Suitecase Portable and Sled

[FullTilt]

I have a 4'x8' suitecase style portable that's 4'x4' when folded. I won the ice house at a banquet a couple years ago and it's been great. I built a sled for it out of old skis but my problem is where to put all my gear. I'm thinking about getting an Otter sled to carry my gear and strap the portable to the top of it. Does anyone have any suggestions about the best size sled? I'd like to get an 8" auger, a Big Buddy, and other miscelaneous gear in the sled. Also, what's the best way to secure the portable to the sled?

[gvg_uwec]

If you want to go that way i would look at the number of people you normally fish with. For example if you fish with a buddy a lot, i would get a sled sized so that someday you could add the otter skin to that will fit a two man otter skin on it if you decided to go to a flip over style.

[fishfart]

That's a great idea, you would have a big chunk of an otter already paid for.

[hanson]

Thats exactly how I ended up with my 2 Otter Houses (Den & Lodge).

My dad had a 4x8 Suitcase style house that we would unfold and pull behind the snowmobile at early & late ice. We would pile our gear onto the suitcase and head out. It wasn't the perfect way but it worked and we took our time.

While walking through Cabela's, I spotted a small sled that looked like it would fit all my gear in perfectly. That was my introduction to Otter. I bought the sled & the tow

hitch and put all the gear in the Otter Sled and then tied the suitcase house to the back of the Otter Sled. That routine worked much better.

Than the day came along when I found out I could by the Otter house to put on my sled which I already had. Perfect!

Eventually, we accumulated so much stuff to bring on the ice that I bought an Otter Magnum tub. The idea was that we were going to strap the 4x8 suitcase to the top of the sled and pile our gear underneath. We never got around to trying out that system as I went and bought the Otter Lodge tent to go on the magnum sled. End of story! No more suitcase style house for me.

Anyway, my idea was to drill some holes either in the sides of the sled or on the top of the side rails and fasten some big eyebolts to the sled to act as tiedown points. I then planned on securing the suitcase house to the Otter sled with ratchet straps tied off to the eyebolts. I don't know why this wouldn't work.

Good Luck to you!

Accumulating all my gear took several years, one piece at a time but that is how it all happened for me.

[riverrat56]

Get a sled big enough for almost the whole size of ur house, also make sure you can fit the stuff inside the sled and still set the house on the side, don't think that you can strap everything on top of the house, just believe me. Also the only way to transport pails is on top of the house so use lots of bungee cords, usually one to front and one to back. Make sure the house is secure or it will fall off. Been there done all of that before, not fun.

Solution: 2 tiered sled, take your sled, cut some 2 by 4's high enough that a bucket with rods / your tallest thing fits under it, then on top attach another piece of plywood and throw the house up there, make some bumpers in the back so it can't slide backwards. Then in the front put on 2 eye hooks and run a bungee across so nothing can slide. Built mine like that 2 years ago after trying both options you have considered, looks big and akward but can you haul some dump around.

Other option is sell the suitcase and buy a flip over, but thats no fun.