One Man Shanty

I have a new 3 man Frabill Guardian shanty, and i love everything about it, except how hard it is to pull by hand. I have my snowmobile rigged up to pull it with the tow bar, and also my snowmobile has a rack for my drill. So once there is enough ice for the snowmobile i'm set, but pulling that shanty out by hand is alot to handle, so i am in the market for a one man shanty. I've sat in the Clam Kenai, and it seems like a very nice shack, but to this point i am very partial to Frabill products. I was looking at the Commando (frabill) and the kenai (clam)and the Commando Max. I'm looking for a good price, but mostly i want to be happy, i hate clutter, and the commando max looks like it would be really nice. Thanks for any help.

z71booner Just wondering what you had decided on for the 1 man shanty and if you ahd a chance to go to shappel's website.

I have the Clam 2000 and I think it is easy to handle and enough room for yourself and all the equipment or when a buddy goes with. I got mine on sale and it was just over a $120.

I have a one man clam scout, and I love it. But I am upgrading to a pro just because 10 more inches wide is always better. And its only 50 lbs.. ( not the insulated one ). I am hole hopping with this thing and it works perfect. And it dont blow away in the wind. I check my tip ups with it, I made a bar to keep it at half up to work as a wind break. I fit a Frabil bucket of rods and tip-ups. And another one for minnow bucket. My flasher, a Small fishing bag (tackle box), My boats gps that I made portable, My auger, And a luch bag, and rarely a mr. heater. I did put ski's on it to make it pull easier. I dont think I will sell this when I get the Pro, just because its perfect for a buddy or my wife. I got it for $100-$125 used. Oh, and today I found out that it fits in my Ford Taurus trunk, With the help of a small bunjee. And it has a door. The pro has a front and back door, just another reason I'm going that way.

If you do some Craigslist searching, you can occasionally find a Frabill Ranger Solo. I don't understand why they stopped making them, it is one of the nicest 1-man shacks I've seen or used. 4' wide fishing area, has a door and flip-over entry/exit, windows on all sides. I'm 6'2" and have plenty of room inside. The only downside I've found with mine is that the folding swivel seat is mounted on top of a metal frame that sits in molded tracks on the bottom of the sled. The metal frame adds a few extra pounds, but not so much that it's a bother.

with so many shacks and equipment and the constant evolution of the ice fiswhing world today, about the only thing you have to do is go to the store and try everyone until you find the one that fits your needs as an ice fisherman. my personal pick is the clam line for shacks i love them all along with the otter line as well . like i said go to the store and try em out til you find the one that fits your needs , as well as price range. good luck

I would not sugest the frabil recon..just bought one the other day and its pretty small,doesnt have a door so the wind flaps are pointless, and the chair that comes with it doesnt sit flat inside the sled. My buddy has a clam and i was very satisfied with it.

z71...you have a PM

Why not build a sled to pull your 3-man shanty? I built this for my one-man shanty that was a bear to pull up a hill when it was full of gear. Now it's still work but not nearly as hard. Pulling it across flat ice or snow felt like I was pulling nothing at all. I think it cost me about $20 to build mine.

i bought the Shappel FX150DS from hook line and sinker in Crivitz and love it.It is probably the best 1 man on the market for room.Also looked at the Frabill's just not as roomy as the Shappel.You won't be disapointed.

If your get a Frabil, go with the commando. recon is too small. pluse i think it don't come with a seat. but not 100% sure. The Frabil Commando should have enough room for you auger, poles, fishfinder and heater,bait bucket.etc..plus it has a door too. but you don't have to take me word for it. just go to a sporting good store and try it out for yourself and your will know what I mean.

Thanks guys... all these things are things i have been pondering. I want a good amount of room, and would like a door i think. i don't take a ton of stuff, i'm just more about mobility... i move around alot. how much for the recon?

I bought the Frabil Commando last month or so. I love it. Just enough room for me and all my gears. Not too heavy when you load all your gears in it. when I'm all set up, I just turn on my buddy heater and set it in the back and it gets nice and warm in there. Has 4 windows, front door. Seat are great, adjustable, can remove it when done fishing. overall this shack is good for anyone who goes out my themself, very mobile which is a must.. You can also hitch it to you atv/sled also.it's really up the fisherman to decide on what they are gonna really use it for.

The only downfall of the Pro is it's twice the price of the Kenai! Having said that, my buddy fishes two holes in his Kenai with his flasher and sometimes his heater on the ice, he said he doesn't have any issues but I imagine it would be a bit tighter unless you stagger the holes a bit. Another good point was brought up, I think a door is a must. I wouldn't even consider a shack without a door and I'm not really sure if anyone makes them without doors anymore so that may not be a worry with buying a new one.

Based on CazTrait's info...I'd go with the Clam Pro. I like to fish two holes which gets pretty tight in the out-the-back sleds. It'd be worth the extra cash to have the extra elbow room in the Pro in my opinion. Anyone want to be a barely used Recon?

My buddy has the Kenai and I think it's a good shack for the price. Only downfall I see is the seat - no back rest. But I have seen people on other sites just add a swivel boat seat to it, the bolt patterns line right up. I personally have the Clam PRO and have no complaints. The sled on the PRO is a little smaller than the Kenai so if you haul a ton of gear, take the sled size of the different models into consideration. I don't have any experience with the recent Frabill shacks but do have an older Ranger XLT. Only issue I had was cracked windows but I think Frabill now puts replaceable windows in their shacks now? I think you should be happy with either company. I know Clam stands behind their products, even when they had a hardware problem a couple years ago. I can't comment on Frabill's customer service, never used them. edit: for the post below, the Kenai is a "fish out the back" style sled, the PRO is a "fish off the side" of the sled. More elbow room in the PRO if that is a feature you are looking for. Not sure if Frabill makes a "fish off the side" style 1-man anymore but I knew they used to. Otter Wild 1-man is a reasonably priced shack where you fish off the side, too.