Which flip over portable to buy?

[TJB]

I have had the Otter in the past but was not crazy about the way the canvas wore against the brackets on the front of the sled. I do like the option that the Fish Trap has for joining 2 units together. Are there any other ones out there that can join multiple houses? I like the looks of the Fish Trap Yukon but I dive a Yukon Denali and not sure how much room the sled will take up in the back of my Yukon. I am sure I will have to put the 60 side of the seats down.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

If any of you have the Yukon, does your auger fit in the sled?

Thank you

TJB

[cjac]

Hi,

I have the Voyager and it fits in the back of my Tahoe with the 60 part of the seat folded down. So, the Yukon will fit as well as it's a bit smaller. The auger should fit just fine in the bottom of the sled.

Can't wait to try linking the two houses together.....

[jlm]

I would take another look at the Otter houses. They make improvements all the time and in my opinion, they have the best fabric on the market. Very heavy duty and durable. Their sleds are top of the line as well. I looked at several fish houses this past weekend and tried them out in the store. In some houses that had custom seats, the sled bowed so much it almost touched the floor. That is bad considering that the sled is suppose to support two people. Just my 2 cents!

[hanson]

TJB- How old was your previous Otter??

I just got a new Otter Lodge this winter and Otter has a very durable black material sewn right next to the brackets. It is almost a hard plastic. My 3 yr old Otter Den has a similar thing and it hasn't had a problem with anything wearing through. The newer Trim Lock system for attaching the canvas to the sled is also slicker than ****.

I would definitely take another look at Otter. They've switched up to square tubing on the poles, the mounting brackets have been redesigned, the houses are a little taller and deeper, and the Trim-Lock system is awesome.

[anyfishwilldo]

I have a Yukon, and the auger fits perfectly in it. I love the house. Fishes 2 people comfortably, or myself an my 2 oldest kids. It's also small enough that I can put it into the truck by myself with little effort. I also bought the link kit, but have yet to link together with another house. That will probably happen tomorrow.

[Otterskin]

Sorry, no unauthorized links

[sledhead]

I picked up a polar sport 3 man last year and love it. reinforced corners and the yellow roof sure does make it quite toasty even on colder days. The only thing I don't like is the seat they offer, so I ordered a quick flip 3 seat from joes and only have to modify on bracket and add some spacers on one end. be testing it this weekend on the LOW.

[TJB]

Thanks guys,

My Otter I had in the past would have been 3 years old now. It was before they can out with the side vents and square tubing. Another thing I did not care for on the Otter was the sled design. If the dog or the person up front stepped on the rake of the sled it would rock. The reason I bought the Otter was the material the sled was made out of and the quality of the canvas. I just think the Fish Trap has a better design but the quality may not be there. ???

Any thoughts on that?

Not trying to offend anyone just looking for your input.

TJB

[anyfishwilldo]

Well the only quality issue I have seen on my Yukon thus far is the zippers. They didn't use large enough teeth. As far as the canvas on it, I think it is tougher than the others. I bought my house at the show, and clam gave me a piece of canvas with a hole in it and said tear. I could not tear it.

[Surface Tension]

TJB, that rake on the Otter sled is one reason I like Otter sleds better. If you have any amount of snow the Otter will ride on top of it instead of barging through it. If your pulling by hand thats a great help but even with a ATV or snowmobile that rake can make the difference of getting through slush and deep snow or not. Otters sleds are also tough, I travel some long distances with my Otter sled loaded with winter camping gear across lakes and some pretty rough trails. I wouldn't dare take any fish trap over them and again that rake allows my Otter to ride over large boulder and stumps.

I have had Otter shacks before but this is the first year I've used the square tubing. At first it was stiff to extend and collapse the poles(yes even with WD-40) but after a couple uses the poles slide with ease.

The skin is some tuff stuff and I'm happy with it so far.

If I had any gripes with my Otter it would be that you should get get 2 spreader poles for each front and rear panel instead of 1.

[cliffy]

I bought a Polar Sport 3-person portable about three years ago and have had no problems. From what I can tell, they are pretty much the same as the Otter set-ups. Same canvas cover and sled design. It has the yellow canvas top that allows just enough sun light in during the day to make it comfortable. I also pull mine several miles per season and never had any problems…rides up high no the snow and pulls straight.

I am interested in Otter’s new pole (square) design and how much of a difference it really makes. I have never had any problems with mine but I would assume the square poles would be stronger/stiffer.

Just my two cents….good luck in your search.

