1 man flip-over style ice shack

[Hory]

I am looking for some information on 1 man flip-over style ice shacks. What are some of the models called that I should check out? and feel free to state any pro's or con's of one model over another whether it be size, weight, price, durability, etc. Thanks for any help, it's great to have a place to talk to fellow sportsmen/women about gear before making purchases!

[jdog]

i picked up the clam scout last year for $129 by far the best investment ive done easy pullout and an easy to move around the lake

[RJMOEN]

I love my clam fish trap scout, and it is their smallest and cheapest model. p'd up at F Farm for 149, they Fleet F have the Kenai on sale rght now for 169 a bit bigger with a drink holder and tray that mine doesnt have, a beer coozie with sticky velcro does the trick tho

[Ed Carlson]

The Frabill Trekker DLX is a 1-2 man...but the extra MSS seat is easily removed to produce a very roomy 1 man shack that is the same weight and size as the Frabill Commando 1 man.

Gander has an exclusive on the Trekker DLX this season and it also comes with a free cover and all support poles. It is $120 less now than it was last season with the cost of the cover factored in...a great shack and a great deal! Well worth a look.

[zeke7434]

I have the clam pro. It is a great 1 person shelter. I have plenty of room. They also sell a jump seat that they sell so 1 adult & 1 child can fish. I use mine for myself & 1 of my sons to go with. Nice comfortable seat would highly recommend.

[Swimbait2009]

I have the Clam Kenai, and really like it.

The organizer under your thighs is pretty handy. You can stick your rod handles into a small hole on either side of your seat. There's also a small hole on either side to stick your forceps into. There is a rectangular tray directly under your thighs that will hold a small jig box or your waxie/eurolarvae tub. I don't use the cupholders much since it puts your drink right next your knees, and I'm always afraid of knocking it over. There are two more slots that are more oval in shape that I use for my slush and minnow scoops.

The sled is pretty big and carries all of my stuff quite easily. It's not too heavy either (I walked in to Little Carnelian yesterday evening, and if you know that lake you know the access. I made it in and out without dying.) The tow rope could be longer, but I think it's comparable to any of the other standard ropes.

As for fishing and working space, there's plenty of it. I drill two holes inside, and have room for my sunflower, marcum, and bucket on the ice in front of me. You have to me a little creative, but it's a one-man.

So that's all the good I've found...time for the cons:

The biggest complaint I have with it is that there is no zippered door. As a result, if you need to get out of the thing (to relieve yourself, or check a tip up) you lose a lot of the heat. If you have a heater, it warms up pretty quickly again, but without one it's pretty tough. Also, I haven't figured out a good way to bank it with snow without having a buddy do it once I'm already inside. I'm 6'1" and have to open it up pretty wide to get into the thing. If anyone has a suggestion on this, I'm all ears! I think I'm going to find someone who can put a zipper into the tent this summer.

The only other complaint I have is the size of the windows...they're very small, about the size of a postcard. It's not the end of the world, but if I could make the shack perfect that's something I would change. Also, the window that's in front of you when you're sitting down is a little low for me (6'1") to see out of without bending over quite a ways.

Anyway, I love the shack. I've fished WAY more this winter than I ever would have without it. It's mobile and has plenty of space for one person, plus there's plenty of room in the sled to carry your buddy's gear so he/she will have to pull it back to shore at the end of the day.

[hamms-scooter]

I have the scout. Nice house for 150 bucks! If you get one of last yrs models instead of the new style it has a door. I just took one of the seats out of my guide and swapped with the seat in there. Way better and would recommend picking up a light weight boat seat to do the same.

[northernsportman]

the scouts work good if you can find one.

[no bait nate]

thanks for the info guys, also looking to purchase a 1 man shack, do to much fishing by myself and the Otter Lodge full of gear is a beast to get in and out of the truck. and even worse to pull in deep snow when ya can't drive out.

[servocam]

Hory,

This year I researched Clam Corp, Wild / Otter Outdoors, and Frabill, Eskimo - most popular names I would see.

I liked the price of the Clam, but for few $ more, I think the Wild / Otter was a lot better buy IMO. Deeper sled, bench seat worked better for me, square tubing seamed sturdier... I found a lot of people who sure suggested Frabill the most.

In the end, I purchased a Clam pop-up (Command Post) because of lack of space in my vehicle.

