Clam Summit VS Eskimo Quick fish 4

[JimW]

Looking at selling my suitcase syle house and buying one of the two above. I am not finding really any differences. Prices are close. Any tips from current users?

Jim

[MJ1657]

I can't help your comparison but I bought a Quickfish 4 and I set it up in just a couple minutes the first time. It folded up just as fast. I just sold my suit case style Clam because I could not stand setting it up and tearing it down.

[MikeEiden]

One difference between the two is how the windows were installed. Clams are stitched in while the Eskimo has velcro all around it keeping it in place. I thought this was a nice feature on the Eskimo. If my windows ever crack or get damaged then I can buy a replacement piece and just slap it back up. The velcro is wide and strong so no issues with it falling out/off. Other than that I think the Clam had a flap that covered the zipper while the Eskimo is exposed. Not a big deal normally but if you're out in blowing snow that can get packed into the zipper and freeze up on the Eskimo's. Never happened to me and fortunately there's two doors but its something to think about. It's been a while since I've compared the two brands so check them both out closely next time you're out window shopping.

[cold one sd]

I guess I would consider the "heat barrier" in the Qwickfish 4 a plus and I also like the idea of eight windows in the Eskimo. The anchors to anchor the tent to the ice are utilized inside the Qwickfish instead of in the snowflap outside where the sun can loosen them up. I have been ice fishing for more than fifty years and have never had a problem with zippers freezing, but I guess it could happen. Blowing, sifting, fine snow can get under zipper storm flaps anyway in my opinion since it seems to happen on bibs and coats when the wind is blowing.

[bigbad401]

I just got the Eskimo Quickfish 3 for my BDay and Xmas from the wife. I did set it up in the living room to see what it was like, but I have not been out on the lake with it yet. My brother-in-law has the the comparable Clam hub and we did use that a couple times last year. I do like the idea of the removable windows in the Eskimo for more and better ventilation and the Eskimo seems to have been made from a thicker material. Either way, they both will do the job.

[bus33]

Check out Glen's Outdoors Hub shelters. I just received mine last week and it is really nice and the price is even better. Shipping was super fast to boot.

Take a look.

[DonC]

Sportsman WH had the QF 4 on sale for $199 last week. Sold my QF 3 and bought the QF4 14 more square feet and taller.

[munchy71]

The anchors to anchor the tent to the ice are utilized inside the Qwickfish instead of in the snowflap outside where the sun can loosen them up.

Clam hub houses all anchor from the inside as of this year....

-Munchy

[munchy71]

the Eskimo seems to have been made from a thicker material.

Eskimo=300 denier nylon

Clam=600 denier nylon

directly from each manufacturer's spec.'s.

-Munchy

[Johnsonator]

I looked at these at the ice show and it seemed to me that the quickfish 4 was not very rigid when set up due to the long fiberglass poles to get the large dimensions. Some of the other hub shacks took some force to collapse the sides where the qf4 did not take much. I would be willing to bet that you would have to anchor it down alot better than some of the others on the market becuase it wouldn't take much wind to collapse a side. Of the two you mentioned I would take the summit, but if you plan to use it with more than 3 people most of the time I would oppt for one of the larger 6 man hubs.

[cold one sd]

The Summit is 6'x8' and the Qwickfish 4 is 6 1/2'x7 1/2' so I would guess that some of the bows are a bit longer than on the Summit and some are a bit shorter. I don't know if the sidewalls of the Qwickfish 4 are taller than the Summit or not. It is probably a bit stiffer when outside in the cold also. I'll know more when I get a chance to fish out of it. When the weather was nice my grandson who lives with us was sick. Since he got better the weather has been cruddy. He is sick again this week so it could be a while before I get to use it. Maybe I will have to have my son try it out for me. I think anyone of them could be a pain to set up or take down in the wind.