Shanty Sled

[zuno412]

I am looking to buy a single man shelter that will also serve as a sled to transport my gear.  I would like it to stand up to Presque Isle winds... Any Suggestions? 

[chimo]

Seems like I always saw plenty of fish traps and frabills out on the isle when I was there fishing.  I would imagine any of the flip overs would work for you.  I picked up a fish trap scout last year and it seemed to hold up pretty well in the winds I had it out in.  Made things alot nicer on those nasty days even though I would prefer to fish off a bucket most of the time.  All the flip over style shanties are mounted on a sled to carry all your stuff.  good fishin

chimo

[zuno412]

Thank you Chimo,

Yes, all the flip overs looked awesome last year; I was, "that guy" on a bucket... and that's why I am looking for a shelter.  I've looked at many of the manufacture's websites and their selling points are all similar.  So, essentially, I am neutral on what to buy.  If you guys have any pros or cons, please inform...

Thank you

[sbfPA_Mike]

I believe this link will take you to all the Shack information you could possible want.

http://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?board=33.0

Mike

[juniatabassman]

i have a scout and last year up at tuscarora the wind was bad the one day i was out i didnt have any anchors but besides getting blow across the ice once the shanty held up good

[ComplexSimon]

Based on your posts above I'm guessing you are looking for a one-man shelter vs a multi-person one.  I currently own the Frabill scout which works for the smaller lakes around me.  It's relatively portable (though it doesn't fit in the trunk of my car as the manufacturer suggested), and if you have anchors it works great in the wind.  The only draw back to it is the width of the fliptop.  As it is a one-man shelter it is really only wide enough for one rod and your vex.  A friend of mine bought a 1.5 man shelter last year that flips over the side of the sled rather than the back.  It was the same size (sled-wise) as mine but offered him enough inside width for 2 rods and his marcum.  It cost about 1.5x what my shelter cost though.  Look around and consider how much space you think you will want prior to buying one over the other.  I really haven't heard too many folks saying any of the shelters on the market are really all that bad.

As a side note...my shelter was the second best purchase behind only my vex!  On those rainy/snowy/sleet days I'm nice and toasty once I find the fish (with a portable Mr Heater you can keep the inside of the shelters in the 60s).

[stanleykk]

Hey, I tried the Pac Shack last year on several types of lakes. Must say it handled the wind on pymie, the freezing rain and snow on herford, and some snasty wind on wilhelm. I only mention it as a light weight shelter as to the heavier flip overs. No problem dragging it on top of a otter sled. And if you know pymie it get some really bad winds and my I add that trek out to the hot spots is a lot easier no matter snow on the ice is like. I do own Shappel only goes out on the ice when theres no snow and a Trap scout thats a back breaker in crusty ice conditions. Was able to use fl8 and scout camera with plenty of room to fish. I'm  going to try it with ice anchors this year. I must say it is a light weight shelter that helps you go any where, and if you fish pymie those hot spots are allways 500 yard out there, just a thought was going to try it on isle but couldn't find a way on the ice and spending the day in hotel during big snow storm last year. 

[bogeyjoker]

If you get a fish trap...get the pro not the scout.  They're a bit more money, but you'll appreciate the extra bit of room for a heater, vex, whatever.

[dkfry]

I bought the Otter small sled to haul my stuff out and later bought the Den canvas for it. Too bad the small den has been discontinued, the cottage is their one man now. I've been in winds well over 30mph with it and it held up fine. Two can fit in it, but its tight. In high winds anchor it. The Otter sled is about as tough as your going to get.

[btechvft70]

Otter builds a quality product the thing I like best about mine is the square tubing and plenty of room for a 1 man