Buying a shanty

[SlapHAPpYcrappiE]

What kind of advice do you have, clam, ice cube, pop up.  I want the best bang for my buck here, what holds in the heat best, folds up in 1-2 minutes, and has enough room for 2 guys?

[IceholeFisherman]

For a two person shanty, I will create a small poem...Fish Trap Pro is the way to go!
Or....... a Fish Trap Guide is plenty wide.

[nd.walleye]

If you have the money - the fish traps or clams are worth their weight in gold - if your shopping budget - the cube works - i have one of those that i use when i don't feel like loading up the fish trap (6x8 - kinda a waste when ya go yourself ) - i discovered really quick that it needs to be anchored - if you don't chances are the wind is going to come up (even on a beautiful day) and pick that thing up and either collapse it or send it flying to the opposite side of the lake.

[C.C.]

There is only really one word for you to know, "OTTER"
      Jim

[Icenutter]

There is only really one word for you to know, "OTTER"
      Jim

Yeh considering you need a tank to pull yours.   

[ice_fish]

Otter houses are very good and if you go to the Otter web site, they are closing out their Wilderness Line of houses at a great price and worth taking a look at....

[BUCKSKI]

Oh my this crap again.
Traps has plenty of press and they are the original. Does that make em the best?
I love my frabill and would not spend the extra $100 for a trap. Similar weight with in 10 lbs. Also I don't have the respect for genz like I once did (real smart at silver last year).

There are two man otters for sale on e-bay for around $300. check em out.

A FLIP UP IS THE BEST DESIGN IN MY VIEW. Stay away from the folding styles or the cubes, they are difficult to assemble on windy days. I laugh now watching guys struggle like I once did.
Save the money and get a flip style ANY ONE YOU CAN AFFORD.

I know a couple of guys from the WNY UNION who love their frabills, the clam guys love theirs.
Do the research and enjoy your purchase. Don't go for cheap rather comfort!!!

[Buck1985]

 I gotta say I'm a Frabill guy. I bought the Prowler GT last year and love it. I can keep my rods and such safely stored in the glide trax. Holds heat very well and also absorbs the sunlight very well and extremely comfortable seats with room for 2 pretty big guys.

[Hard_H2O]

I was at Sportsman's Warehouse the other day. There was a two man, two seat, Fish Trap next to a much bigger, bench seat, Frabil. The Frabil was a bit more than $100 cheaper. I looked them over and decided that If I was in the market I would buy the Frabil over the Fish Trap.

I have a little experience with the Otters. The sled is very nice on them. It should be. they started making the sleds and the shack was an afterthought. They tow nice behind a snowmobile.

I have an older Clam Junior. I do not have too much trouble in the wind. The flip-ups will take off if you do not anchor them as well as the Clam style shacks. I always anchor first if the wind is blowing.

My next shack will be a flip-up style.

[Icenutter]

I have  a fish trap pro for going solo and I have a Trap Guide for when I go with my son.  I like them both, but the Guide can get tough to pull by hand in deeper snow.  I would stay with the suggestions of the others on staying with a flip over if you like to move.  If pulling by hand is not an issue I would go with the Otters since they seem to be built the best, but are the heaviest.  They have good equipment and a tough sled, but they are heavier than a Trap or Frabill.

[BUCKSKI]

Nice realistic comments gents!
Good to see that were not brainwashed trap guys!
Good Luck

[Hard_H2O]

Nice realistic comments gents!
Good to see that were not brainwashed trap guys!
Good Luck

A while back I would have seemed to be brainwashed. They were better than the competition. Most of the competitors have caught up in quality and features while keeping the price lower. The features added by the competition seem to be more useful than that offered on the Traps and Clams.

Not to hijack but does anyone use the Traplink?

[eye hunter]

Just another portable to throw out, I use a shappell Rover 1.5 and wouldn't go out without it. It has a full bench seat with padded back rest, rod storage under the seat and plenty of room for all the extra stuff. They now make a 2.0 that holds two people comfortably. I put a hitch on it and pull it behind the wheeler.

[bulldawger]

Ok, I'm in the same boat here. Wondering what to get . I bought a Ice Cube last year and it works good if your not moving, cause it is a pain when the wind blows like someone else said. Thats why I want to go with a flip over. I too am interested in the FT Guide sizewise, but I would consider something else too. I pull by hand 100 % of the time, so money aside, what other than the Guide is going to pull easier in the same size? Thanks

[Buck1985]

as stated earlier, I have the Prowler GT which is comprable in size, and slightly heavier, but with the Glide Trax it's easy to pull unless it's on crusted ice/snow patches. I normally pull it by myself, plus it's packed full of other stuff. The seats are the best I've sat in, I'm not sure how they compare in price.

[Pete379]

I have been using an Otter Magnum Lodge for 4 years with no problems. Plenty of room for 2 big guy's and gear and the quality is good. JMHO an Otter is money well spent. 

