Pak Shack Shelter Review

[Ron Vroom]

I used my Pak Shack shelter this past season at least 8 times in conditions ranging from -24 degrees, wind around 25mph, and snow. Despite the dire predictions from the naysayers, it has held up fine with no damage and it has kept me comfortably fishing in poor conditions. I have developed some tricks for using it if anybody has any interest.

[bwtrout]

Let's hear about the tricks!

[Ron Vroom]

First, are two minor modifications: I replaced the cap nuts on the round swivel points on each side of the chair with nylon insert locknuts because the cap nuts looked prone to unscrew and fall off. Loctite might be just as good. I installed a gromet in the back snow flap directly inline and below the gromet in the traiangular tether point so a screw ice anchor can screw the chair down directly to the ice eliminating the tether. When setting up in windy conditions, have a place to secure your storage bag when you remove it, so it does not blow away. Open chair with back to the wind and screw in the anchor, then open up the canopy from outside the chair and let the wind weather vane the whole thing directly downwind and mark your spot to auger the hole. The point is to have the chair pointing directly downwind on your back, so you eliminate a side wind which will tend to blow the canopy over your hole. Lower the canopy and drill your hole. I like mine to be as far from the chair as possible to give me more room for my rod and to place a Sportcat heater between me and the hole. That heater was sufficient to keep me comfortable at minus 24 and keep my hole from freezing. After you drill your hole, bank snow around the back and side flaps. Thing to remember, is that when you want to flip the canopy back and open, you have to open those 2 side zippers, otherwise it is difficult to flip canopy open. I also rigged a mount so my Vex can be clamped to arm of the chair (modified RAM mount which is a bit complicated to explain). But it puts my flasher right in front of me and off the limited floorspace.