flip over portable

[knoppers]

planning on buying a portable icehouse soon, need help and advice.

I want a 2 to 3 man flip over, with options of travel cover and tow bar.

whats the best one for the price? I was at the canvas craft site, and it seems they have the tent for a otter at a good price. but they listed no options. at the clam site, they have the clam voyager that comes with seats and a tow bar and seems its a good price. I like the otter houses, but when you add the options, they are spendy.

whats the best house for the price?

[Matt Johnson]

My honest opinion, if I was going to buy a flip-over style portable ice house for towing I would go with an Otter, without a doubt. Otters are outstanding when it comes to durability and when towing behind an ATV or snowmobile. The sled is top-notch and are meant to take abuse. The canvas on an Otter is also very high quality and can withstand a whole lot of punishment and can handle just about any conditions that an ice fisherman might face. If I were going with a 2 or 3 man I would choose the Magnum Lodge because its considered a larger 2 man house but you can fit a third person in if needed. If you want a house designed to comfortably fit 3 poeple and all the gear than go with the Large Resort. Both are good choices.

I've fished out of several different portables in the last couple years, and while all of them were nice I've decided to stick with the Otter Small Cottage and the Magnum Lodge for this upcoming winter. The Small Cottage is a glorified 1-man and I'm looking forward to using one this winter.

Other options for a 2 or 3-man flip-over that I also like are the Eskimo Quick Flip III and the 3-man by Polar Sport.

Good Fishin,

Matt Johnson

[George]

I bought from an outfit in Fergus Falls called shoremaster. They have houses similar to the otter that are alittle cheaper. Very good quality and for me they are close so if I did need a repair it would be easy. They have seats tow bars for acc. and come with a cover. Good Luck

[LittleRanger]

I bought an Otter Resort last year. I think it is the largest you can get. I bought the tow bar (a must have) and the bungee cover (also a must have) Just hook it up, throw in the dump and pull the cover over and go. Real easy, you could take a nap in it if ya wanted to. I have had my two boys and I. The bench seat is spendy, $200 or so I think. That I do not have yet. Assembly is a B_I_T_C_H. Plan on half a day, take yer time. Better yet, buy the floor model. It would be worth $100 for an assembled one, they will probly knock some money off maybe? Anyhow, very durable. If I have to buy another one for 20 years I will be surprised.

[76k20]

last year I picked up an ardisam eskimo quick flip 3. they were the least expensive that I found, they have galvinized poles as opposed to the aluminum poles most have. i just made a 2x6 bench for it and have some stadium style clamp on boat seats i put on the 2x6. big vinyl removable windows as opposed to the mesh fish trap windows but i decided after they fog up there about useless. the fabric seems pretty close to the fish trap in "feel and thickness", and the banking flap was bigger then the fishtrap though the otter has the most durable canvas as far as I can tell. the otter also boasts square tubing now which makes it a lot more sturdy but they are about the highest price i found.

When set up next to my dads fishtrap I noticed the eskimo has a little more headroom by the door but less features like a place to keep rods under the seats, swivel seats and a a tray that geos between the seats with pop holders ect. They all share a lot of similiaritys and are all advancing yearly so be sure to check out the now models I think they have all the displays up at gm and cabelas now.

As for me a vex is in the plan this year but I am torn between the 8 and 18

this Is about the only kind of shopping I enjoy, too bad everybody on the xmas list isnt a fishin addict

[Gissert]

As George mentioned, don't overlook the Shoremaster line of houses. I have a Voyager, and my brother has a Jigger. The nice thing about the Shoremasters is they also have a zipper door on the back side. I put a couple hundred miles on the tub last winter between Ottertail and Lake of the Woods, and it is a very tough tub. I prefer the profile of the Shoremaster tub over the Otter.

I also have an Otter that I bought used. That thing must be nearly 10 years old now, and is still going strong.

