WHATS YOUR 1ST CHOICE FOR A 2-MAN PORTABLE?

[Dan DAN the fisherman]

Thanks for all the replies. Has anyone actually tried the Wilderness Series Walleye or Pike Packages? Thanks,

Dan

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I have the Otter Cabin and 2 Otter Mag. Lodges.

The Lodges are the best all-around unit for 2 or maybe 3 people. Lots of room, lots of storage and carrying capacity,

super tough sled. and easy & fast setup.

Cliff

[hanson]

Hey Dan Dan the Fisherman-

I'll keep it simple... Otter Lodge.

I love mine and wouldn't trade it for anything.

[Ya Hey Der]

DanDan,

I am not sure how much the wilderness series are going for but I believe Cabelas in Rogers has their grand opening sale from Oct 28th through Nov. 6th. I looked through their mailer and it looks like they have a Medium Otter (includes sled) for 399.99. That is a great price on a great product. I personally have the medium otter and it is big enough for two people yet easy enough to handle on my own.

Good luck in your decision.

YHD

[Nordern]

Dan Dan

As most everyone else has said, "Go with the Otter". I spent more that I wanted to on an Otter 2 years ago but it was one of the best investments I ever made for ice fishing.

[schweady]

You gotta feel like you can't possibly go wrong when you've got Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker, telling you to GO OTTER! Thanks for all of the tips.

And thanks, Matt (Johnson, this time), for the comments about the convenience of the bench in the Medium Cabin. Make sense, but still want to go sit on one before giving up on the swivel bucket seats plan.

---

Oooh, I can hear father-in-law Arvin moaning, "Youse young bucks and yer gadgets... So what's wrong wit' parkin' on that 5-gallon pail?!!?" (Same guy who has line on his sticks older than his grandkids -- and they're all out of college...)

[smallieobsession]

Otter medium cabin all the way. I had the Eskimo QF2 which I liked but once I bought the otter, there just really isn't a comparison. High quality all the way around.

[Dan DAN the fisherman]

Thankyou ALL,

I would really like an Otter set up, but like I said, there hard to find, here in Colorado. Can't wait for Cabelas to open here next year!

Dan

[tashit]

Smallie, what's your reasoning for liking the Otter so much better than the QuickFlip? Is it just a quality issue or is there more to it?

[MDC114]

OTTER!! If you are going to fish 2 men out of it...get a 3 man ice house. I have the Large Resort and it fits 2 people very comfortably.....and when you are alone it is great, don't have to worry about room for heater, etc... Also, you can get your holes a bit further apart. I put swivel seats in mine and then mounted ATV auger rack on the cross bars....works very well.

Otter also is very good about fixing/replacing stuff if it tears or if windows break. MDC

[Animal]

Otter Lodges show up like Lund boats on the hot fishing spots in northern MN.

There has to be a good reason.

[Phred52]

FishTrap Yukon! Until something better comes out, that's my humble winter abode!

[JigginIsLife]

I tend to lean towards the ice shacks instead of the flip over style. My only reason for that is that, doesent the ice on the bottom tend to keep your toes cold?? or is that just me speculating?? Anyways i have a speed shack XL and it does itself justice for what i paid, excpet for the lack of a decent sled to pull it out on. Wish it had skis or a better sled.

[schweady]

Father-in-law has one of those suitcase-style with the floor. A bugger to haul and to set up, forget it if you're alone. Don't really notice any advantage to the floor, except to trip on the ridges. He's trying to give it to me; I'm thinking more like it'll be worth buying the Otter Medium Cabin instead. Wear some boots.

[tashit]

I've always liked the suitcase style better but now I'm wanting a flipover style too. (What really got me interested was reading about all of the modifications to do to it ). I really like having a floor, especially if you're staying in one spot for awhile because the ice gets way too slippery. I also like having the holes a little more spread out. I have a clam 5600 and I can pull and set that up by myself without too much trouble. It gets tough when there's a lot of snow but by then I'm almost always driving on the ice anyway so it's not a big deal. I'll be getting a flipover though this year or next because they are a little more convenient. I am just going to make my own floor for it so I'm not slipping on the ice. There will always be instances where I will use my suitcase style however.