[ice man17]

im a frabill guy! if u want a smaller less expensive version i would go with the trecker if ure a hardcore all out ice fisherman i would go with the Gt series they are alot better than those traps they hold heat really well are plenty rooms and keep all of your rods from breaking when u store them in the holders FRABILL IS THE WAY TO GO!!

[zamboni]

Love my Clam 5600. If you watch craigslist you can get one in great shape pretty decently priced and I believe its the way to go

[Hardguy]

Let us all be realistic not brand loyal! I will buy a Chevy this year and a Ford two years later. What I am saying is I believe if your are brand loyal you are fooling yourself! Things change year to year. When it comes to a shanty I look at what is the best every year. I mean quality first then value. I am on my second shanty and they were both Fish Trap flip overs. Only because they seemed to be heads and tails above the rest. Presently I have a Guide 2 seater. It has by far the best and most comfortable seating. I have seen lesser traps rip apart on very windy lakes we fish but you never heard a trap do that. I will look at the others again as some mentioned in this forum that Frabill etc. have some nice features. I do use my trap link but not for what it was intended for. I use it for an opening on warm days.  I really like this shanty but if I find one that I like better mine will be for sale. Do not be foolish. Buy the best for your purposes.

[Icenutter]

I am pretty loyal to the trap's, but after seeing a few of my buddies Otters up close their material is much thicker than the traps.  Over the years it seems the traps have skimped on their fabric.  The Otters have much heavier poles also and the sleds are indestructible.  Don't get me wrong, I have been through some nasty wind storms in my traps and they have faired well.  Where I live there are no Otter dealers close by and the shipping for on-line orders is outrageous.  Yeah, they are the most expensive of all the flipovers, but you gotta pay for quality.  If I had a dealer close by I would probably be dragging an Otter this year.  I have not seen the new Fish Trap X up close but in the pictures it looks like they have beefed up the sleds and used the heavier square poles like the Otters.   

[Hardguy]

I am pretty loyal to the trap's, but after seeing a few of my buddies Otters up close their material is much thicker than the traps.  Over the years it seems the traps have skimped on their fabric.  The Otters have much heavier poles also and the sleds are indestructible.  Don't get me wrong, I have been through some nasty wind storms in my traps and they have faired well.  Where I live there are no Otter dealers close by and the shipping for on-line orders is outrageous.  Yeah, they are the most expensive of all the flipovers, but you gotta pay for quality.  If I had a dealer close by I would probably be dragging an Otter this year.  I have not seen the new Fish Trap X up close but in the pictures it looks like they have beefed up the sleds and used the heavier square poles like the Otters.   

Icenutter, I looked at the X online and it is heavier duty. It also is alot heavier. The trick is to buy something that will suit you without too much overkill. I do not want to drag unneccessary weight. What are the Otters seats like? I do like the Traps comfortable seats  and  I thought the Otter used bench seats. I also like the height of the Trap Guide folded up for transport as it just fits under the tonneu cover on the truck. If the Otter is higher it will not fit. I like to keep it covered so road sh-- does not fill it up.

[team95monte]

I am a clam fan.  For 2 people to fish in, the guide will work,  but for an extra 100-150 id spring for a Yukon.  I bought one last year after getting rid of my 5600.   Not great for camping in but it has plenty of room for you and a couple others. 

[dkfry]

I am pretty loyal to the trap's, but after seeing a few of my buddies Otters up close their material is much thicker than the traps.  Over the years it seems the traps have skimped on their fabric.  The Otters have much heavier poles also and the sleds are indestructible.  Don't get me wrong, I have been through some nasty wind storms in my traps and they have faired well.  Where I live there are no Otter dealers close by and the shipping for on-line orders is outrageous.  Yeah, they are the most expensive of all the flipovers, but you gotta pay for quality.  If I had a dealer close by I would probably be dragging an Otter this year.  I have not seen the new Fish Trap X up close but in the pictures it looks like they have beefed up the sleds and used the heavier square poles like the Otters.   

I have an Otter Small Den and my dad has a Trap Pro. Both are fine shanties. The Otter is built toughest by far, with many parts made in the US. As you said you pay for it. I bought my Sled at Cabelas in Hamburg and ordered the seat and tent from Thorne Brothers. Cabelas (Hamburg, Pa) usually has the seats and sleds in stock. The sled is what runs the S&H up the tent doesn't cost that much to ship.

The traps have nicer seats IMO than the Otter but the clam seat will bolt onto the otters swivel.

The Trap X uses round poles just like the reg traps only there a little bigger. The X's are very heavy though.

