Clam Thermal bigfoot 4000 hub house?

[bigeyes75]

Does anyone have this house or a similar one?

What do you think of the house?

It seems to me that this house would be a pain in the butt to set up in any type of wind.

I need a bigger house for my two boys and myself.

I already have a smaller otter flip over for myself but am looking for a bigger one for the family.

Any reviews good/bad would be appreciated.

[TyGuy02]

I just picked one up a month ago and I plan on using it tomorrow for the first time. I don't think it will be as bad in the wind as a person might think. If you get the anchors in place prior to opening it up, I think that'll make it much easier. It definitely is the "hot" shelter for the season! What's not appealing about an 8'x8' thermal?

[slicjigger]

Just picked one up at the st Paul ice show.Sets up quick in the living room!

Set an anchor pre set-up and you shouldn't have any problems.

[panniesCPR]

It does look really nice and has lots of room. The thermal is nice and reduces the condensation. Plan on picking one up in the near future.

[bigeyes75]

Yeah, I suppose that is the ticket with the ice anchor. The room in the house is what I need along with the portability.

TYGUY02, let me know how the house works for you if you can, thanks!

[john79]

I have a clam command post, I have been out on some windy day's anchor down and you should not have a problem with your house. The command post can fish 3 to 4 people all day long.

[Kevan Paul]

I guide with hub shelters and they work great. Use the anchors and you will be fine. That 4000T ROCKS!!

[TyGuy02]

my first time out with it went really well, and by myself in 20 mph winds. I was a little confused with how the anchor lines were supposed to be adjustable though.

I put pictures in the ice fishing forum under the thread portables for 300 or less

[tsande00]

I just picked one up this weekend and fished out of it for about 30 hours straight including overnight. Granted it was only 35 degrees we stayed toasty warm with the heater on low. Setup took less than 5 minutes. If it is windy just put in an anchor in teh ice and tie off one side of the hub to that anchor. That will keep the house from blowing away as you pop out the other sides. Use other anchors as needed but I never used more than 2, even when it was windy yesterday.

I am really excited about this purchase. This allows me to take my car instead of 10mpg truck places like Red, LOTW, Mille Lacs, etc and still be able to sleep comfortably on the ice. I just did a day and a half on Red lake for $60 in gas and $20 worth of chili!

[Jason Hamilton]

I had one out this weekend in some 25mph winds, using the ice anchors on the windward side, inside and out there was no problem. Well it was actually too warm with the Big Buddy!

Great shelters with lots of room to fish.

[bigeyes75]

Sounds like everyone likes it so far.

Well, I am going to order it today.

Thanks for the replies. Nice to hear from people that actually use a product.

[deerminator]

I am going to pick one of these up tonight at the local retailer. Looks perfect for taking the kids and wife out as some mentioned on this board and the others on the forum. Was nice to be able to read all the reviews in advance. $320 seems to be the going price around here. I think that's a fair price for the quality you'll likely get. I was going to take advantage of a big coupon offered by an online retailer, but they wanted to charge me $100 plus for bulky item shipping. : O Better to throw the money the local guys way anyway. Good luck out there everyone. Looking at the lake as I type this and its mostly frozen over!

[govikes211]

I just picked one up this weekend and fished out of it for about 30 hours straight including overnight. Granted it was only 35 degrees we stayed toasty warm with the heater on low. Setup took less than 5 minutes. If it is windy just put in an anchor in teh ice and tie off one side of the hub to that anchor. That will keep the house from blowing away as you pop out the other sides. Use other anchors as needed but I never used more than 2, even when it was windy yesterday.

I am really excited about this purchase. This allows me to take my car instead of 10mpg truck places like Red, LOTW, Mille Lacs, etc and still be able to sleep comfortably on the ice. I just did a day and a half on Red lake for $60 in gas and $20 worth of chili!

What do you use to sleep over in your hub?

[john79]

What kind of heater would be safe to sleep while heater is going? A sunflower heater makes me a little bit nervous on the side of will I have to worry about waking up?

[Jason Hamilton]

I think no heater is completely safe, however the Buddy Heaters have some features that make them safer (low Oxygen shutoff, tip sensor).

Venting, though critical with the heater is also important to help eliminate condensation when sleeping, very important if you are planning on more than 1 night, as you sleeping bag will be damp.

A cot, sleeping pad and appropriate winter sleeping bag will keep you comfortable all night. I see the heater as something to be turned on in the morning to make getting out of the sleeping bag more pleasant. A cot will really help, as it reduces heat loss to the ice and raises you up, the further you are from the ice the warmer it is.

If you go counting on a heater and are not equipped for winter sleeping things could get chilly if the heater fails.

[MrSchrute]

I plan on using my BF 2000 to sleep in. Building a foldable insulated wooden floor and will use a CO2 detector to keep from any issues. Hoping to do an over night or two on Mille Lacs this year. Figure about $100 worth of materials to build the type of floor I want but is still cheaper than renting a sleeper which I did last year.

[john79]

Thank you I have a little buddy heart and planning on putting a wooden floor together and using a cot. Co2 detector could really put the mind at ease. Thanks again.

[MrSchrute]

I plan on using a cot as well. I found one at sportsmans guide that is foldable like a quad chair for about $40 depending if you are a member. I have a lake or two without a boat launch that i will have to tow out with my otter sled so I need everything extra portable and I think this may be the ticket with this style hub shelter.

[MrSchrute]

If I figure out a good and inexpensive floor build I will share but so far adding up what I want to do is around $100.

[OnAFly]

I found interlocking foam mats as a floor for my BF4000T. I found 8'X8' of them for $32 at Menards on Black Friday. Beyond that, I'll have my sleeping pad and 0F bag to keep me warm. I'll be testing it out on the front lawn once we actually get some cold weather over a weekend. I know all my neighbors pretty well, so the strange looks should be kept to a minimum.

[MrSchrute]

Nice OnAFly. I have interlocking mats as well. I tried setting my 2000 up in my apartment but couldn't do it. Too big. I'm going to set it up in a garage this weekend to measure it out for sure but it says a 7.5x7.5 fishable area so I'm basing my calcs on that. Cant wait to hear my rattle wheel jingle in the middle of the night.

[OnAFly]

I'm gonna try out bells on a tip-up. If I can multipurpose some of the stuff I already have, I'm definitely going that direction.

[deerminator]

I picked it up from the local farm supply store tonight and am impressed with the quality of the hubs, fabric and all the features, one of which is the mesh vents you can open and close on the roof. The kids made me set it up in the living room and the thing is huge. I wonder how the vents would work if you kept them open with the heater going all night in terms of staying warm and getting rid of any carbon dioxide.

[TyGuy02]

I'd set it up and measure the dimensions when you have the anchors in. I don't know if it was just me, but from when I set it up in the garage to when I used it on sunday, it seemed much larger on the ice, but maybe it was just me

[tsande00]

What do you use to sleep over in your hub?

I just used a $50 Coleman cot. Has the sleeping pad and is quite comfortable. I sleep with the sunflower which I know scares some folk but I also keep the shelter well ventilated and have a quality CO2 detector at all times.