[Wables]

I bought an Otter Lodge last year and a Fish Trap Pro this year. Both are great units and serve their own purposes. I feel that the Otter is far more durable and sturdier than the Fish Trap. It is also more expensive and heavier than the traps. The Lodge is perfect for when I take out guests and don't want to fish in my permanent. It is big and comfortable, especially with a couple of butt bridges. The Pro is great for running and gunning, or whenever you are pulling by hand.

Every time I fish from the Trap Pro, I think of selling my Otter and buying another Pro with the new linking system. When I am in the Otter, I think "Nah!"

[Chris-Neises]

I would recommend the Frabill XLT.

[TJB]

Has anyone tried to link a Voyager to a Yukon or a Guide to a Pro? Does it work?

What about same type trap link? Easy to do? Any other issue?

Any have a used one for sale or know where I can get a GOOD deal on one?

Thank you,

TJB

651-470-3138

[Granny]

I just picked up the Polar Sport Nordic and its pretty nice. This is my first house so I don't have much to compare it to. The package is pretty reasonable for all the additional things you get.

Granny

[RoadRunner]

TJB: You can only link same models together(Yukon to Yukon, Guide to Guide, ...)

[KrashR]

RoadRunner, I wouldn't be so fast to assume that, I was at Cabelas in East Grand Forks and they had a Yukon linked to a Voyager, I'm not saying you can link all of them together, but they did have these two models working somehow.

[RoadRunner]

Wow, I guess I stand corrected. I swear I saw on Clam's HSOforum that only like-models will attach. I may have to stop at Cabelas (darn ) to see that.

[Ed Carlson]

I went with the Frabill RANGER TRI-PLEX #6095. It has hight & Boo-Koo front room for 4 holes easy and lots of room for gear and to stretch out the legs. The ARCTIC-ARMOR is lighter weight, sheds water and resists icing, blocks out wind and snow, yet it remains extra pliable no matter what the temperature. Wide draft skirts all around seal out the elements well. Heavy gage wide tooth zippers resist icing and preform well in the coldest conditions. The package came with 3 high back seats but I will likely only use the 2 making for even more elbow room to fish. The sled is durable but not as deep as an Otter sled or a Nordic. Yet it is a whole lot lighter a package then a Clam, Otter, or a Nordic of comparable size. I have plenty of room for gear and it sets up easily and loads quickly.

Sets up to: 106"L x 77"W x 77"H

Folds down: 77" L x 45"W x 28"H

Weight: 109 pounds

I recommend the adding three extra 3-pole support kit for added support in heavy winds or for setting up in half open positions in nice weather. The tow cover fits well and is a handy feature that was well worth adding to the package. I did not buy a tow hitch yet. We are designing a new one that will have more flexibility of use and stows quickly.

In my experience the Frabill RANGER TRI-PLEX #6095 is a very nice user friendly ice package.

[Perchy]

I echo your comments on the Frabill Triplex, am very pleased with mine!

[Zaraspooks]

I have the Yukon and it fits easily into my Tahoe with the 60 seat down.

Also, according to the box my Connector came in, only like houses will connect. A Yukon will only connect to a Yukon.

[anyfishwilldo]

Clam says that you have to connect like to like only. That is true for the most part. You can connect others together, but they will have gaps in the connector. The best way to do it would be to use the connector for the larger house. I have the yukon, and I love it. Thier cust service is also great.

[iowaboy]

FYI....I have a Frabill XL Twin I like it just right for me. He's a problem to look out for. We were just up at Devils Lake and it was cold -28 with 45 to 55 below wind chill. Both my side windows split and cracked from top to bottom from the cold leaving large holes on each side of my house.

I called Frabill today to see what they would do about it. The gal told me they could sell me replacement windows for 14 dollars a piece. I've had my house for less then a yr. she told me that the windows are not covered under warranty.

A buddy that was along on the trip with me had the same problem with his ranger solo windows split. The fella's in the clams didn't have any issues with their windows breaking.

On the frabill web site it say's.....

Tell the spouse you're going ice fishing ALL DAY!

even if it's below zero!

I think they might want to change their slogan a bit!!!!

This will be the last Frabill product that I own the customer service could use some improvements!

[TJB]

Still trying to decide, anyone have on for sale or now where I can get a new one on sale?

[hanson]

TJB-

I haven't noticed any sales yet this year but they will be happening SOON!!! A couple years, Gander had a killer price on a Trap Voyageur along with the Sno-Boat/Trap houses they were selling. If you've waited this long, I would suggest to keep waiting. It will happen soon. Of course you'll only be able to pick from in stock houses that are left but you will see some good deals coming soon I'm sure.

Gander/Fleet/Sportsman's/ Galyan's are all an easy drive for you so I'd watch the ads and hit up a bunch of stores soon.

[bobO]

cabelas has a fish trap guide on sale for 299. I bought mine and love it.