# Which ice shelter?



## REPETER (Oct 3, 2007)

What are some of your opinions on quality ice shelters and why. I would like to start looking into them. I think the ones with bottoms would be nice so the feet don't get too wet, and if you are running a heater it might be nice to keep out of the ice and snow. But for those with shelters that don't have a bottom have you found yourself wishing you had one or haven't really noticed the difference? Or do you have other ways to work through these issues such as leaving your sled as the "flooring"? Also, since I don't have a snowmobile or 4wheeler (and my wife won't let me drive the truck onto the ice) I would be packing whatever I have by myself-should I go with a lighter/backpack style? Also, are there preferences in heaters-the Mr. heater indoor/outdoor looks nice, I don't really know of any others that would work well but I remember a cheap one being sold last year at Wal-Mart. Any suggestions? THx


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## americanforkdude (Sep 13, 2007)

I have owned my fair share of diff. ice tents. this is what i suggest. Your going to run into 2 problems. 

#1 While tents w/ floors in them are way nice, after dragging your @ss off, you'll regret having a floor. They may be only 100 pounds packing in but by the time you pack out with wet gear and ice on the floor it's 125-150 and your already beat by then. 

#2 While the ones without a floor are easy and convenient, they take a little time to pack everything up move around if the fishing gets slow..

So the best tent I've been satisfied with are 1 of 2. The Quickfish by eskimo or the ice cube by Eastmon are a good ones. It has no floor, it holds the heat in REALLY well and it don't take long to set up or take down, but like i mentioned it takes a little time to get all the gear gathered up to move to another hole. and the second is the Frabil 3 man quick flip. Tent is on the sled. Seats are in the sled and the gear can be stored in the sled. It's great to pack up and move around a lot. It only weight about 75 lbs. I recomend this tent a lot. it's like the Eskimo quick flips but it's a lot lighter and drags really well on the ice. The only downfall is it don't hold the heat near as well as the Quick fish. Bottom line, all tents have there advantages... But I can tell you this and everyone will agree. The lighter you pack in, the happier you'll be. And if the ice/slush is bad enough you need a floor, it's going to be miserable with a floor or without its not going to make a difference. The floor is nice i'm not knocking it but i wouldn't buy one again if it was me. The quick fish/ice cube is very affordable but the Frabil is a little nicer in my opinion but not quit as warm.


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## k2muskie (Oct 6, 2007)

We purchased our ice tent from Sportsmen Warehouse for a little over $100. Doesn't have a floor and very easy to set-up and take down...opens like an umbrella same when taking down. This tent will easily fit two and is very light. Recommendation and I always do this...If you get a tent you want to practice a couple of times set'n it up and tak'n it down before you hit the ice. Cause if it's nasty or windy it can be very fustrating when all you want to do is fish and/or get off the ice....oh and yes the ice tent stakes also. Saw a couple of tents on Echo last year launch across the ice with fisherman chasing them. Use the stakes no matter if it's calm or not...tents will take-off in a wind gust before you can bat an eye... :shock:

We didn't really fish in the tent as every time we went it was really blue bird ice fish'n' and no need to sit in a tent IMHO when you have "perfect weather" with only an occasional breeze. Being two ole bitty bags we used it primarily for privacy comfort breaks. 8)

As for a heater, we have a Mr. Heater that takes one 1lb propane bottle and it puts out the heat...but again if you dress appropriately no need for the heater again IMHO. Just something else to drag on and off the ice. :|

I'll strongly recommend the *main piece of ice fish'n gear* you really want to invest in is "*good quality boots*"...as once the feet get cold it isn't good. So if anything I'd say a tent and "good-quality" boots. 

Purchased our Sorel boots at Sportsmen Warehouse for almost the same price as the tent and they're well worth it IMHO...our feet never got cold and stayed toasty warm even when standing in 1-4 inches of slush. Good boots will make for a great day on the ice as you'll be peeling off outer layers as it warms up. 

Here's a link to Sorel.com and the boots we purchased at SW.

http://sorel.com/Product.aspx?top=1&cat=110&prod=50

*Invest in boots is my strong recommendation*.... :wink: :wink:


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## Digi-Troller (Jan 12, 2008)

We started out with the Quick Flip II from Eskimo, and added a Quick Flip III when we got a snowmobile. Now we drag the II by hand early season, and use the III when we use a 4 wheeler or snow machine. Now they have the Quick Fish models available that don't have the sleds attached and are very light. I love the convenience of being able to move to a new spot with my tent still up, but for early season (when hand pulling) I'd suggest getting the Quick Fish or Ice Cube. Not as mobile, but much lighter weight. I'm toying with picking up that Quick Fish VI man that they have set up at the Midvale Sportsmans. How sweet is that?


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## duckaddict (Dec 31, 2007)

I have a frabill 3 man tent with the floor in it. Like what was said above, that thing sucks to drag! Don't get me wrong the floor is great, but I'm lazy too. I'm looking to do the ice cube or portable deal for this year. When I hike I like to use my jet sled because it drags sooooo much better with less surface area touching the ice/snow. I'll keep my frabill for when I can afford a snowmobile, but I only drag it out there if I know the weather is going to suck.


