Thermal flip over portables

[highlife4me]

I ordered on Thursday and they said it wil be done and shipped on Monday and should have it delivered on Tuesday - Wednesday at the latest. Hope to break it in on Thursday.

[Myrt]

cichild_baby

I'm curious as I am helping research double flips for a friend of mine. The portable issue of storage and setup and losing wind barrier...would that be any different than any other brand double flip (4Xclam for example). To me, what I have read so far and learned from others would be that in my opinion it looks as Canvas Craft has the best combo in the insulated material, the otter sled, the galvanized poles(I don't think sliding too easy is a problem for me, except for pulling out of course)

So I guess my question is...if you want a thermal flip for 1-2-3 people, would you choose a single flip Canvas craft over others, and if you wanted a 4man would you choose a double flip Canvas Craft over others?

Thank-you

[simple1]

(I don't think sliding too easy is a problem for me, except for pulling out of course

[cichlid_baby]

cichild_baby

I'm curious as I am helping research double flips for a friend of mine. The portable issue of storage and setup and losing wind barrier...would that be any different than any other brand double flip (4Xclam for example). To me, what I have read so far and learned from others would be that in my opinion it looks as Canvas Craft has the best combo in the insulated material, the otter sled, the galvanized poles(I don't think sliding too easy is a problem for me, except for pulling out of course)

So I guess my question is...if you want a thermal flip for 1-2-3 people, would you choose a single flip Canvas craft over others, and if you wanted a 4man would you choose a double flip Canvas Craft over others?

Thank-you

There are some things to think about...

First off... what transportation you have to haul to and from your destination.. and then also what you have to travel with once on the lake?

Size and weight should be your concerns here.

If you have a full size 8 foot bed or trailer.. and a snowmobile... then your options are greater..

I would say that if you want to have 4 people in the same house.. then your gonna be stuck with one of the double flip models from any of the manufacturers... or go with a double hub style house which is what I would do because the portability.. set up time and such is about the same in real use.. I've tried and find them to both serve about the same purpose with the hub style winning out if you wanted to squeeze in a few extra people on occasions.. which you can't do with the double flips.

If going with the double flips.. Canvas Craft makes one of the best houses... no doubt but like I said earlier.. there are some quirks.. most of them are going to be the same things you'll have to deal with regardless of brand... simply part of the form.

If you are only going to have 3 people and have a full size bedded truck or trailer.. I would lean towards the LARGE Canvas Craft or Otter branded house.. they both are one sided flips and will give you the most real world portability provided that you can drag them once on the lake. They are big and therefore heavy... using only man power would be impossible especially if there is snow on the lake.

If I were to do it again.. I would go with the Otter ones.. simply because I can find better deals on them as places are clearancing their stock already as the season is nearing its end. Availability at this time will be much better with Otter than it would be with Canvas Craft.

I would only consider the one sided flips as having a huge sled that you can't access easily defeats the purpose of being able to store your gear there during moves to remain portable is a huge deal breaker.

I do think that the geometry on the Otter houses are a bit more practical and the bars do lay more neatly which makes getting things folded up a hair easier and less fussy.

I will tell you this though... the bars on the Canvas Craft are just steel conduit.. so if you did ever lose or damage a section.. it would be real easy to do it yourself and frabricate a replacement with stuff from the hardware store.

Don't ask how I know this.. but I now own a conduit radius pipe bender.

[Myrt]

Thanks...all experienced input helps, and I agree totally that all factors matter, portability, how and what equipment your travelling with,

storage , etc. etc., . sometimes you don't really know what your looking for until you buy something and find out what your not looking for. Everyone's input has helped me narrow down what style of bigger portable ,and what brand...would best accomodate my buddy's wants and needs.

I think if he wants a bigger thermal unit he should look at an Otter lodge/resort or Canvas Craft, and if he wants a double flip thermal then Canvas Craft, he does not want a hub style.

Just my opinion, bit thanks all for the info!!!

[simple1]

My hub has been great the last couple of years for its price, but fighting it in the wind has just been a real pain and I am ready to move on. The way I like to fish and the set up of the pull-over will be a perfect match. Nice review on the double though. I will keep that in mind as I think about solutions for having multiple people fish in one house. I do want some access to the gear I need before setting up like auger and flasher. The main reason I will be needing one is for my kids. Someone had a good suggestion earlier about not drilling holes on the other side and just letting the kids play.

Simple1

[Dave]

Good real-world testimonial in this thread. I think, if a person wants to be truly portable, run and gun type, you would not be interested in a double flip.

When using my double-flip, after I store gear I don't need instantly in the sled, I then flip over both sides. Depending on the distance to travel on the lake dictates if I throw the travel cover on or throw the cover in the sled. In either case, I'll load the auger, flasher, rod bags and other gear on top, once the house is all folded up. If I have this wheeler, of course, I can load all the gear on that.

Another Canvas Craft perk is, if you're going to order a house, tell them how you would like the zipper pulls to work. CC is a custom shop.

When I use my Mr. Heater on an 11# pancake style tank, I have that slid into a corner pretty tight so, I'm not totally understanding how the heater has to take up any more floor space than any other flip over, in order to keep it away from the material. If fishing two guys, and have more room than two guys in a single-flip, we'll use a folding chair on each side, and place the heater in the sled, centrally located. Each guy has their own door to exit, too. If the day plan calls for four guys, we'll use the back-to-back seat setup. A lot of different ways you can fish a double-flip.

