2 questions...no, 3 no,4

[The Grebe]

One, has anyone had any experience with those Ice Bandit portable fish houses from Menards? I'm getting (got) one for someone as a Christmas gift...any comments?

Two, I know that Vexilar and Ice Armor make cold weather suits, but doesn't Cabellas carry a brand similar, but for about $50.00 less?

Three, I'm of the old school, Thinsilate unders, duct pants,

a wool sweater, a hoodie and a quilted nylon jacket. Oh, and my Carhart bibs. I've been wanting something more high tech and less cumbersome and I have been looking at Ice Armor...after what I'm used to, it seems so thin? What does a person wear under it to stay warm and still be light weight?

How about the Guide series, Tech H2O suits, I think thats what they are called? Are they warm enough to be adapted to winter usage? Okay, I'll shut up now.

[Grant Pearson]

you wear clothes under it.......

[Kyle Sandberg]

I find a T-Shirt and a hoodie underneath keeps me warm. They are thin because it retains your body heat and doesn't let the wind get to you.

I think the cabelas one your thinking about is the Ice Armor suit.

Are you stictly thinking ice fishing suits?

[NAMASafetyDirector]

1)No idea 2)&3). Yes they are the Cabela's Guidewear insulated bibs and parka. Love mine, I only wear some light fleece underwear under mine, that's all I have evern needed, plenty of mobility and lightweight,waterproof and windproof.

[Northlander]

The Menards shelter is ok for the casual user. I wouldnt try to pull it with a wheeler or sled much at all. You get what you pay for with them.

Arctic Armor floats and is waterproof. Very warm.

The others of course wont help you float if ya fall in. The Cabelas Guidewear is great stuff and durable as well. I dont think there are padded knees and butt area though. Thats great for ice fishing.

The Floatation on the Arctic Armor and warmth sold me. Ill be wearing a pair for all year round warm weather clothing and rain gear as soon as I get a bonus from the boss lady.

[ice-man/vexilar-king]

1 yes no 2 yes no 3 why doesn't artic armour come in Max 4?

[iland99]

Just a heads up, Fleet Farm has the Vexilar bibs and parka on sale during their 2-day after Thanksgiving sale. They are priced at $49.99 each. That's less than 1/2 price. You probably won't find a suit cheaper than that anywhere else.

[ozzie]

I purchased a vexilar suit (jacket and bibs) for $109 last year on line from a store that was or is in Baxter and starts with R.......I have been wearing the jacket and that is very warm....for a third of the price of Artic aurmour I will take it until I have a extra 300 to upgrade......the vexilar suit is the same as the strikemaster suit and both keep you dry!!!

[Soul_Patrol]

Ozzie is the vexilar suit water proof at all?

[CALVINIST]

Grebe,

I love the comfort of multiple layers. Last night when I went out I had on 2 pair of polypropylene, wool pants, two wool sweaters, and a coat. For the head I wore one of those microfleece facemasks and a wool hat to top it all off. Man, I hate being cold!!! Although I would like to have one of those "fancy suits", I can't afford one right now. My getup works just fine, and the fish don't care what I loook like!

[ozzie]

it is listed as a water resistant suit but I have used it in the rain and it kept me dry......my friend has both the vexilar and Artic Armour and he says he can't see much difference other than the floatation ability even though the Artic stuff is labeled as waterproof.......i really like the vex suit.

[Soul_Patrol]

Great thanks for the info, I like the price of that suit compared to the Actic Armour, I'm sure its a great suit but its 3x the price.

[The Grebe]

Cal...Thats pretty much the way I roll right now, layers of stuff and I seldom get cold. I fish out in the open as much as I can during the winter.

The thing is, I'm on the move alot and the stuff I wear gets heavy after 6-8 hours of marching around....I wanted to look into something lighter, but I don't want to get off the scratch if it is less effective then my now gear.

I also didn't want to buy it if you also have to buy a hundred bucks or more worth of specialized under clothing like a type of base, Under Armor, fleech, etc. to make it effective.

I also think them "Fancy Schmancy Suits" be lookin good! Maybe if I be stylin, them big Mille Lacs perch will be more cooperative...."Hey look, he be stylin, lets roll with that dudes minnow head!"

[The Grebe]

NLander...Most of the time it's like that, I realize that, but every now and again, a person gets a diamond in the rough.

This house certainly isn't a diamond, but I agave it to the fella this morning as an early Christmas gift (Didn't want that big box around here and maybe he can use it before Christmas?) and I thought he was gonna start cryin, no schmidt!

Such as it is, this thing is head and shoulders above and a far cry from anything I've ever seen him use in the last 30 years! It was gonna get bought, I was just wondering if anyone knew of any drawbacks that we could get a heads up on in advance. Thanks for answering.

[The Grebe]

Thank you to all that gave me some good intel on the questions I asked...Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

[sirsunnyslayer]

I've got the Cabelas Gore Tex guide series jacket and bibs and would have anything else. I use mine summer and winter and they are worth every penny, about 40,000 of them! Plus it comes in colors other than blue so you don't look like a deformed smurf out there.