can the storm flap lay flat if the anchors are on the outside under it?  Don't your anchors handles stick up 3 or 4 inches? 

[ASATMillerbluegill]

O...I c. I use 8" long, 7/16" lag bolts, w washers. I use a Cordless 18 volt drill. This setup really holds a shelter secure and is easy to use. I've never used any of those Eskimo hand anchors.

[FISH2163]

I bought a Quickfish 3 last year and absolutely love. Setting it up is pretty easy; tear down is easy too. Unlike my pop up hunting blind, it actually fits back into the storage bag. There's plenty of room for two adults or me and the two kids to fish with out getting is each other way. I've had no problems with the anchors going into the ice. A couple of taps when I first start them and they turn right in by hand.

[wyo700]

I got a fat fish 949 just before Christmas and have used it about 5 times. I love it so far, sets up easy lots of room and holds heat pretty well for not being insulated. I have only had problems with one of the poles and one window but Eskimo is taking care of it for me. No big deal though. One of best purchases I have made for ice fishing.

[killa1]

i have used my qf3 for three years with no problems.holds up very well in the wind with the tie downs, the anchors work great.i would buy another if i had to.

[eyeclinic]

Think twice about Q3. I got one for Xmas and when I tried to carry it on my back, a strap ripped free from the carrying bag.  The next day I took it back to the store and tried three other units(all of which tore or ripped) before finding a good one.  My first time on the ice, I tried to screw in an ice anchor and it wouldn't work despite 5 minutes of trying.  Turns out the threads  weren't tapered and the end threads were actually damaged.  After a long day of fishing, I removed the anchors and one of the brass grommets was frozen into the ice(barely!).  I pulled on the skirt and the skirt seam tore away from the corner for 5-6" in both directions.  The Q3 needs far better,heavier stitching throughout.  I asked Eskimo to stop making their stuff in China and bring jobs home where we understand quality.(Rant off)

[ironshafts]

I also took mine back. If you use the anchors supplied with them in any heavy winds. It rips the grommets out of the straps. Other than the poor design of the anchor system. It seemed ak

[Silas]

Wow that’s exactly the opposite of how my QF3 has been working for me.  This is my 3 season with mine.

The Ice Anchors – These are actually the best anchors I have ever used.  They fasten the shelter very securely to the ice and getting them in is a cinch.  I have used wood screws before that are harder to get started then these easy things.  They work great every time!  As far as getting them unscrewed, well they might work a little too well…..  A few little turns to get them started and then I give them a little spin and they usually spin right out.  Last year I lost one down my whole because it spun out so fast it came off then fell down the hole lol.

The Bag – I am very rough with my bag, I toss it around throughout the year (in the summer) moving it from place to place in the basement and then I dump it around on the ice all the time.  Never had a problem with it, just wish there was a little adjustment on the straps so they will stay on your back a little better when you are carrying it.

Heavy Winds – Used mine a lot in heavy winds, just use the ice anchors supplied with it using the grommets on the inside plus I tie down the side where the wind is blowing with the string supplied and the additional anchor on the outside.  I also shovel snow over the skirt to keep it better insulted; this would also help with the wind factor.

Construction – I fish in temperatures that routinely go down to -40 (that’s Celsius or Fahrenheit, both the same at that temp) so the shelter has to deal with going from -40 to +10 routinely as I heat it up inside.  This is very good for a man made material.  No cracks, rips or tears from this exposure.
As far as the material ripping; I have left mine out on the ice for days at a time and have had it freeze under 3-4” of ice.  I had to then chip it out and yank on the skirt to get it off the ice as it was frozen down.  It did not tear once even when I put a few holes in the skirt from chipping the ice off the top!

Would I buy another one?  Defiantly!!  Actually I am looking for a Quickfish 6 right now so all my buddies can join me inside on these cold January days here up in Canada