[queenpdog]

I just spent another day in my Canvas Craft and I gotta say, I love that thing. Toasty warm with just the little buddy heater on low most of the time.

If you are looking for "the best money can buy", this is the ticket.

[simple1]

The guy I spoke to on Friday was incorrect so I won't be able to get my portable until Wednesday. But I would not be able to fish until this weekend anyway, so no big deal.

Simple1

[Woody Erickson]

I would seriously consider Frabill houses as well. I bought a thermal predator last spring and have been extremely happy with it. I admit that if I was buying it again this year I would have a tougher decision now that Otter has a thermal house, but here's what I took into consideration and how I decided.

I agree with the newer Frabill's. Bought the Thermal Guardian at the Ice Show. Reasons for this:

1. Seats!

2. Thermal!

3. Relatively Light

4. Will fit under the Tonneau Cover of my truck

5. Dark enough for me to spear out of it

6. $130 off MSRP

7. Bought the floor model (saving ? hours of setup)

I did add a pair of old style (straight) downhill skis to it. I should have done this to previous portables I have owned. Makes pulling by hand very easy. And I can still close the Tonneau Cover, barely.

[walleye44]

I would seriously consider Frabill houses as well. I bought a thermal predator last spring and have been extremely happy with it. I admit that if I was buying it again this year I would have a tougher decision now that Otter has a thermal house, but here's what I took into consideration and how I decided.

Frabill has a modular frame/poles. If one were to ever bend or break, it's straight round aluminum tubing that bolts in to corner pieces. It just seems to make more sense to me that a huge piece of aluminum that's got two 90 degree bends. It's also got delrin bushings so it flips over very smooth.

The seats were by far my favorite to sit in.

It's the same 3M norpac material that canvas craft uses. Retains tons of heats, flaps less in the wind, and no drips- that's the benefit of all insulated houses though.

The sled is a significant upgrade from previous Frabill sleds and has held up great for me. It may not be Otter legendary tough, but it's pretty close.

I found a sweet deal on one last spring with hyfax, tow bar, cover and such that really sealed the deal.

The only downside to the Frabill I see is that the Otter rail system that seats mount on seems nicer- like you can sit closer to the front of sled to put a little more elbow room between you and your buddy. That and you can get the big storage console. I wish I could get one of those. I did get one of the clam ones though that works great for holding cups/cans and my pliers and what not. All and all I love my Frabill and would highly recommend it, especially if you can find a deal.

Canvas Craft used to make the insulated covers for Frabill also, but sadley Frabill has gone to China for their covers like otter has. The old model Frabill still were the Canvas ones, if you could find one.

[Hookmaster]

I bought a Canvas Craft magnum double flip at the 2010 Ice Fishing Show. I couldn’t be happier. It’s like 6 feet by 11 feet. I carry it in a covered snowmobile trailer and pull it with a snowmobile. After the first use I noticed that one zipper had the pulls the right way (so you can open the door from either end) and the other had them the other way. I stopped at Canvas Craft on the way home and dropped it off and they fixed it. I also had a deeper cover made so it would easily fit with all the gear in the sled. Last year I stored all the gear in the sled: gas auger, both seats, cooler for minnows, propane tank, big buddy heater, 5 gallon bucket, rod bag, flasher, etc. I learned if I folded the first side in and pushed all the material to the side, I could load all the gear, then flip the other side. Then when I got to the spot, I could just flip up the one side to access the auger and flasher. This year though I got an auger carrier for the snowmobile. If it is just me fishing I would have gone with the magnum single flip but I usually have someone else with. The house is super warm.

[highlife4me]

I just got done assembling my CC double mag. That thing is a beast. It will be perfect for fishing three guys which is usually the norm for me. Can't wait to break it in this weekend!!

[vexi]

This discussion have been very helpful for me. I decided to go with a otter lodge thermal and was checking around and found that Reeds had them on sale for $649 what a deal and made the decision a real easy one. Thanks!

[herefish101]

This discussion have been very helpful for me. I decided to go with a otter lodge thermal and was checking around and found that Reeds had them on sale for $649 what a deal and made the decision a real easy one. Thanks!

Yup, same here, I just have to go pick it up on thursday....... Is it thursday yet, I can't wait!

[walleye44]

I just got done assembling my CC double mag. That thing is a beast. It will be perfect for fishing three guys which is usually the norm for me. Can't wait to break it in this weekend!!

Good choice! Made in the good old USA too!

[riverview]

i got my otter mag in 98 the sled has been pulled several thousand miles without hifax and still looks good. the aluminum round poles finally galled enough that they quit working (after 13 years im not complaneing. i ordered a new CC cover and poles last friday and it arrived on monday. I like the poles although sloppy (1/2 in and 3/4 EMT conduit) they should never fail like my otter did. I wish the fornt wall was straight up and down like the otter (seems like less room) I hope the norpak is as tough as my old otter canvas. one of the major reason i bought it is that it is made in the USA

I mounted my old otter on my honda mini truck since i can fold it down without collapsing the poles.