[Burnham]

i have a frabill recon dlx. love it. i am pretty sure its the smallest one man on the market. dont quote me though, i do know its smaller than the kenai(i drive a civic, so benefits me). wish it had a door to bank it down to prevent some wind. other than that i love it!!

[Twins Guy]

also a big fan of the clam fish trap pro. i have plenty of room for two holes, big buddy heater and vexilar. depending on the year the seating arrangement is a little different but the deluxe padded swivel (like a boat seat) seat in mine is really comfy. very lightweight (~50#) and fits in the back of my toyota hatchback easily. would recommend putting hyfax runners on the sled.

tg

[icehousebob]

I bought an Eskimo QF 11 a few years ago to fish by myself. Its a two man but I like to spread out and stand up when I fish. I bought it before getting my ATV. If I were to do it now, I might get an Otter. The QF11 is light to drag by hand but is not as tough as some of the others.

[oznemo]

Need to know what the best 1 man flipover ice shanty is. Never had one but gonna get one please help!

[Lusid]

Please tell me - if you have a 1man setup. Where does your gas auger go? Or do you bring a hand auger?

[dan z]

I lay it across the the bars and leave the auger bit hang over the edge a smidge. I have a Jason Mitchell pro thermal and love it!

[Fred_Bear]

Please tell me - if you have a 1man setup. Where does your gas auger go? Or do you bring a hand auger?

In the truck or on the snowmobile/atv. If walking out just lay it across the bars like dan z said.

[Scott O.]

I can't say enough about the Clam Legend Thermal one-man. Best one-man flip over in my opinion. Warm, extremely spacious, comfy seat, love the LED light bar for low light/night fishing, and it's fairly lightweight.

[minnesotathorn]

+ 1 on what scott said. but I find it a real bear to load in back of my Honda pilot. i can't seem to get ahold of it anywhere to lift it in. had no problems last year with the clam big mouth but this one is mounted a different direction on the sled.

[JOEBALOG]

One thing that's really cool about the Frabill site is the ability to compare all the features of their shelters all at once - in front of you on one screen. Go here to their page with one-man flip overs:

http://frabill.com/portable-ice-shelters/flip-over-shelters.html

You can then select the ones to compare and see what you like. For me, it's all about weight, as well as seat. I pull mine a lot without a machine - so I like a light one. But I also like a pretty good, padded boat-style seat - because I'm in it a lot. So I use the Commando. It's the best of all worlds for me.

But, by using the compare, you get a good feel of apples to apples.

[Scott O.]

Yeah minnesotathorn, the weight of the Legend is its only inconvenience that I've noticed. I have to lift mine into the bed of my Ranger, which is slightly awkward. However, I'll be fashioning a ramp for it and that should fix that problem pretty easily. Still, I'll take a little extra weight for the features that it offers.

[Storm Rider]

Yeah minnesotathorn, the weight of the Legend is its only inconvenience that I've noticed. I have to lift mine into the bed of my Ranger, which is slightly awkward. However, I'll be fashioning a ramp for it and that should fix that problem pretty easily. Still, I'll take a little extra weight for the features that it offers.

How hard is it to pull the legend through snow by hand?

[Valleye]

Here are your one man flip over shelters.

Clam: Scout, Pro, Kenai

Frabill: Commando, Recon, Pro

Eskimo: Quick Flip1,Wide Inferno

Shappell: FX100, FX 150

I've been a Clam user and have had Two scouts and a Pro. I like the Scout because of its small size and ease of use. The Pro was a bigger but I wasn't a big fan of the extending poles. So I sold that and went back to the Scout. Unfortunately I lost my Scout and ATV to an accident on the highway. So I as well am looking for 1 man Flipwilson style. I saw an Eskimo Wide inferno at Bass Pro and was impressed. I dont think I will be buying a shelter anytime soon. I like the outdoors!!!

I will probably go to the Scout again. Easy to pull with a simple design that I cant screw up putting together!

[Scott O.]

Storm Rider, pulling it over ice and snow by hand isn't too much of a problem. I don't have a 4 wheeler, so I walk 99% of the time. In deeper snow, it's a bit heavy with an auger and other gear in it, but I can pull it just fine over most snow without any problems. If just pulling over ice, it glides with minimal pulling.

[JakeJ_Mn]

I just purchased the Eskimo Wideone inferno. I have to say it's very nice. Warm and plenty of room for a one man. The new style chair works good. I built a frame so it fits on my sled. My little buddy was more than enough heat.