[hanson]

I used to fish out of a 4x8 suitcase and I will never go back now. Cold feet is really a non issue for me. I picked up these rubber mats at Menards for a couple bucks a piece and put them on the ice or snow. They provide a little traction as well as keeping your feet from contacting the ice directly.

[schweady]

Quote:

---

I picked up these rubber mats at Menards for a couple bucks a piece and put them on the ice or snow. They provide a little traction as well as keeping your feet from contacting the ice directly.

---

Great idea, hanson. The guys on this site never cease to amaze me with their simple innovations.

[JigginIsLife]

Wow seriously if there is a place to steal ingenious ideas this would be the site. This site is full of great ideas. I have a question on prices i was lookin at the clam 5600 and the price isnt too horrible but suitcase style compared to the flip style what is the price difference. Would i be looking at a lower price to get a flip style or a suitcase style.

[minneman]

Im considering making the switch, but, looking at Hanson's setup, Id need more room for 2. what will heat a "large resort" comfortably at -10deg besides a sunflower?... big buddy? there would be alot of snow/ice exposed (5'x7') is this a factor? (Im used to a floor) if I make the jump I want to know it'll heat good.

[hanson]

Minneman-

For heat, I use a Mr. Heater heater/cooker and that works very, very well on most days. On the cold days like I run into on LOW or Red in northern MN (-10 & below with wind), I have a Y on my tank with a hose that runs to my heater/cooker & a hose that runs to my regular old Mr. Buddy heater. I put the Buddy heater behind my seats on top of the plywood "deck" that you can see in the photo. That little bit of additional heat behind you makes a world of difference when cold out. With these 2 heaters running, you can strip down to a T-shirt when it is really cold out.

I would think with a house as large as the Resort that you are going to need at least a sunflower. I have no experience with a Big Buddy so I can't help you there. My system has worked well for me so I can't see the reason to change... yet.

[schweady]

Quote:

---

... looking at Hanson's setup, Id need more room for 2. ...

---

yeah, hanson, I forgot to ask, which house model is that in your photo? and any other pictures showing the mod you did, or was the spot for the pail pretty much it?

[hanson]

schweady-

Its an Otter Lodge.

There is alot more to that modification than a cut out for the pail. I used it all last winter and found some things that I liked and disliked about the modification I made. I'm currently reworking it and will do a full article here upon its completion.

[minneman]

Thanks Hanson, My biggest decision right now is do I "need" the extra room. Your setup I can see would be ideal for 1 person, easier to heat etc.

Im glad you posted the pic "on Ice" with rods etc. it helps with ones perspective.

[schweady]

Quote:

---

Its an Otter Lodge.

---

DOH! I guess if I woulda just looked back a few posts, I'd have seen you already said that...

Quote:

---

I'm currently reworking it (mods) and will do a full article here upon its completion.

---

Looking forward to it!

[hanson]

Schweady- No problem man! Pretty easy to overlook.

Minneman- Personally, I think an Otter Lodge has more than enough room for 2 guys (I'm 5'-7", about 200 or so (OK, maybe more) and most of my fishing partners and my dad are somewhat near the same size.) and we manage quite alright. The Lodge has a lot of "floor space" in it, especially 'out' from the sled. We always have 4 holes augered, 2 flashers, and a heater/cooker on the ice. Occasionally I'll add the underwater camera as well. You do have to be careful stepping out of the house, the heater of course melts some snow and ice making the walking surface not level and a little slippery. Just step carefully.

In my opinion, the Resort would be an awesome shack to fish out of. A couple concerns of mine which may not be concerns of yours are weight, and overall length of the shack. My Lodge will fit in the 6 1/2' pickup bed of my GMC Sierra with the tailgate up, the Resort won't. The Resort also weighs a little more. Those are just a couple important issues for me. I can still get my Lodge into my pickup bed by myself, with some of the gear loaded. Its not really fun but I can do it. If I had a much larger house, I don't think I could do it.

What I would really like Otter to make is a Lodge with shorter sides on the tub so I could fit it under my Access Tonneau cover. We're only talking a couple inches and I think it would work perfectly. Hmmm... I better talk to Otter eh?