Small SUV's and Portables

[TroutAngler]

With gas prices on the rise, many people are looking at downsizing to more fuel efficient vehicles. Can anyone comment from experience if your portable flip over shack fits in a smaller suv? i.e. crv, rav4, liberty, escape, etc.

I have an Eskimo 2-man and am looking at a smaller more efficent vehicle - but not at the expense of not being able to haul my shack!

[mntraveler]

I'm looking at the same thing. The option I'm finding to be the most appealing is a midsize suv that could tow a trailer. A wheeler and shack could fit on that.

[McGurk]

I don't have any personal experience w/ this, but anymore most mid/lightweight AWD vehicles have some way to get a 2" receiver hitch mounted pretty easily. Even if you are not towing w/ it, there are some pretty nifty attachments that can expand your carrying capacity and square footage outside of your vehicle. They seem pretty beefy while driving behind them, but I've not checked into them myself.

[DigitalFisherman]

I drive a Pathfinder (15 mpg), my wife drives a Subaru Outback (25 mpg) and my Fish Trap Yukon fits in both of those with room to spare... guess which one I take on fishing trips

[raymondk]

I HAVE A OLDER S 10 BLAZER MY FRABIL XT TWIN FITS REAL NICE ALL i HAVE TO DO IS REMOVE THE SPARE TIRE IT IS MOUNTED INSIDE I GET AROUND 20 MILES TO THE GALLON I WON'T RUN A FULL SIZE PICKUP AGAIN UNLESS SOMEBODY GIVES ME ONE FOR FREE........

[so haaad]

I have experience in this area. I just bought a new SUV and actually brought my Fish Trap Guide with me when I looked for new SUV's. I found that many of the "smaller" SUVs would not fit the Guide, including the Honda CRV, etc. The big problem is that they are not long enough. One option I thought about was getting a smaller fish house, like a Fish Trap Pro or Otter Cottage. But that seemed to be too much work and a little bit of a sacrifice over my Guide. Maybe the best option is to get the cargo carrier/hitch on the back. My old Jeep Cherokee basically was on it's last mile, so I didn't have much time to search for smaller SUV's. I ended up going with a "mid" sized V6 SUV (Jeep Gr Cher) that fits my Guide no problem.

[Tod Todd]

My friend has a 4 door s10 and has no problem hauling his Rover 2man or my Eskimo quick flipII. Inside there is lots of room left over for all the other gear, gas auger buckets and grub.

It gets better gas milage than my F150 FWD 12MPG at best.

[stmichael]

When you guys say that there is a lot of room left over do you mean that you can haul more than one passenger? I usually have 2 kids with me when I go fishing.

[dave_f]

i bought a 2005 jeep liberty in december and my shappell 3000 fits in the back with the seat folded down. also have room for my pvc sled that i haul the shappell on. i do have to slide my drivers seat up a little bit

[DigitalFisherman]

I have room for myself and one other; in both vehicles the back seat needs to be folded down to fit the house and gear. I would think that you would need a pretty big SUV or an extended cab pick-up to fit a two man house, gear and still have two rows of seats

[stmichael]

I should have noted that I have the Eskimo III. Which is Approximately 6ft long.

[Dead-C-Force]

I bought one of the Eskimo QuickFish 3 pop-up cube shacks this year and it's great. I use a Ford Explorer, and the shack takes up no room. If I have my wheeler along on the trailer, I also haul a suitcase-like folding floor along that I made for the Eskimo cube shack. As the floor plan of the Eskimo is 5.5 feet square, you divide that in half in one direction and you are only hauling a package 30 inches or so by 5.5 feet. It is way narrower than most suitcase shacks, and because I have no poles and hardware to contain in the suitcase, you can build the floor and keep it rather thin and light. All the poles are contained and attached to the QF 3 already.

I am going to weld up a ski kit from some snowmobile skis that I can pin onto the suitcase, so it will run pretty high off the ice, rigid hitch, and away I go. Might rig an auger rack on the suitcase as well, then it's earning it's keep back there. Once you get to where you fish, it's nice having a floor- I hate doing the "Sorel boot dance" in all the water and slop this year. I have some Hyfax on my suitcase rig to keep her outa the worst of the slops.

