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Kind of a trial-and-error thing. I always clear excess snow not all the way to bare ice but close. If there is enough put snow over the skirts of your shelter to keep it and the wind getting inside down. ALWAYS stake you shelter because if the wind is not blowing now, it might later and chasing your shelter down the lake when the wind gets it may be funny to watch but not to do. I always stake all 4 corners through the gromets because the wind can shift and usually does. It is a lot easier to do a little extra work and not have to worry then to do the 100-yard dash on glare ice. As for mats inside it is a matter of personal choice. I've seen guys use old carpet strips and also foam mats for exercise that fit together like a puzzle. If you are on foot every pound counts but if you use a machine to pull the sled you can include more creature comforts.
New ice fisherman here so a quick question about setting up a pop up shelter. Do you guys shovel snow down to the ice for the area of your pop up, so you’re not operating around a bunch of slushy snow when the warmth of your heated shelter starts to melt it, or does that just cause you to operate in standing water when the bare ice starts to melt? Also, are you guys calculating the position of your holes and cutting and clearing them, then setting up the shelter around them, or setting up the shelter first and cutting your holes where you need them without the guesswork, then shoveling the mess outside? I’ve only ice fished one morning in my whole life and that was in a hard shelter so I don’t know what’s best.