Been looking for a portable ice house both pop up and flip styles and after a lot of thought I think a pop up might be my best option. In particular I like the Shappell 6500 its very roomy interior dimensions 90" X 90" and 70" tall they claim its big enough for 4 seeing it just me & my brother it should allow us plenty of room. Prices I've seen the price range from 220.00 to 265.00 both in stores & online. I'd like to hear opinions on what the community here thinks of the Wide House good & bad or any other shelter that fishes 3 or 4 people. And as long as were at it, should I buy now in mid season or wait till they go on clearance in late Feb. or early March? Thanks!!
Wisconsin Fishing Discussion
Shappell 6500 Wide House or something else?
Well I found a new ESKIMO Quickfish 3 on E-BAY about a week ago reduced to 170.99 and I was really thinking of buying it. Well today when I got home I had a email from the seller. saying they had 4 left and they lowered the price 59.00! I didn't hesitate went to E-Bay and bought it my total inc. tax 118.15, I'm sure glad I waited to look at several models. I had no idea the price would fall so quick, this pop up will have more than enough room for me & my brother. Thanks for all the advice it helped me decide on what to consider and what to ignore.
Here is my $.02. Look at the Eskimo Fatshing 949i. i stands for insulated. They aren't expensive and they flare out at the bottom. I think it is rated for 4-5 people. I got ours for me and the wife. Tons of room in there. Goes up in a minute. It is tall enough for me to stand and have space above my head. I'm 6 feet tall, 72 inches. Maybe there is 76-78 inches of height in there. That flare design on the bottom really makes a difference in space inside the shack.
Check out that Eskimo Hub. It is really well made and very easy to pop up and take down. Love how the grommits are outside for the ice anchors. And their ice anchors are heavy duty compared to others I've seen.
And like others said, get the insulted one in whatever brand you choose. Much warmer and drier.
Good luck to you!
Fihnhunt14 & jchunter76 thanks for your advice I stopped in at Sheels today and they recommended whatever portable I buy I'd be better served buying one that's insulated they showed the Frabill Bunker fully insulated 250 hub normally 299.99 on sale for 199.99 dimensions 80 X 80 and 80 tall with 2 doors. The Shappell 6500 fully insulated Wide House is on sale for 296.99 its 90 X 90 by 80 tall also with 2 doors. So there it is 2 portable shanties one 100.00 cheaper and a bit smaller any thoughts on which one would you would own. I think both companies offer a well made product. but I'm new at this... HELP!!
I don't have any experience with that one. What I can offer is my experience with my Otter lodge hub. It has plenty of room for two. You can fish three but more than that, it would be crowded. If your just hanging out in it with some buddy's waiting for tip-ups four would be fine.
This is my second season with it and I would buy it again if I had to.
As far as when to buy, that depends. If you wait, sometimes they can be sold out for the season. I would start looking now at the one's your interested in. That way you know a good deal when you see it. I know some places are having ice fishing sales now.