new ice portable

[tbone1088]

Hey buds,
I was hoping to buy a ice fishing portable this winter for me and my dad. We would like a 3 man because of the extra gear we have, and the more space the better. Can spend around 300 or so for it, and we also have a very nice portable heater to keep us warm, so Im not worried about the material too much just space and how quickly i can get it up and down. Any ideas?

[Roblin]

My wife bought me a three man Eskimo Ice Shack from Costco about 4 years ago. It was about $300.00. Great shack and well made. The ice screws that come with it screw into the ice very easily. It takes a little practice to set it up but once you get the hang of it, it's not a problem. Was out on Hay Bay last year in a wind storm. Everyone else was blowing away, it was wild. Winds had to be over 50 KPH. The Eskimo held fast.

[Roblin]

I just check the Costco web site. They have a shack made by Equinox for $179.00. This looks very much like the Eskimo. I tried to Google who makes it but no luck. I've bought lots of stuff from Costco and it's usually very good quality. If your not happy you can take it back to the store. Costco is great to deal with.

[fishin mission]

The tents they sell at Costco are junk don't waste your time and $$$$ you'll be taking it back to Costco....... Eskimo tents are great and you wont be disappointed.

[Stinger95]

I bought the equinox ice shelter a couple of year ago from costco, and the first semi strong wind I was out in 3 of the four loops in the corners that you screw through to anchor to the ice ripped off and the shelter flipped inside out.
I would definetlly suggest spending a little extra for the eskimo shelter

[avidangler]

I bought a Rapala sherpa M2 last year for about 200$ (on sale) and I can say that I'm very happy with the purchase. It easily fit two foldable chairs, 2 holes, minnow bucket and of course my big buddy portable heater. Set up is super quick as well, only thing I'd caution is on windy days to have a partner close by for set up. For 3 men I's suggest the M3 which if my memory serves me was less than 100$ more.

[Jimmy_1]

Bennetts has a wicked Black Friday sale on for Clams....

[tbone1088]

Actually I wont be able to buy one until boxing day when hopefully there will be some good sales. Believe it or not canadian tire has a clam teepee portable on for 99 bucks, it has some good reviews as well. Anyone have this one and can tell me more about it? I'm thinking about cheaping out on the portable now because I just seen the COOLEST thing on clam: a hand auger conversion kit! It's new, you take your cordless drill and put it into a plate that fits on top of your ice auger, and it turns your hand auger into an electric auger! Works incredibly fast, cuts lots of wholes through lots of ice. Only 60 bucks for the conversion plate, maybe more for a drill bit as well. You guys should go to clam and check out the video tell me what you think.

[Troutskiii]

As far as portable shacks I've always had good success with Clam shelters. Good quality never had an issue with one.

Now to comment on the electric auger attachment.....Meh. I wouldn't waste your $ on one, I would take a nice sharp manual
Auger over one of the electric augers anyday of the week. Although it says you can drill lots of holes in the end you won't be able to unless your drilling threw 3-4" of ice. Once you get into 6,8,10" of ice the battery will die VERY quick on the drill.

I have an old eskimo gas auger with a 10" bit and I will use my 6" manual auger 9 times
Outta 10, lighter to carry on the atv or sled and you know its always gonna cut ice when you get to the lake.

I learned a long time ago to never count on a gas powered piece of equipment starting, when you venture an hour into the bush to fish only for your auger to not start makes for a crap day

[StevenB]

I have a Rapala Sherpa M3 portable. It's a great shack for two people with gear, lots of room. I bought mine at Sail for 249.00 on sale last year.

[Grizzly Grub]

Hey Tbone,

I started the same thread last year when I was looking for a portable, its too bad the server crashed losing all the contributions guys made, would've had tons of info to help you out. But time for a rebuild on the topic...I can only comment on what I ended up purchasing and have physically put to work myself. I ended up going with the Eskimo Fatfish 949, and I absolutely LOVE IT, its rated as a 4 person which is basically 3 people plus gear with room to spare. It's super easy to put up and take down, super durable construction (stitching/zippers/loops/poles), comes with a nice carrying case that you can carry beside you duffle bag style or also designed to use like a backpack, it weighs in at 27lbs, for me a completely comfortable weight. The only issue I had last year was one particular day on the Big Rideau it was about -25 outside not including the windchill....and the winds were moderate to strong, my little buddy heater could barely keep up. Now it is a portable so you only can expect so much in terms of holding heat in those conditions, however Eskimo does make an insulated version.

I'm not to sure what your situation is, but for myself I'm able to cross border shop with relative ease only living 45 minutes from Ogdensburg, NY. That being said someone on this site (can't say who due to site crash but it was much appreciated) last year pointed me in the direction of a company in Minnesota called http://www.thornebros.com/shop/pc/home.asp their prices are impossible to beat in Canada in terms of the Eskimo brand pop-ups (can't speak for Clam, etc). Here's an example for you...The Eskimo Fatfish 767 at Canadian Tire costs $399.99, at Thorne Bros its only $207.99...When I bought mine, which was the larger 949 version, it was on sale for $199.99!! They have free shipping as well to lower 48 states, there are a few places in Ogdensburg that you can use to ship to...UPS Ogdensburg or Corporate Center to name a couple.

Be sure to click on the link I provided for Thorne Bros, even if you don't buy from them they have a good selection of huts from Eskimo, Clam, Frabill, and Otter Outdoor, a good website to browse the different options/specs of all the different units. Good luck and happy shopping.

[tbone1088]

how much would shipping and handling be on a portable from the US? I'm thinking it is going to be quite a bit and might negate the advantage of shopping there, but thank you for the suggestion. The teepee portable is garbage I got a good look at it and don't trust the design in high winds so we will be buying something else. Avid do you know if the rapala ones will be going on sale anytime soon?

[tbone1088]

Anyone else have more opinions on the auger conversion kit? I have heard from a lot of people that the drill / battery is what will make or break the unit. I don't mind buying a nice battery for it, but only if its going to perform. For me I would like to drill a bunch of holes at or near first ice, but midwinter we have a trailer and all i really need is to drill 4 to 6 holes in 20 inches of ice or so. Also, does anyone know where in Ottawa I can get one? I think Sail would have it but not sure since they are a dealer of clam products.

[Grizzly Grub]

how much would shipping and handling be on a portable from the US?

I'm not sure, perhaps if you did up a mock order on their website it would tell you. They shipped mine to Ogdensburg for free, so $20 bucks in gas there and back from Smiths Falls, pay the HST on the item at customs and was good to go.

Anyone else have more opinions on the auger conversion kit?

Last year I purchased a auger conversion kit, not sure if its the same type your referring to. The one I had was basically a shaft designed to fit a 1/2" drill chuck then slide onto/into the shaft of my manual 6" Strikemaster Lazer auger. According to the packaging the conversion shaft was specifically designed to fit a Strikemaster Lazer. Now my Lazer auger was brand new, super sharp, and I used a contractor grade drill, to be more specific an 18V LXT Makita Drill Driver. With a full charge I'd be exaggerating to say my auger made 2 complete rotations before grabbing and coming to a complete stop. Not even close to enough torque to get through any amount of ice. Perhaps if a guy had a 36Volt Dewalt he'd have better luck, honestly I'd have to see it to believe it. I was skeptical from the get go, lesson learned for me I guess, I've lost $40 in worst ways. Maybe the kit your referring to is engineered differently, and someone has a more favourable answer for you. Best of luck

[pdizzy0973]

No the clam one is brand new model. Go to website its on there. It looks like a gas auger u hold both sides of a mount and it sits on ur auger. Drill is put in the middle