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## ICEMAN2 (Dec 5, 2008)

I have had many different shelters, Frabill, eskimo, clam, I have tried all types, Last year I thought it would be good to lighten the load abit and got an eskimo quick flip II, What a pain in the rear, I still had to pull a sled with all the other stuff, plus chairs, it was a pain to set up the the wind, I had 2 pulls break, and worst of all, after it was frozen trying to put it back in the bag was a pain. This year I went back the the Eskimo II, that has the built in bench, just pop up the poles, flip it over and you are fishing, all your gear is right there behind you in the sled. Much better, and is actually lighter in the long run. I had a Frabill 3 seater before, it was a little heavy and hard to pull in snow, The seats in the Eskimo are much more comfortable also.


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## ICEMAN2 (Dec 5, 2008)

Oh, by the way, to solve the issue of no floor, I just built a few small footboards with carpet on them that I throw out on the ice to put my feet on, helps keep them off the ice and warmer, longer. easy to build and solves the problem of not having a floor, I am building one a bit larger this year with the hole in to fish through, I want to see if it will help eliminate the slush falling back into the hole and always having to clean it out. Just experimenting a bit, I will let you know how it works.


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## mzshooter (Apr 8, 2008)

I think the Fishing Trap Scout is the way to go.. Only 47 lb. I bought two last year and love them. They run about $225 but are a good investment.


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## Digi-Troller (Jan 12, 2008)

I am really surprised to hear of problems with the Quick Fish shelter... I've heard nothing but rave reviews on them over the last couple of years! Did Sportsmans, or at least the manufacturer, help you get it fixed? No doubt though, that for convenience the Quick Flips rock. When we have a machine on the ice it makes it way easy to change location.


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## sillyphil (Nov 26, 2007)

I have had zero trouble with my Quickfish 3 whatsoever! sets up in about 1 minute and is warm enough to take my coat off and thats without a heater. and only weighs about 26 lbs.


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## ICEMAN2 (Dec 5, 2008)

I really didn't like mine at all, It really didn't make things easier, In the wind it sucks to set up, and like I said, after a day in the snow and cold you cannot get them back into the storage bag. I love my eskimo II, the bench seat is built in, everything is in the sled handy to access, you don't have to unload everything and haul it inside the tent. I found that the poles break so easy right at the hubs, I leave mine at home now. to much of a pain.


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## cwp (Nov 25, 2007)

I have both a Clam 5600 and a 2 man Frabill hard bottom shelters. I love having the bottoms in the shelters to give me somehting to put all of my stuff in and not worry about it getting wet. It is great to be out of the weather while fishing as well. I could be blowing like crazy outside or a blizzard and inside the temperature remains virtually the same. The clam weighs slightly more than the frabill, and the frabill tends to retain more of the heat produced inside the tent. The downside to both of them is the weight. If you were left to drag them out on the lake it would be exhausting. I typically hook them up to a 4-wheeler and it does the work for me. I guess it all depends on how far you walk onto the lake and how hard you are willing to work.
Cory


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## gwailow (Jan 20, 2008)

I have two of the Frabill shelters and I really like them. Granted they are a little heavy and when packing it through 2 feet of snow on fish lake, you can get a little tired...I think they are well worth the money. They retain the heat very well, plus the floors are nice if you like to lay down on the ice to check out the fishies below.

+1,000,000,000 on the good boots though. I bought me a nice pair of English Setters about three years ago and they make the day very pleasant (even while being skunked at Scofield).


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## JAT83 (Sep 9, 2007)

I've never used a tent for ice-fishing, I've just fished out in the open and I have been fine most of the time...except for when a massive snow storm blew threw. :lol: Other than that I usually just dress really warm and sit out on the ice. I may buy a tent this year if I have enough bad experiences with the weather! :lol:


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## sliverflick (Sep 18, 2007)

I picked up a Quickfish III last year and love it. My preference is to stay outside and enjoy the scenery if possible but love being able to get a break from the wind and cold if the weather turns nasty. The shelter is extremely light and extremely easy to setup (seriously less than 60 seconds), both of which are important to me since I don't have a wheeler or snowmobile and I hate fussing too much with equipment when I should be fishing. 

I always thought shelters were for wimps but man, oh man, can they make the difference in ugly weather! As for the floor dilema....not really an issue if you have decent boots as others have mentioned. I highly recommend the Quickfish III. Oh, as for it's rating as a 3-man shelter, it gets pretty crowded w/ 3 poeple...especially if everyone has 2 poles. 2 people fishing w/ 2 poles each is OK.


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## sliverflick (Sep 18, 2007)

I'm not sure what the absolute BEST shelter is, but I can tell you what the most popular shelter was on Strawberry today: Eskimo Quickfish III. There were probably 50 of them around the marina.....I don't think I saw any other types. It was kinda weird....like some quickfish III reunion or something! :?


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## fishhead (Feb 12, 2009)

I have a 2 man frabill with a floor and it is heavy. I, like others, only pull it out on the ice then the weather is being a bear. I prefer going on to the ice as light as possible. I have discovered that a good pair of insulated boots and a pair of polartec 200 socks is the perfect way to stay warm. I have been using these for the past 3 years and never been cold and at least once or twice I have had wet feet and not been cold. Ice fish is fantastic if you stay warm. If not it can be total misery. Before I would consider an ice shelter, I would definitely invest in a pair of good boots and the polartec socks. If you are looking for the polartec sock and cannot locate them I have a source. Just let me know what size shoe you wear and your gender and I will let you know on the cost.


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## Digi-Troller (Jan 12, 2008)

While I totally agree that good socks and boots are a must, fishing in a shelter is about more than staying warm. Its about fishing with no ice in your hole, and no ice on your eyelets. Its about blocking out glare and seeing 15-20 down into the water (its fun to fish by sight). And lastly, its about getting out of the wind and cold.


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