Marcum Icepac portable Fishing System

[Wookiee]

I am looking at getting one of these anybody have any reviews of these for me?

[ChuckN]

Here's a detailed review for you...

Marcum Icepac

[McGurk]

*Also posted at the previous link*

Well, here's a testimonial: Purchased at the ice show before Christmas, and used most all of the winter.

Design: 4/5. Needs to get the sliding mechanism tweaked a bit, and a better way to keep the pivot point on the stand on the back of the unit.

Ease of use: 4/5. A place for everything, and everything in it's place. I would have liked a little more velcro on the GPS/Depthchecker pocket for smaller items. I was alway leary of my etrex falling out.

Materials: 3/5. Looks good, held up so far, but wished it would stand on it's own a little better upright without the stand out when inside and charging my flasher while out of the Icepac. I'd like it to stand on it's own upright without a flasher in the bottom.

Assembly: 2/5. All in all it held up so far, but I did have a major hangup that I contacted Marcum about and they will hopefully resolve.

The shoulder strap attachment points at the bottom of the Icepac both ripped off comletely on my Icepac. In my opinion, the sewing method to hold them onto the sides of the bottom caused the material to weaken so they ripped out in nice clean lines. The stitches did not come apart, the material did. Marcum admitted to an assembly error, and hopefully a new attachment method will be used. Their offer of replacement didn't seem like an answer, as it would just happen again, but I did thank them for the offer. Instead, I heated up a nail and burned a hole through the clasp tabs and the sides of the Icepac a little lower than the previous attachment points. I then threaded a short bolt with some wide washers through it and bolted the tabs back on. The only way it would rip out now it to REALLY tear a large hole in the side of the Icepac. I suggested this or rivets to Marcum, and I hope to see a new method used in the future.

Would I buy one again? Yes, as it did simplify my running and gunning, but they need to fix the attachment method for the shoulder straps. I don't consider myself hard on equipment, but a loaded Icepac is heavy, and the shoulder strap is meant to carry the full load.