What 2 man flip over ice shanties are the best????

FRABIL 6140 IS WHAT I USE,,HAVE THE RUNNERS ON THE BOTTOM, COVER AND TOW BAR....PLENTY GOOD WITH REAL NEAT SEATS.

I've only owned or dealt with clam and otter. I love my otter team wild. It is technically a one person but 2 average sized guys could jig in it.

I have a Frabill 2 man trekker.

I love it because it keeps me warm and well its just nice to have, but I have had a few issues with it. I bought a new tent for it this year because I had burned a few holes in my other one plus it ripped down at the seem with the sled.

Well as mentioned I bought a new tent this year. Two hours into using it the first time this season I put a nice hole in it with the lantern...now thats completely my fault....trust me, I felt great about that one!

But then just the other day I noticed that the thing had ripped in the exact same place as my other one and that is a really bad place for it to rip, if you don't have snow to pack over that part it becomes a nice cold air vent!

Anyways, I am happy with it and I use it a lot so these things really need to be able to take some abuse. I think I might get a new one though and keep the Frabill two man at a remote location or something.

I really want one of the new red Eskimo's but I cant find any stores in my area that have one so I can go sit in the things. I think my greatest disappointment in the Frabill is just that the tent seems to be real susceptible to ripping and holes, so I am looking for something with some tougher material.

frabil

I just switched from my old 2XL Fishtrap to the Frabill Trekker XD. I like it, both are great, the seats in the Frabill are nicer then my 10 yr old Fishtrap. I cannot see spending the $$$ on an insulated model, since I have a trailer mounted perm house that I use during the really cold spells.

If money is not really a concern get the r2Tec insulated shack from Frabil. Expensive and heavy but easier on the brain cells if you use a lantern for heat instead of a sunflower. No 20# bulk tank required. Another insulated option are Cavas Craft; they build on Otter sled with their own poles and norpac insulated fabric. These are nice because they are black on the outside and white on the inside. Agan, heavy and expensive but those who have them swear by them. I have an Otter Wilderness Wallyeye which was discontinued and it is alright. You have to run the heater constantly to keep it warm and then you have to have the door half open to avoid a headache. My next shack will be insulated or a permanant.

I looked at many flip-over shacks last year before buying mine. I opted to keep it simple and less expensive and bought a Frabill Trekker 2 man. The more expensive models had nicer features like better seats and thicker gauge canvas but in the end, the Trekker was the best value. It also fit in my pickup which has a hard tonneau cover which doesn’t give as much room as a regular cap.

I also liked the Eskimos but the sales rep at Sportsmen’s Warehouse warned me that the plastic sleds were thinner and could wear through. I would guess you’d have to be dragging them around the lake quite a bit with a snowmobile or ATV to get that to happen but I guess it’s possible.

In the end, the sales rep told me he had a sponsorship from Frabill as he was also a guide and field tester. Frabill gave him three different shacks so he was set up with the nicer units. However, he told me that if he wasn’t a pro with the sponsorships, he’d likely own the Trekker.

I have an Eskimo, can't say it's the best but no problems so far. I had problems with my Mr. heater melting the snow-Ice where you stand after a couple hours and getting real slick. So I made up a floor out of 1/4 in plywood then around the edges ripped some 3/4 in. marine plywood strips 1 in wide, aso a couple strips across where you stand. Then cut the outside 12 inches off and hinged it together so you can still fish from it or just sit and watch tip-ups.It's real lightwieght and packs up nicely. I throw a small rug in there for my dog and everythings great! Just something to consider. Good luck fishing. SJ

I am very happy with my flip over except two things: When fishing deep with light line and needing an exaggerated hook set, there is not enough height inside and I hit the roof with my pole. I have to make sure I reel all the slack prior to the bite and start the hook set tight to the ice. Also the wind tends to get under the flaps unless you take the time to bury in th snow, if there is any. Otherwise I love being able to pack all my stuff in the shack and it's compartments and hole hop with ease.

Otter Magnum is the best flip over shack ever!!!

By far the best pulling shack behind either a ATV or snowmobile, doesn't matter if the snow is one inch deep or two feet deep this thing glides so nice over the snow! Best storage of any portable ice shack. All in all the best shack hands down. I am 6'6" and my brother who fishes with me a lot of the time is 6'8" and with him and I together ice fishing we need room and this portable shack offers just that. I cannot say enough about this thing.

I have two portables. One is a 2 man Frabil pop up that I bought 4 or 5 years ago. and the other is the Clam X2. I use them both but I really like the clam alot. There is much room and the roof is gray so it lets light in so yo don't need a flash light in the daytime. My freind has a Frabil 2 man portable and I like that alot too. The nice thing with the Frabil's black is that it does drawn in the heat in the day time if the sun is out and the dark helps you see down the hole sometimes. But, it is also black and with tanked up sledders at night who know how well they will see just reflection patches. One really down thing with both of them is that they are so heavy. Either brand kicks the nuts in of sitting out there without one. I guess it depends on how you are going to fish that would determine what size to buy more than which brand, I love them both. Are you looking for something for 2 guys to jigg out of alot, or Are you looking for something that you are going to use primarily yourself but could bring another guy along if you wanted to? or Are you looking at sitting in it for tip up fishing? or Are you looking at playing cards with a bunch of guys while tip up fishing. These are all things that my friends and I think about because we all have different shanties and what is going to happen for the day/night will determine who's we take. I will say this about my shanties. I rarely take out the X2 if I am going by myself. Most of the time it is me and a sled, if it's nasty I'll take the 2 man pop up but it doesn't fit in my sled or let me pack anything in it.. The X2 is too heavy to justify dragging it like a mule just for myself. If the wife is coming along or any kid/child, the X2 comes along with us. Night tip up fishing with more than 3 guys the X2 comes along, if it's just 3, we take my buddies frabil. Frabil does have larger shanties now. Some that are 6'6 inside I think. That's pretty much it. I know that in a year or two I will definately get a larger one man shanty. I think that I will use that more than any of them. No preference here on brand. Proper size, usage, and affordibility is what I would be looking at.

Also, measure you truck bed to make sure the thing will fit to begin with. We had some good laughs at a friend's non returnable purchase. Thanks Gander.

teamlund. My first Frabill was the Solo. My second was the XLT Twin With modular seats. The one that I have now is the XLT with the padded seats. Just upgraded everytime. My next one will be the Predator.

they dont if snow is more then 3 inches...which is always. The runner keep bottom in good shape while going across rocks, parking lots, etc. so still valuable. I built some ski runners that help alot with pulling, but I hate resorting to them

I agree with the pulling of the QF2 as previously mentioned but I am not sure if any of them are great for pulling. Was thinking about adding some hyfax to see if that helps.

the QF2 is a nice shack. I have had one for a long time, 5+ years? Mine has two modular seats in it, but the bench is nice. I do not like pulling it in snow though, but I suspect I would hate almost all two mans being pulled. Glide Trax have runners, but also weigh 25lbs more.