I think keeping them separate ...each has its place on the ice ..if its too heavy it would make hole hopping hard ...makes scouting almost impossible ...the camera for scouting , identifying structure ,fish ,types of weeds and what condition the weeds are in...the flasher for scouting depth , drop offs and bottom composition and fishing... I have an old Aqua Vu DT ...just got to heavy/bulky for scouting ...I recently got the Micro 5 w/DVR ... that in combination with my flasher should make for a more productive fishing season . If you chose a camera think how you fish/how you will use it...I wanted light weight and DVR ...most units have a video out port (some DO NOT) but try and find a mini, small or portable DVR is almost impossible ...Aqua Vu has units with built in DVR ...Vexilar has the DVR 100 which only works with their camera systems .