Looking for a new portable

[tisosy11]

Howdy,

Right now I fish out of a Clam 5800 and would like to upgrade to a second house. Preferably a two-seat flip over style house. I was wondering what house has the best features. I like the seats more than the bench. I am not really sure about the plain ice floor, or is that something you don't even notice once you are fishing?

Any help would be appreciated and my apologies if there has been a thread like this already.

[cliffy]

There are tons of flip-overs on the market and I dont think you could go wrong with any of them. Otter and Fishtrap make good stuff. I use to have a Otter "like" portable (it was a polar sport..I think the company went under) and I now own a Fish Trap Yukon. I have really enjoyed both! This is a good time of the year to be shopping as I am seeing a lot of them going on sale. The best thing to do is just go and check them out in the store. The ice floor is no big deal....just make sure you got some warm boots....trust me, its never been an issue...at least for me.

Cliffy.

[ozzie]

I just purchased the X2 and love it...roomy, well built, and can hold all my equipment!! I even dragged it aways and it wasn't all that bad......

[harvey lee]

I would check out Otters portable as they have a very nice house. Another nice house is made by Canvas Craft and the insulated cover cannot be beat. They also use a Otter tub which last for a very long time. Check them both out here.

http://otter.com/

http://canvascraftinc.com/iceshelters.html

[jwhjr]

The ice floor has never been an issue for me either. I have some extra floor mats from my truck that I bring along for my kids to use to help with their feet.

[SKEETER-B]

Had the X2 on a real lake this last weekend, first real test. I loved it, I pulled it with my wheeler, but I have also pulled it onto thre ponds around Luverne its not that bad. It has plenty of room for two and all the gear. Plenty of room to get up and move around a bit, and the seats were top notch! Would recomend this one to anyone. We were on the hardwater at 8 o'clock and fished till almost dark and that was the first time I hadn't had a sore back from sitting all day, and better yet we brought a few fish home for supper. Good luck with your new purchase.

[tisosy11]

Bought the X2 today! Its a chore to put it together but shes hard water ready with the hitch installed. Hope to try it out tomorrow before heading to Pelican for the weekend.

Thanks a lot.

[Bulldoggr]

Using both a fish trap pro, and the Otter Lodge, I have found if you are sitting in the same spoy for a long time witha Sunflower heater in side. It tends to get very slippery inside. I use Ice cleats Which solved the problem.

But I will say I do like my Otter Lodge alot more then my Fish Trap.

[harvey lee]

The Otter Lodge is a very roomy house for 2 larger adults or an adult and 2 kids will also work. The tub of course can't be beat for its durabillity. You also have the option of going with the bench eat which I use but I also have the regular seats in my Otter cabin. The way the cover attaches around the tub is very nice and it is very air tight the way it seals. Another very nice feature about the way the cover attaches is that there is the skirt around the bottom of the tub that also goes inside the front of the tub to also totally eliminates any wind or snow from blowing into the house on the corners as it is very sealed off.

With the hyfax also installed to the bottom of the tub, one can drag it across the parking lots without the worry that the tub wont last for many years and it tows very straight.

I could go on and on but this house is very well built with many nice features.

[EyeSkater]

My best advice would be to go somewhere and see both units pitched and ready to fish. Compare side by side features. Avoid the cheaper units unless you fish infrequently or place less demands on your shelter. The harder (and more dedicated) you fish; the better your shelter likely should be.

'Eye-Skater

[fishinlocal]

I love my FT Yukon. BUT If I had a wheeler or sled to pull something I would go with the Voyager or the X2 for sure. The nice thing about the Yukon is I can use it as a one man tent by taking on of the seats out (which makes the pull about 20lbs lighter). It is really going to depend on how much stuff you have and how far you have to pull it. Honestly the all ice floor doesn't seem to bother me much at all, but like previous guys have said it does get slippery with a sunflower, ice cleats solve that.

[bassNspear]

also, check out canvas craft. They make some awesome product as well

[EBass]

I love my Otter:)

[tisosy11]

Had the X2 out all weekend - performed flawlessly in the frigid temps. Installing the Hyfax runners tonight!

[Lunger]

What did you heat that new X2 with this past cold weekend?

[SM1]

To avoid the slippery floor in my voyager I put down a ~3x5 all season carpet mat in the center of the "floor". This still gives me room for 4 or 5 holes if I want them. By doing this it 1. reflects some of the heat from melting the ice underneath it and 2. reflects some of the cold radiating up from the ice, and at the same time eliminating the slipping and use of cleats.

Yes the mat can get wet but the all season/outdoor carpet really doesn’t soak up much of any water. I roll it up tight and it fits in nice with the other gear.

Maybe others use this type of thing. It seems quite obvious but it has worked very well for me.

[fishnhooks]

tisosy11,

Congats on your new purchase. I have the X2 and I like it alot. The hyfax are pretty easy to install, I did mine by myself. But it would have been easier if I had a hand, especially after the house was all put together.

"hooks"

[tisosy11]

Saturday I heated my house with the Portable Buddy (mistake). I let my buddies use the heater/cooker in my 5600. They were nice and toasty and minimal frost on the walls. I never was too hot and kept the portable buddy on high all day, but Sunday i went out alone and took the heater/cooker. It worked like a gem and definately cut down on the heavy frost formation on the back wall/side wall.

I will continue to try the portable buddy a couple more times when the temperatures aren't so low. We'll see how it performs...