Clam, Eskimo, Frabill or Otter?

Time to pull the plug on my old Clam sled and want to hear opinions on which one to get next.  I'm looking for a 2 man, thermal that I can tow behind my ATV.  My old clam is probably 12 years old, so I'm not even sure what the new latest and greatest features are.  Need to be able to set-up and tear down quickly though as I fish Winnebago and Poygan and need to stay real mobile.  Thoughts?

Clam makes the worst product ever. I have owned boots,2 shanties, and an ice suit. All of which fell apart after one season. I enjoy my otter. Had it for over 6 years and it built like a tank. 

Has anyone bought a replacement canvas for a flip over? I have a Frabill base and have called them and was told to find a current model the same size and order that. I have looked at several brands but they are too small or just a little larger than the base I have which is 30X50. Anyone have luck finding a replacement canvas and what was the cost. 

I think iceshanty is what sparked my interest in Shappell now that you say that. 

I think I read on iceshanty.com that guys loved the FX100 up until this year when they changed some of the poles or something. I'll see if I can dig up the thread and post a link.

Anyone have any experience with Shappell? I've been eyeing up their FX100 for awhile now, just can't pull the trigger.

Definitely some good information on here. I purchased an Eskimo Sierra (2 man flip over) 2 years ago and have been a little disappointed. Definitely saved some money up front, but the manufacturing of the brackets wasn't very good. Customer service at Eskimo is definitely good, but not much they can do if it wasn't designed the best way. If I were to do it all over again I would have spent the extra money and went with an Otter. I don't have enough info to share on Clam, but it seems all equipment/gear I buy from them only last a short time. You definitely get what you pay for with shacks.

 If you do not want one for this year, i would suggest waiting until next december and go to the Saint Paul Ice Show in Minnesota. They have ALL of the manufacturers there and you can try every one of them out. Actually sitiing in one and setting it up is the best way to make a decision.

In my opinion, if you're a hardcore Otter is the way to go. I think Eskimo has made huge strides the past few years with the new sleds. Eskimo also has the best customer service in the business. Frabill is junk in my opinion, Clam is making a comeback on the quality side. They had some down times where they put out a lot of trash. 

My list would be Otter, Eskimo, Clam,.........................................................Frabill

Otter isn't for everyone, if you are a weekend guy who will drag it out on the weekends for a few hours, I would say get an Eskimo. If you plan on beating the sh!t out of it day after day, being out in stupid cold temps, and have a way to load it. Then go Otter, they are bulletproof, but they are heavy as hell and honestly, overkill for a lot of what people actually use them for. I love my Otter, but it also gets about 200-300 miles a year on the Hyfax. I load it in an enclosed snowmobile trailer or have someone with me because trying to load that heavy bitch into a truck bed alone is a fools errand.  

And my clam nanook was the best 1 man flip over I've used (yes it's a small 2 man, functions great as a 1 man). 

As you've seen, there are going to negative and positive reviews for any of the major brand names. My .02 is that you can't go wrong with any of them (though I'd agree otter stands out above the rest), just weigh the options and figure out what is important to you like the guy below said. Just like augers, flashers, reels, trucks etc there is a pro and a con to all equipment, otherwise we would all agree on things which never seems to happen. A little TLC goes a long ways though, I bought my Clam Nanook for $425 brand new and sold it for $400 three years later because it looked and worked as good as the day I bought it. 

People pushing products is about as annoying as the self-appointed regulators of LL. 

"Says the guy sponsored by them"......I cut Tim some slack because he posts a lot of good info on plenty of fishing topics. There are posters who only pump product (or themselves) when they post, and Tim is not one of them. I pick frabil because they weigh less, he pics eskimo because they can fit in smaller vehicles better. I called out a poster flooding the equipment site with his mapping product and he sent me a personal message basically telling me to "shut up". That was kinda weird.

As a sometime "weekend warrior" on the ice, I dig my Eskimo stuff.  I've fished in Clam stuff...yuck.  Been in Otter stuff, very, very nice.

Eskimo for me, though.  If cost were no object?  Otter all the way.

Says the guy sponsored by them.

While your professional opinion is appreciated you should really disclose your affiliations.

Look at the new Eskimo Apex, just out this year.  It was made specifically for the guys with short box trucks and Tonaeu covers.  Fits in and under both.  House has square tubes, insulated, seats slide forward and back, life up for easy access to storage, and has an all new heavy duty tub.  House is easily set up by one person.  You can reach both sides of the house to extend the poles.  Eskimo's Deluxe Tow Hitch is second to none, can be hooked up as a pin hitch or trailer ball hitch.

I have run otters for 18 years.  I have never had a problem and outer shells hold up.