Otter & Clam

[HighLifer]

My wonderful fiance has decided to buy me a new portable ice house for my birthday. I am having a hard time deciding between the new Clam Fish Trap X2 or the Otter Magnum Lodge. I am looking for some feedback from owners of one of these two houses to help me with my crucial decision.

[Eckie]

Uh Oh...I smell a Ford vs. Chevy debate lurking...

Be prepared ... it's coming...

On a side note, do a search on this...more threads on this subject than one can count.

I will say this - make your decision quick before your soon to be better half changes her mind!

[Borch]

I've had my Otter Lodge for one year now. So far it's been a great house. The sled is large, deep and very heavy duty. Set up is quick and I really like the ability to stand upright with the higher ceiling. The canvas is really heavy duty and the seats are very comfy.

The down side is that it's heavy. If your pulling it buy hand it's a good work out. Not bad on packed snow or ice. But more than 5 inches of snow and it's a workout. If you're using a snowmobile or ATV to ppull it it's hard to beat with it's quality.

I like ther clams too. The seats are comfy and have more adjustment than the otters. They weigh a bit less but still are a load in the larger models to pull by hand. The lower cieling means less space to heat during very cold days.

I guess it's all about what you are looking for in a house.

[Augusta]

Just to put my thought in on the subject, I'm just now putting the finishing final touches on two, yes, two new Otter Medium Cabins, so I guess you know which route I took.

[SomethingFishy*]

I have last years tter Lodge and love it. However the new Clam X2 looks to be of near equal quality. The quetion I would have on the new X2 is how nasty the fabric on the seats is going to get, cloth seating seems like a bad idea.

[Northlander]

If you pull with a sled or wheeler get a Otter. Best tubs in the bussiness. If your driving or walking a lot and you want lighter go Clam.

I have the Otter Mag Lodge and after looking at all things I went Otter. Im a big guy, 6'6" and 270#, so I wanted the roomiest strongest house I could get. Otter was it. The square poles are great and very sturdy. My old clam poles were no where near as nice. I also like the deeper tub on the Otters.

No matter what ya get put the Hyfax runners on it.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

The new X traps look sweet. Heavy duty deep sleds with a high front and back for pulling, sturdy fabric (not that the old fabric was bad), and the new poles are smooth. They are on the heavy side though the X2 (equivalent to a voyager) is nearly 150 lbs while the Otter magnum is something like 80lbs. If your going to be pulling by hand alot Id go with the Otter. The Otter is significantly cheaper, too, compared to the X2s $650 price tag. Ive never fished out of an Otter but if I had to choose out of these two Id probably go with the Otter. Though if you have a wheeler or sled to pull with and the price difference isnt a big deal you should be happy with either model.

[Reynolds]

I was just looking at the Otter Outdoors HSOforum and didn't find that the Magnum Lodge was that much cheaper compared to the X2, in fact, they are about the same price. To make a fair comparison between the two you really need to compare an Otter Magnum Lodge combo (seats, sled,shelter, and *cover) to an X2. With that being said, the X2 retails for $714.99, and the Magnum Lodge combo goes for $729.99. You do, however, get a travel cover with the Magnum Lodge combo. One of the things that things that others have mentioned is that the X2 narrows in at the front of the tub. The result is lost storage space. Not sure why the sled was engineered in such fashion.

[JRFISHBAIT]

When comparing prices, make sure you are comparing apples to apples. The prices on the manufacturers web sites are suggested retail. You can purchase them at dealers such as ourselves for less than the prices posted on the web sites. So if you want the true price, give us a call. We sell and stock both Otter and Clam. (As a bonus, we also assemble them free of charge, your choice, assembled or boxed, same price.)

Reel Fishing and Tackle, Madison Lake, MN

507.243.3388

PS: We are a sponsor of the South Centrl Forum.

[Corey Bechtold]

I am a Trap guy because I love to be mobile. They are very light and simple to set up and take down. The new X2 houses have the deeper more durable sleds under them along with the best poles and canvas on the market. I looked at the new X series houses and have been very impressed.

I'm not going to bash Otter because they are a very nice house too. Try and look at how you want to fish then make your decision. If you aren't going to travel long distances or you like to travel light then I wouldn't go with the X series house but rather go with the original Fish Trap.

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[metrojoe]

Otter also carries the Wild series. They run a little less expensive.

[Bob Horn]

Otter.

[Dan Brelje]

I agree w/ Corey. Im a trap guy and i love it for the light weight, mobility w/ out sled or ATV, and the pricetag. However, i believe the X series is in production because of otter. Otter builds a unit that is very durable. Now, the X series throws trap into the durable portable market. Take a look at both, i don't think you will be disapointed w/ either.