I used to own a medium otter, but it seemed like a hassle to lift, store and haul for fishing by myself- and it killed too much space in the Explorer, no room for passengers and all thier gear... I love the Otters, but they are best trailered or hauled in pickups.

[bloc004]

I bought a jeep compass and an X2. When I bought the x2, I had to drive home with the hatch open. I put a 2" hitch ($125 from fleet farm) on my jeep. I just got a game carrier attachement ($50) for my 2" hitch. I put (2) 2x4s on the top of the carrier to support the shack. This works great for me. 4 straps and rides great. I spent $175 total, but the gas milage I get with my jeep (upper 20s) has defiantely been worth it.

[zamboni]

I had a Geo Tracker 2 door convertible, remember those?? Only 2 people could fit in the back seat, so I was in the same boat. It was 4 wheel drive, and had no trouble getting through snow, so I had a hitch installed, and bought a 2 wheel trailer from Tractor Supply Company and hauled my auger and shack on it. Put my tackle, rods, and minnow bucket and everything else in the back seat. Worked perfect. Those trailers are great, and not too expensive, I think I paid $400 for it brand new. It is a tilit trailer, so aside from ice fishing, I use it to haul a snowblower around, pull pin, tilt it and drive the snowblower up onto it.

[Chode2235]

I fit my otter Den (cabin is the same length) at 56" into the back of my Pathfinder without a problem.

It is a great size and transports nicely back there.

[MuskieJunkie]

Newer Toyota 4Runner with a fish trap Voyager is doable but very tight. You have to adjust the driver and passanger seats. Same for a Newer Toyota Rav 4.

I am going to get a hitch carrier to haul mine. They are only $60-$200 depending. The problem is that most of them are 60"x20" which is too small.

We all need to find a metal shop to custom make us hitch mounted carriers that fit our respective portables.

[Bigslugger]

I can fit my Otter Lodge in my 1999 Tahoe and have room on the side for an auger

Granted this is with the back seats are down.

[BradT]

I used to have a honda civic hatchback, that me and my dad would go fishing in. His clam would fit nicely in the back with the back seats folded down. and it got 40mpg.

[blackdog1101]

My Otter den easily fits in the back of my Ford Escape, with the rear seat folded down. The rear seat is split, and I only have to fold down one side. If I recall correctly the sled of my Otter is 56" long.

[Carp-fisher]

I have a late 90s tiny Toyota Rav4 (gets over 30mpg) and an Eskimo Quickflip II. To fit my QF II, I have to remove the backseats and it fits just barely in. My Fishtrap Scout fits in nice just folding the seats down.

I would highly recommend getting a Honda CRV. My wife drives one and it gets around 30 mpg on the highway. My QF II fits in there without having to remove the rear seats.

[fadal]

I have a rav4 but I use a trailer with my snowmobile and my otter on the trailer.

[Sniper07]

I have a 94 S10 Blazer 4Dr, and when I fold the rear seat down I can stack my Clam Pro and my buddy's Frabil Commando in there and lay our augers along side them and put our other gear between the huts and rear doors. She gets about 22 MPG, way better than his Chevy 4x4 xcab.

[bloc004]

muskie junkie- I just bolted 48" 2x4s on my carrier, from the front, sticking of the back, and it works great. plus the wood keeps the shack off the metal edges.

[mww24]

My mom has an 03 honda crv that I used to put my clam guide in all the time. I just had to fold the back seats down, so it limited it to u and your passenger. It was close but it worked. I upgraded to my dads regular cab truck this winter and now put the stuff in the bed, but still only have 2 seats. so I haven't gained anything really. I need to get my own dang truck.

[forcedtowork]

I had an olds bravada, I won't go back to a SUV. I now have a F150. The gas you save doesn't outlast the negatives. Have to move the seat way up, which makes for an uncomfortable ride, only room for one other passenger, when you get done, you get all that snow in your vehicle that melts and makes everything wet and then refreezes. My F150 is my storage shed on wheels in the winter. My gear never leaves the backend of my truck. Just my $.02.