[jimh874]

im just curious, but why is everyone compairing everything else. but when it comes to the fish trap it seems to be pushed too the side more times then not.

i understand the competition between products and im in the market for a new house my self, and i have spent a fair amount of time checking out features and stuff.

i narrowed my choices down to the eskimo qf 2 delux and the new fish trap yukon. i liked the eskimo because of the bench seat and being able to sit in the middle of the house when fishing by my self, and thats 95% of the time any way.

i liked that it sat a little higher then the fish traps seats. my only complaint is the bench is to narrow. the bench only comes out far enough to sit your but on, there is no support for your legs, and for a bigger guy like me i wouldnt be to comfortable after a while.

my favorite bait shop in town just put their fish traps last weekend so i got to check out the new yukon. now there is a seating system and comfortable to. a full padded seat, swivel and the rail system allows me to remove the second seat and sit any place i want to in the house. the rod holder is fine for maybe some jig sticks, but my stuff is in the bag. the center console thingy is nice, pop holder and a place to set your jig box and worms or what ever you happen to have. nice because you dont have toset your pop on the ice to freeze or sit and balance your jig box on your leg changing jigs. then have to toss it back down in the tub or back in the rod bag, makes it a pain to dig it back out or fish for it in the tub.

other features is the vents in the top, mesh side windows, rear window and mesh side pockets.

my number one factor in this house is nothing to do with head room or if i can stand in it, but the seating and being comfortable while sitting and concentrating and working fish. and i dont think the tub is any less durable then the others.

the otter system is nice, spendy for what it is, but does not apeal to me if i have to spend the amount of money to get a comfortable place to sit.

jim

[Chris-Neises]

Consider the Frabill

[jimh874]

has frabill changed their material they use to cover their houses? last one i looked at fleet farm the other day still the plastic tarp type material. the frabill line was the least desireable house to look at on my list because of their tarps.

one thing i did like is the black would help promote heating with minimal use of a heater.

jim

[iffwalleyes]

If you are wanting a solid sled for towing without a question get an Otter. I have a Magnum lodge and it is great for two men. The only problem for me is that it is a heavy solid sled making it great for towing but difficult for one man to handle. So I have been looking at one men house and just yesterday I made my purchase. I got a year old Frabill Solo for about $100 less than a new model from this year. It is about half the weight of my otter and I don't plan on towing it any great distance because the house is small enough that it fits great on the back rack of my wheeler. So I should be a good one man house for me plus it is pretty room which is good since I am not a tiny guy. Frabill are a very good house their artic armor farbic is good to. They aren't a cheap house. All of the houses have their place and you just have to decide what fits your needs.

[Kylersk]

My decision was ultimatly between the otter and clam. I had considered the Frabill, but after seeing one first hand, I didnt like the fact that it didnt have poles going vertical to lock the othe poles in place. Not to mention the salesman at GM steered me towards clam instead.

I ended up buying the otter based on fact that it's recieved glowing reviews from this forum and a guy I work with. That was really the only reason I picked it over the clam.

ONe more thing, when I was at cabelas, I asked about the frabill (before looking it over closely). The salesman was fairly quite about it. He suggested I look at them. Once I went back to cabelas (after looking at frabill at GM), I asked about the differences between otter and Clam. His reply "Now you're talking about 2 similiar quality shelters". I wish he would have said that before I went back to GM. Would have saved me some time and milage. =)

This post may be a bit random in my thoughts.. I'm typing it in a hurry while getting the kids ready to trick-or-treat.

Good luck in your search!

[Bob Clausen]

I bought a medium Otter with the sled cover last year. I chose the medium becuase it fits into the back of my short box pickup. I rigged up some pails with stadium seats so I can sit in the sled with my feet off the ground, store gear in the pails and have room for my auger, heater, and fold up floor I made when transporting. I love it and my fishing buddy loves it. We fish out of four holes in the sled. The only complaint I have about the otter is that air can come around the edges if the stretch cord isn't tight enough, but I'll be remedying that before winter.

[larryz]

With the pockets in the tarp on the Frabill there is no need for vertical poles. I have a Frabill Twin XL and pull it with an ATV and as far as I am concerned there is nothing any better. It is alot easier setup than the others and a lot lighter handling. The sled is maybe a little light but has worked well for me. And I fish most every day.

[knoppers]

thanks for all the replys, I will have to head to GM or sportsman warehouse to check them out.

