pac shack

[rgoi812]

anyone been looking at these seriously yet? I like the idea of having a really portable unit for early ice,wondering if the price will fluctuate from store to store once the water hardens up.

[Corey Bechtold]

"Mobile" is a relative term here. The Pac Shack is a mobile unit if it needs to be hauled in to a remote location. However, being mobile on the lake and jumping from hole to hole with your gear (locator, rods, tackle, snacks, etc) is going to be better achieved by using a sled style fish house. Something that you can just slide over to the next hole or area.

The Pac Shack is going to be an interesting piece of Ice fishing equipment that I am going to keep my eye on. But till they are proven I am going to stick with my Fish Trap!

Good luck,

Corey Bechtold

[marine_man]

I watched a promo video for them this past weekened. Did anyone notice in the promo video how the shelter portion of it had quite a few open seams and holes in the back of it in some of the video spots? I wonder what the long term durability is like on these...

marine_man

[jigging-matt]

I was watching the promo video also and was wondering if it is very windy out if you will have a problem with all the loose fabric blowing around by your feet and hole?

[so haaad]

I was just at Gander and looked at one. I agree, I think they would be tough to hold down in the wind. Also, I think the "connection" to the ice needs major improvements. Again, to prevent wind from coming in. I also thought they were a little small if you wanted to use a heater or lantern.

[Dances with Walleye]

My Buddy and I spent 4 hours this past Saturday just hanging out and checking out Ice Fishing stuff...

We spent a long time playing with a pack shack at FF. We came to the conclusion that the "Pack Shack" just isn't a "Deep Winter" solution.

It seems to be made for "Nice Days" Calm winds, decent temps... Something for a kind day in December, or the month of March... January and February it's "Freak Wam Days" only...

I would never in a million years go out on a day that was below Zero in one of those things.

I would rather drag out a piece of plywood on a Snowy lake and build a snowfort, to fish out of, than to use a Pack shack below say 15 degrees.

[Ron Vroom]

I picked one up on Sat. and will give my report after I get a chance to use it. I think it is going to be a lot better than sitting out on a snowmobile on a remote Canadian lake fishing for lake trout.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I just watched the vid again. I may see the small seam issues you are sing.. but If you go into a bait shop and sit in quite a few houses, many of them will have light to shine through at the seams.

I realize this may not my go to fish house, but I will deffinatly have one of these this winter for when I want/need to pack light. Its black and will absorb heat, and the anglers around me will not see how many fish I am catchin'

[TurnUpTheFishing]

...or that your not catchin any!

[Paul Waldowski]

Hey c'mon now. We actually do have Dietz on camera catching ONE fish He does get a lot of practice setting the hook though

[Deitz Dittrich]

P-Dub I do believe I do have more than a few "race To 5" world chapionships under my belt!...

ok, I had a few bad outtings on camera.. this winter I WILL REDEAM MYSELF!

[marine_man]

Quote:

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I may see the small seam issues you are sing.. but If you go into a bait shop and sit in quite a few houses, many of them will have light to shine through at the seams.

---

What I was after here Deitz was the long term durability... especially in the wind of ND (actually, it's amazing any shelter holds up out here). I'm guessing the shack they were using had been used before and it looked to me like the seam was pulling apart...

Oh.. and on redeeming yourself.. don't make threats you can't backup (maybe this should be in the ice smack talk thread)

marine_man

[Gus]

I would be surprised if we don't see a bunch of posts later on in the year complaining about these shacks. To me they look very cheap and they are cheap. Only $100. Keep in mind cheap is relative here and they are about half the price of any other shack of anykind that I know of. I looked at them at the store and I think people will begin having problems with the bands and the tarp where it attaches to the chair. I don't see this point being very strong or forgiving at all. The tarp is also very light and unless you find a way to get out of the shack and bank some snow the skirt will by flying up in even the lightest wind. In the promo video that I watched you can see the skirt moving in the wind. That right there set a sour taste in my mouth. My prediction is that this pac shack will be a flop.

[Ron Vroom]

I've got one and will give an honest report after I use it, but I think it will work great. Obviously you set this up with your back to the wind and after you anchor the back, you would bank snow around the back flaps which don't move when you get in and out. Any wind from the back is going to force the front flap down, but just to safe, I have installed gromets in the front to tie it down from inside. You would not want heavier material because the point is portability and I have seen lightweight nylon tents withstand severe winds when properly set up. The material is ice armor which is tough stuff. I will look at the chair fastening points and see if that needs to be toughened up. I have seldom purchased a piece of ice fishing gear that I have not been able to improve upon with some minor modifications.

[Toad]

The point of the Pak Shack is that it fills a different niche than other shacks. We already know that some of the best lakes around can't be accessed any other way than walking in. Throw the thing on your back and go. This is one key use for the Pak Shack.

Another is as a sightfishing shelter-- and I can tell you that after using it late last winter, it's the best portable sightfishing shelter I've seen. I am not sure about these open seams that have been mentioned-- I have not noticed this at all. It also has zippers on either side that lock out light.

I don't know if it will withstand North Dakota style gales-- but I do that I've been flipped and whipped over on my face while sitting in my Otter. If it blows a lot, bank the rear flap, and once inside, place your electronics or a pile of slush on top of the interior electronics tab. It's what this piece of material was designed for-- to keep the front of the shelter anchored down in wind.

The basic point, also, is that we use different boats in open water to match different situations. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't begin to view different ice shelters along the same lines. Permanent shelter = pontoon; Otter-style house = multispecies fishing boat; Pak Shack = super portable sneak boat / jonboat.

-a friend called Toad

[Duffman]

I looked one over today at lunch. This thing would be perfect for hiking back into lakes where it would be impossible to get my normal one man shack into. I'd only use it 3-4 times a year, but it defineatly has me going Hmmmmmmmmm. Ya just might find me in one of these things at some point this winter.

[hovermn]

Can you say, BWCAW! How awesome would that be? Hmmm...that gets me thinkin'

I looked over the pac shack a few days ago and can see how it would fill a niche very well. I do have concerns about how much ice space you have when closed for electronics or even your gear. However, if you need to pack light and want to stay comfy, it looks like it fills the bill.

[anyfishaldo]

I was at Cabela's on Sat. with my 13 month old and thought I found my answer. I have no 4 wheel drive so have to hoof it and thought it might be a good alternative to the bucket in colder weather. I have just stuck with my little Bro who has all of the gear but it cuts down on opportunity to get out. I thought it looked a bit flimsy but until junior is old enough, might just do the trick until I upgrade.

[Toad]

To answer an earlier question, I was real impressed with the interior space of this shelter last winter. Plenty of room for a camera and/or a sonar unit. And more than enough room to stretch out, jig and give the rod a nice dramatic Bill Dance-style set.

Again, too, the interior darkness was, I thought, better than any sled-mounted shelter I've used to date. Was key to helping me sight-fish panfish and lake trout late last winter. To me, it's a shelter every serious ice angler should own.

-Toad

[Deitz Dittrich]

@ bill dance style Hookset!