[HighLifer]

Thanks for the info fellas, it has been very helpful.

[BucketButt]

I'm really surprised that there isn't more talk of the Frabill line. Around here they seem to be as popular as the Otter or Traps are up there. I don't have many complaints about my shacks, but I don't have too much experience with the other brands, but I did go with the Frabill because the beefier sleds. They are heavier in the snow and we can't use atv's or snowmobile's on the lakes here but, I liked the the thicknes of the sleds.

I know Otter has good sleds too but, they were more then I wanted to spend. Just my $.02.

[hanson]

Another tidbit that you guys may, or may not, be aware of is that the X Series line of shacks from Fish Trap is a result of Clam Corp buying Polar Sport.

The tubs on the X Series are identical to the ones on the old Polar Sport houses.

Now I don't think I've ever had anything bad to say about the Polar Sport houses other than the shape of the tub. When it kicks up in the front, it puts the seat/seat brackets a little closer together.

If I was in the market for a house, this would be a very tough decision for me. The basics are the same now so I would have to look at other features such as zippers, how the doors open, ventilation, windows, and stuff like that.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the square tubing on the Otter Shacks rock!! I've never had to install the intermediate support poles in my Otter after getting one with the square tubing. The poles slide easily, and they are strong! I would say Otter has the edge because of the square tubing.

[ChuckN]

Check out the short video on the home page of Otter Outdoors to see the fishhouse being towed by a snowmobile, etc..

That clip is the reason I own an Otter. Towing my fishhouse with my snowmobile on a 50 mile round trip each day on Lake of the Woods...I need dependability. They tow and perform extremely well in the roughest conditions.

I also have a large Otter tub that is over 7 years old that has been a sled to haul fishhouses and gear on, a work sled hauling misc gear, and now it's mainly used to haul firewood from the forest in the winter. It's indestructible.

[Hotspotter]

I'm like Chuck, except harder on my equipment. To me, that's the best reason to own an Otter, the tubs are rock-solid.

Joel

[SomethingFishy*]

Whats worse, the tree collision or falling out of the back of the truck?

[Hotspotter]

Fishy:

Depends on which speed for each

All things being equal, not much survives a fall out of the back of a truck. The tubs have the best shot of making it out, but about all else is trashed to some degree.

Joel

[fisherdog19]

I don't own either type of house so I am only slightly biased. Based on what I've seen and read about both particular houses, I would go with the X2 hands down. Tough polyester denier compared to tough cotton based fabric, skirting all the way around the home, the new large diameter round tubing looks very strong, and there is some type of glide system in it. The seats were very comfortable, and the sleds are supposed to be as tough or tougher. Don't get me wrong, Otter makes a great house, I just think these new clams are a bit better. The new Frabills are pretty nice as well.

Fisherdog

[Jim Hudson]

Fisher

Good point you brought up about the pole glide technology on the new X-Traps. With the beefier guaged aluminum on the X series there is also no metal on metal contact. Makes putting down and putting up these shelters a breeze. The tent fabric is nice as well. One thing to mention, is on the X series, they are not blacked out like the rest of the original fish traps. So if your a serious sight fisherman, you may want to go with an original. But if you want some light in your shack, the X series will allow this.

It will be fun to run these new traps this season. So far the rigs look great and from what I seen they will definately last a long time for someone who purchases one.

[Fisherman For a Lifetime]

I just bought the new Clam X2 today. Now they only have 1 left - they're goin' fast.

I checked it out real good & bought it from the fishing manager at G.M. He knew it well and we did a lot of comparisons. Got a 10% discount for the G.M. card - nice to save $65 !!

Now, I can't wait to get it out on the ice.....

[Reynolds]

I went in to buy an Otter Lodge Resort the other day, but the dealer talked me out of it. He said he has personally been putting Otters together for years and has had enough of the square tube design. He said they are very durable, but the square tubing makes setup and takedown a real pain. I guess this is the last year that this dealer is going to be carrying Otter. I was a bit disappointed to hear all of this as I did have my mind set on getting an Otter. He also showed me another brand by the name of Original Otterskin that he has been personally been using the past five years. This brand has the same type of tub as an Otter, the round tubing comparable to Fish Traps, but also has an option of Norpac insulated fabric. From what he told me the fabric is extremely durable, warm, and provides a very well lit house because the Norpac fabric is white on the interior.

[Reynolds]

Quote:

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I just bought the new Clam X2 today. Now they only have 1 left - they're goin' fast.

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I have heard that dealers are not able to order any more X2s as Clam is sold out of them. So whatever the dealers has left in stock is all that is available for this year.