[Corey Bechtold]

When you look at a fish house, be sure that it is set up for the way you like to fish. If you are going to be traveling a long way pulling your house by a motorized vehicle than you may want to go with a higher quality house like the Polar Sport or Otter. Their sleds are made to handle those long hauls. If you are just looking for a light, hand tow friendly house you might want to look at the Fish Traps. One house I would be sure to check out is the Nordic house by Polar Sport. This house comes with everything you need to get going. A good sized house with a strong sled with more useful area (you'll have to look at them all to know what I'm talking about). It also comes as a package, 2 seats with auger holder and cover. Otter and Polar sport use canvas which is better than the nylon houses. You can do a lot of research online but remember the old saying "You get what you pay for". Good luck with your decision and let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

Good Luck

Corey Bechtold

[jimh874]

i did ask about the new coverings of frabill, i see on their sight that happened to be down at the time of my previous post it does apear that they have new tarps. so it looks like everything i have seen on display is and older version just out for demo.

jim

[Deitz Dittrich]

I cant believe all the negative posts about the Frabils... Well I guess they arent' negative, but still... The artic armor fabric in my opinion is the best. It is an 870 denier nylon, so yes its a plastic kinda but doesnt get stiff like canvas does and is not nearly as heavy. Which alows frabil to use steel posles instead of aluminum, as for not having cross members.. that is how the fish house is designed, there is no need for that cross memeber, which I TOTALLY LIKE.. nothing to loose or drop down the hole.

I'm not taking anything away from Clam or Otter... I choose a Frabil XLTwin and have never been sorry for it.

[ivegottabite]

Exudedude-

have you made any mods to your xltwin? i have been trying to come up with a few ideas but am pretty much happy with how mine is.

you're right about the frabill fabric, it holds up better in the cold than the other shacks do. i have no problems with mine as far as rigidity goes either.

[30 inch eyes]

I have a frabill triplex and think that the artic armour is the best (tarp, cavas) on the market. I think the otter sled is the best though. I have added two wind bars to the back, because with that much tarp to catch the wind the back will be blowing in on you if you set it up that way, I can aslo move them to the front if need be. I purchased the black plastic conduit clips to clip on the upper tube and made a short stud which I attached to the sled rail to slide the pole in to keep them upright (polar sport makes the clips)I talked to the frabill guys at the ice fishing show last year about adding wind bars for the triplex they said it might be a good possibility that they would be doing that

[gvg_uwec]

i agree boys, i have the xltwin and the frabill fabric is the best out there, it is warm because of the black color and ice shavings do not freeze to it like the other shacks that i have seen. Also this year they have come out with extra poles like 30 inch was talking about. the only mod i made to mine was to thread a chain through the bottom of the fabric to give some weight to hold the flap down. the new mod table looks pretty nice to set the vex on so im not staring down to the ice all of the time. Oh yeah i almost forgot, i glued some old downhill ski's to the bottom of the sled this summer to hopefully keep down on the wear. I cant wait to try out a new tow bar idea i just got also.

[psegriz]

I've got an otter magnum and am not dissapointed. My reason for choosing it was I knew it would have to take lots of abuse. Then some more abuse then just a plain downright beating after that. It unhooked from sled and slammed into tree at 40 mph, blown out of truck, off the trailer. I've watched it blow and tumble across lakes on a couple occations (sp). The only damage was a few minor holes in tarp, which are easily repaired.

[knoppers]

again thanks for the help.

I made the purchase today, I bought the eskimo grand caravan. I liked the size, I liked the extra big sled (bigger and stronger than the otters) and I liked the price. downside was the weight at 140 pounds with the bench seat, and the canvas is not as good as the otters. but for 150 buck savings, it should be a good house. its got everything I was looking for, with size, good sled, nice bench seat, I also got the cover and tow bar.

come on ice!!!!!!

[hanson]

knoppers-

Congratulations on the purchase. My opinion is most of the fish house/sled manufacturers are on a very similar level. Of course some are better than others in different ways. I've always said to select a house that will fulfill your needs and style of fishing. No matter how many people you ask which house they like, you'll get as many different answers.

Once again, Congratulations and Good Fishing this coming winter. Yikes, the Vikings just lost to the Colts

[opsirc]

I have done alot of checking on tents and sled, plus reading the posts here. I am planning on buying a new flip over at the ice show in st paul. I have kind of ruled out the otter simply because of price (on a budget) I think my decision will be the fish trap voyager, eskimo Grand or polar three man house. I don't usally tow a far distance, so not worried about the sled coming apart. All are close, even tho the eskimo has the thinest fabric of the three houses. guess I will have to see who gives the best deal at the show.

O