Your thoughts on buying a new portable

[Ed Carlson]

Good deal, with a lot of value, and features,...The Frabill Trekker DLX, 1-2 man. $399.99 with a free cover included. A Very nice shack Beef.

A super roomy 1 man unit, and seats 2 comfortably as needed.

[IcerRon2010]

Otter has some really cool accesory's. The sportsmans console, holds a ton of stuff. I downsized my equippment and now the little things fit right inside the console. Eliminates the 5 gal. pail. I bought the otter small two man. I compaired the nanook, decided the build quality of the Otter was better and would last longer. The sled, sqaure tubing, accesory's is what sold me. I do also have a clam pop up, and I love that shelter too.

[Brad B]

I'm looking to buy a new portable in the 400-500 range any thoughts, opinions would be very helpful.

I don't want to start a Clam vs. Otter war, just the positive-Negatives would be great.

Thanks

Beef

email me at [email protected] and I can give some info on a new but discontinued otter flip style in your price range.

[dougger222]

Have tried most of them.

Past portables,

Ranger XLT (two man flip/stolen)

Shapell (one man flip/stolen)

Eskimo quickflip (two man/stolen)

Current portables,

X2

Otter Lodge

Eskimo 2 man flip

Clam Genz 2 man flip (old)

The X2 is by far the nicest house to come out of the Clam corp. The Otter is a nice quality house as well. The Eskimo is nice and gets used the most because it's the lightest. The Genz Clam is really cheaply made.

I really like the Ranger XLT had a lot of miles on it and several years of use. The sled was heavy duty and the fabric and poles held up very well. If in the market again would consider another one.

Last Summer stopped in my buddies blow molding/injection molding factory in Foley and low and behold they were stacks and stacks of Clam sleds there! The company is known for higher end plastics. They were making the small ones but my buddy said they make a lot of different sizes. Nice to see at least some of the parts made right here in MN. The sleds seemed thick like the X2 sled.

[Zoob]

I'm looking to buy a new portable in the 400-500 range any thoughts, opinions would be very helpful.

I don't want to start a Clam vs. Otter war, just the positive-Negatives would be great.

Thanks

Beef

My Clam Expedition went to [PoorWordUsage] the first season. The dark lining inside started flaking away, and the seams started separating at the post points in the roof. They *will* replace it for you within a year, though - but that doesn't change that I was sorely disappointed with this particular unit.

[that_guy]

Hey Beef,

I'm a former suitcase owner, who now owns a flip house. When purchasing my new flipover I considered my vehicle and how I can transport things...I have a small truck so I was very limited in the size house I could buy. From there, you just need to sit in them and find what feels best for you. There are subtle differences in all of the houses I've seen. To get the perfect house I think you need to combine about 5 of them

[walleye44]

Do not forget about Canvas Craft Otterskin portables too. Talk to Matt at the ice fishing show this weekend, if you are headed down that way. They used to make the otters. Actually "made" in the USA too! If you want to spend a little more coin you can get the Norpac R2 material, you will save money in the long run with less propaine to buy. You do not get the condensation drip or the wind flap with the Norpac material. The added weight is minimal also.

[harvey lee]

Yes, the Canvas Craft insulated portable is a very nice portable. Quite a bit out of the posted price range.

[LMITOUT]

I've been running Otters for about ten years now and have no complaints. They just keep getting better with every revision and the sleds are second to none.

[tsande00]

Honestly I don't think you can go wrong in that price range. All of the shacks are pretty good. I still firmly believe that the best thing to do is go to a place (like the ice show or even a big box store) that has several different brands setup on the showroom floor. Sit in all of them and imagine your gear and another adult. See which one is the most comfortable and one with respectable quality (all should be quality, but you might like one thing over another)

Good luck and enjoy your new shack!

[hibanks1]

I have had the fish trap voyageur for 7 years, the tub finally wore out, now bought the Clam 3 hub...would no go back to a tub ever again. If you buy a tub go with the otter, much better tub than clam....my clam shell is also shot....but i have fished it hard for 7 years.....