[jbird68]

I am still on my fisrt flip-over shanty. I bought an HT Iceman Express one-man shanty. I was very impressed at how thick the canvas material was(500 denier). Before I bought it I got a chance to see some of the Frabill shanties set up at Farm and Fleet. I thought the material was very thin nylon. CAbela;s had them on sale and the shipping was very cheap. I think I paid a total of $220 including shipping. I put 1/4" thick nylon runners under the sled for protection while dragging it over parking lots and stuff. I am still happy with it. The only thing I don't like about it is that I have to store all my gear behind my chair and have to reach behind me to get everything. But it holds all my stuff. (AquaVu VPG, Mr. Buddy Heater, Cooler bag for tackle, 2 buckets, Atlantis Unerwater Camera, rods and reels)   

[chimo]

I've had a clam 2000 for the past couple of years and am defiantly upgrading to some type of flip over this winter.  The clam is alright but a pain for how I am usually fishing which is move move move...  It also isn't as sturdy in the wind as I would like.  good fishing

chimo

[IceholeFisherman]

For a two person shanty, I will create a small poem...Fish Trap Pro is the way to go!
Or....... a Fish Trap Guide is plenty wide.

When I wrote this, I was just trying to be funny. I dont even own a fish trap. A good friend of mine owns one of the older ones and they seem to have been built better then the ones they make today. Especially the tub and the material. Lots of good stuff out there these days. But what I really meant is to go with a flip style. Much better to set up in the wind then the tent style shacks.

[bulldawger]

I am a clam fan.  For 2 people to fish in, the guide will work,  but for an extra 100-150 id spring for a Yukon.  I bought one last year after getting rid of my 5600.   Not great for camping in but it has plenty of room for you and a couple others. 

money asside...what I need to know is can one man pull this thing around with all the gear by hand??

[icejunky]

I have owned, a shappell 2 man, a frabil 1 man and a clam 2 man. The clam is by far the most expensive but by far the best quality unit i own. It is the most durable and comfortable unit and easy to set up. If you are looking for a long term unit, spend the money, or you will be kicking yourself a year or two from now

[dabber-doo]

OK guys here's my 2 cents to the story. I bought the clam X2 last fall and love it. OK it's a little heavier but, the sled design makes it easier to pull. I have no trouble loading it in the back of a pick myself. You lift the one end up on the tailgate and then the back half up and give it a push. Even loaded with all my gear still no problem. Now last year I looked at all(and I mean all) the shacks on the market and there is no other shack that is even close to the quality that this shack has. Its the only shack that uses Virgin polyethylene resin for the hole sled.  The slide poles are 1 1/4 wide aluminum and side so nice that even the guys out on the lake that had frabiles could not believe.(and no rusty poles later on when they age a little) The canvis is thicker then any other brand out there. And the seats are out of this world comfee. Yes they are more expensive then almost all the trap type shacks out there but by far worth every penny. Even the cover for them has a half moon like zipper on them that gos across the hole cover so you can put stuff in and take stuff out, with out even taking the cover off. After owning this shack I would never buy anything else thats on the market today. If you really want quality for the money buy a Clam X series trap. They make 3 different models. The X is a one man, the X2 is 2 man, and then there is the X4 which is a 4 man with 2 men sitting on one side and 2 men sitting on the other side back to back. With both sides of the shack flipping up like the trap do. The X is 120 lbs, the X2 is 145lbs, and the X4 is 175lbs. Plus the Clam traps make a trap link for there shacks so you can link 2 shacks back to back . Like I said guys I did my home work last year and there is nothing that even come close to matching the quality and features that these shacks have.

[donmac]

What kind of advice do you have, clam, ice cube, pop up.  I want the best bang for my buck here, what holds in the heat best, folds up in 1-2 minutes, and has enough room for 2 guys?

I'd set aside the inevitable brand loyalty that always come up for a moment, and go for the one that does exactly what you are looking for...

Assume they're all good. One factor that I consider important is weight... How are you going to get this thing to the ice and then move it on the ice?  If my teen agers aren't around I love the little FT scout - VERY light and easy to use/drag/etc.   But way too small for 2 people - and a tad claustrophobic for one - but still a fine shelter for one.

How portable do you want it to be?  A flip-over sets up in a few seconds. A fold-up with wooden floor sets up in a few minutes.  If you want to move around constantly the flip-overs are great. If you want to claim a spot for a week or two - the wood floor fold-up is better.  I've had a Viking with wooden floor for about 20 years - can't kill the sucker.

I think most fold up pretty easily these days and all hold heat fairy well, but not like a permanent shack.  It's likely that the heavier fabric holds the heat a tad better - but I suspect with fabric is about trapping the heat - not insulating.

A friend (who moved south) gave me an Otter (that some mouse chewed on a bit) this summer - a tad more heavy duty than the FT - but they're both good.  I'll have no problem dragging it behind the atv or snowmobile - but I'd hate to have to load that sucker into a truck myself (being mid-40's w/ bad back).

Helps a great deal if you can go to a store and sit in them yourself.  Then you can be the judge.