Portable vs permanent

[spotty]

I have four small kids(1-7) and we enjoy ice fishing. I have a 4yr old QF3 portable but now that they're all getting older and we just don't fit. I have been looking at the thermal 6X12 and just wondering what your thoughts are if I go that route or invest in a permanent. I would like to hear pros and cons of both. Thanks in advance

[dan z]

The older x4 by clam would work really as there is a sled and 4 chairs. There is a bit if weight there 150lb

[basssmasher*]

Ive always wanted a permie, for more room ect. Thing is I cant justify getting one because if Im not able to get it off the lake when needed ( like late ice or after a heavy snow followed by a warm up) it would be 10x as much work to remove the house from the lake.. therefore I will stick to my portable.. just my .02 cents worth

[dairyman]

I agree with Teejay----we got 16 plus inches out of this last storm and if you have a hard side out----------it's going to be a pain the behind to get it off

[CaptainMusky]

I have young kids too. They LOVE fishing and I enjoy taking them, but when its -20 outside with howling winds its not an enjoyable experience with a portable regardless if its thermal or not.

I am wanting to buy a wheelhouse and I know, that this winter I would have been out twice as much had I had a wheelhouse because I didnt want to go on those bitterly cold days with the kids. No way would they last.

My thoughts would be I wouldnt leave it out on the lack. I would pull it out the day of fishing, set it up and take it with when we leave. This way you dont have to worry about it getting buried in snow or removing it or the fact with someone messing with it.

I still prefer my portable house when fishing alone or when weather is decent, but I want something to make it more comfortable for everyone when its nasty.

[otterman91105]

Wheel house's are nice for the the comfort and the space, but when we get all the snow we have up north this year it makes for a pain to move them around or get them off the lake. Portables are nice cause you can move around so easy and now days they are makeing them bigger and bigger.

[nofishfisherman]

Some sort of permanent house is nice but a few things have always prevented me from seriously considering one.

1. Storage. Where would I put it during the off season.

2. Mobility. Moving it around can be a pain (more so with alot of snow or brutal cold) so I am more likely to want to leave it where it is which may not always be on the fish. A wheel house can make this easier.

3. Getting it on and off the lake. I don't have a plow so if we get a big snow storm I would have no way to get the house plowed out and moved nor plow out a spot for me to put the house.

For me there have always been too many negatives associated with owning a permanent of some sort and there just aren't enough brutally cold days where I couldn't use a portable to make it worth the added expense and complications.

I can see where fishing with 4 young kids can be a challenge in a portable. One of the large pop up shelters might be the best options.

[Blackhawkxp]

I too am faced with the same dilemma. I am more interested in the sleeping aspect of the wheel house for weekends. Unfortunately where i live i need to drive about 50 miles in any direction to find a decent lake and that makes it hard to keep an eye on a wheel house. The other problem is 90% of the time it is just me and my son but the minute i dont make provisions for the wife and daughter they want to come with. After fishing in the 50 mph wind a couple of weeks ago i was real tempted to buy a wheel house.

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

Generally the portables are thought to be quick to set up, easy to move, lightweight, etc. I disagree, somewhat. I fished out of portables exclusively for 6 or 7 years before I started building wheel houses. Haven't used a portable in 4 years, at least.

Here was my typical experience-Take it out of the truck, set it up, get out the heater, start the heater, run back in the truck to grab all the stuff you forgot, go back inside, wait for it to warm up, futz with getting some lights going, listen to the fabric flap, slip on the ice in front of the sunflower about 10 times per night. Then about 9:00 at night when you're done fishing, you take down everything in the dark and cold, throw the cover on, hoist the house back up in the truck, search around for everything you had sitting on the ice or outside the house, burn your gloves on the still hot sunflower, etc.

If you do it right with a good wheel house, you start the heater before you leave home or when you get to the lake, drop it down (in 2 minutes with a crank down, or 15 seconds with hydraulic), and you have everything contained inside the warm house, ready to fish. I find it much more convenient, and way faster than a portable. Plus, you can spend the night or weekend, and at least 75% of my fish come between 9pm and 6am. With my house I'm up and moving to the next spot in 30 seconds.

I have had no issues at all pulling the house around any lake, other than being stuck one time in the last 5 or 6 years. If you have a skid house, which I did at first, you may have issues moving that around after a heavy snow. A wheel house should track really close to your truck tracks, so if you can make it with the truck, you'll almost certainly be able to make it with the wheel house.

[NoWiser]

It all depends what you are looking for. When I was young, my dad and I lived out of his wheelhouse pretty much every weekend, all winter. I wouldn't trade those times for anything.

Right now, I much prefer fishing out of a portable. It fits my run and gun style of fishing, and I can fish in December and March when the ice isn't safe for vehicles. I catch way more fish when I bring out the portable than when I bring out the wheelhouse.

Eventually when I have kids of my own, I suspect the wheelhouse will see more use again. The problem is that I've seen some pretty scary things with the ice the last couple of years, and I'm really starting to question if I even want to drive on lakes anymore with my truck.

[choppermn27]

I have a converted camper perm and flipover portables.

I'd say go portable unless you have a 4x4 truck with great tires on it.

With 4 kids myself I don't bring them all out on same trip anyways.

Perms are awesome but a pain to store cost a lot and a pain to deal with if there's a lot of snow

[buzbunni]

I made some posts in this thread about my Frabill Thermal Headquarters that may be helpful.

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3016670/all/Tallest_Insulated_Hub

I agree with all those posted pros/cons for both styles. I don't love to run and gun much, and so I see a drop-down in my future one of these days. Still, need to find a place to store it, etc.

Most likely will always have a 2 man portable in my garage, but would like the portable sleeper option at some point (yes, I have slept in my portable as well).

[dougger222]

With all the little ones go for the hard sided fish house. This way they won't be on the ice the whole time.

[Love2Cabin]

Why not just rent one for the times you want to stay overnight?

For what it costs to buy one I guy could probably rent one a time or two. Bring the portable with for during the day and then settle in for the night.

[JeffB]

I fished out of skid houses till I was out of high school using my Dad's or friends then I fished out of portables for 15 years. When my kids first started coming fishing I bought a 7x12 sled type big portable. It really drove me a little crazy fishing with more than one of my kids. After having a third kid I decided it was time for a wheel house. Now the whole family fishes and everyone is happy. I kept my portable for early ice and scouting around.

[fishkins]

I agree with Teejay----we got 16 plus inches out of this last storm and if you have a hard side out----------it's going to be a pain the behind to get it off

Used to have a perm, seems there's lots of help when you put them out

but not so much when time to get it off. As for wheelers, I just can't

see having that much investment for so short a season JMO.

[20lbSloughShark]

When I was young my dad bought a cheap second portable for us kids. We put them up to each other and had lots of fun trips. We used to have a permanent house (homemade from an industrial sized crate with skids) it was nice to sleep overnight, but I have way more memories of the portables, simply because we could move, and catch more fish.