eskimo pro

[fred32]

Looking to buy one.If anyone has used one is this a good portable?Or are there better ones?

[huskminn]

Fred,

There are a number of threads in this forum that discuss the pros and cons of different brands of fish houses. For the most part, quality, reliability and ease of use carry across similar models from the same company.

Take a look at these other threads to gain a little insight and hopefully someone who has specific experience with the model you asked about will give you a response.

Good luck.

[Ya Hey Der]

Fred32,
I have been using the Eskimo Pro for 3 years now. It's a really nice fish house. I can't remember what the sales guy said when I bought this but I thought it weighed around 40 lbs. I think the current weight listed on the Eskimo web site has it listed at 73lbs, which I think is a little overstated. They may have made some modifications to it though since I bought mine. I am not really sure. The canvas is decent, there are a few tiny holes starting to form. I would say that I had about another 4-5 years with the canvas before I would need to replace it. The plastic floor is thin but has held up well. It is very easy to set up and I can usually set up the house and start fishing before those with the other houses (excluding the pull over sled types)are finished putting up their houses. It's made for two but last year I was able to fit 4 guys. We must have had over 800lbs in that house. It wasn't a pretty sight and I will never do that again. Plenty of room to stand in if you are under 6ft tall. You can also put most of your gear on the house folded up when you are pulling on or off the ice. However, my stuff fell off a few times last year so I decided to buy a mini sled and put all my gear in there. I believe the dimension of the house is 5 x 3 1/2 closed so you should take that into consideration to make sure it fits in your vehicle. With every upside, there is a downside. The downside with this house is that it plows the snow as you pull it. If you have an ATV, this probably won't be an issue for you, but if you are like me and have to manually pull the house on and off the lake, it can get tiresome. Also, when the house is open, the hinges in the middle that hold each side together stick up, just like most suitcase style houses. This makes placement of my Buddy Heater a bit difficult. I find that one person is always a bit chilly if there aren't two Buddy Heaters going (I guess this is more of a heater issue than a house issue). If you use a sunflower heater, you shouldn't have any problems with the heat though. The dwonsides are easier to explain when looking at the house. All in all, I am very happy with this house but I have been contemplating whether or not to sell this and buy a pull over shelter like the otter just so I don't have to pull the house and my mini sled everytime I go out. I hope this answers your question. If you have any other questions or would be interested in buying a used Pro, let me know and we can talk. If you do plan on buying one new, I don't know of too many places that have them but I do know that Joe's in St.Paul has them on sale. Good luck with your decision.

[fred32]

Thanks for the info.What is Joes in St Paul asking for them

[Ya Hey Der]

You should give them a call. They are very friendly and helpful. Good luck and let me know if you would be interested in a used one instead.

[Mr. Pike1]

When I was at Joe's a couple of weeks ago they were on sale for 20.00 off. They were either 349.99 or 379.99..

[Guest]

I just picked one up a Fleet Farm for 320 bucks. Put it together in about 20 minutes. Took it down and put it up a couple of times. The set up time of 30 seconds that Eskimo claims is a little on the fast side. It takes me about a minute. Maybe I'll speed up with a little practice.

[Ya Hey Der]

Congrats on the fish house. I thought the Eskimo Pro came fully assembled? Mine was, but then again that was 3 seasons ago. I just had to take it out of the cardboard sleeve and use it. Although they take a little more than 30 seconds to set up, there are no loose parts to lose. I think you are going to really like it and if you ever have any problems, Ardisam's customer service has always been top notch.

[Guest]

I bought mine 3 years ago at Joes. It's been great, although this year it seems as if my canvas has shrunk. It won't seal openings along the bottom as well as it use to because it doesn't stretch down as far. It also caused me to bend one of the center poles while setting it up once due to the tension caused by the canvas. Fortunately the pole size was the same as 1/2" conduit and I was able to make a replacement. I noticed the new canvas has a skirt along the bottom which would help seal the bottom.
There is a new store in Andover called sportsman warehouse which carries this house. I don't remember the price.
Good Luck