Fastest Ice tent to set up
I got tired of all the work to set up and take down ice tents, as well as how difficult they were to dry out. I also found that once set up a guy wasn't very mobile because it was too much work taking them up and down to move. I decided to try one of these Clam Fish Traps to improve set up time and mobility. They come in one and two man versions. Pull over like a convertible top, 2 seconds to setup. You can haul your rods, auger et al in the sled to get out to your fishing spot or when moving. Easy to load in the back of an SUV or pickup.
Have used a one man version for many years, set up half way makes a good wind break, set up all the way, nice warm shelter you can put a heater in, with lots of room. Anybody else using something similar. http://stores.clamoutdoors.com/flip-...590.1544123731 https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=h...K3PWbL.jpg&f=1 Good video on rigging out a Fish Trap for easier use and convenience. Titled Little Things to Catch Bluegill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP2OMG5ue4E Trick my TRap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmAE_4yOVC0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvR2HU8o4B4 |
I’ve been seriously considering getting one myself. Likely one with the new side door feature. I have a couple pop ups and, like you, I get tired of setting them up, hauling everything inside, and then hauling it all out, packing up, and moving.
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Ive used both pop up and flip tents. Even my flip tent feels like it takes too much time.
I’m just gonna dress real warm this winter and just fish without a shelter. Hope i don’t die from freezing my ass off |
I too have used about every thing out there. Last year I bought the Shappel just a wind break in the sled, easy for moving around and I just dress a bit warmer. But light and carries my gear.
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I like the flip style tents. Only downside is weight, lots of the 2 and 3 man versions are so heavy you can barely pull them once you add in your gear. Work good if you have a quad or snowmobile to pull them though.
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I have the 2 person clam and it does take some time to set up at first but, moving from spot to spot is a breeze. I have a camera, heater, fishing gear, and the auger that all fit in or on the sled when I want to move. Its real nice to have the option of using as wind break and enjoying the sun on a nice day. Mine has the doors front and back, the doors on the side are a much better idea.
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Fastest Ice tent to set up
I have the clam nanook you have pictured. It’s been great. Warm. Enough room for two, I’ve even crammed three of us in there. Comfy seats. I’ve had it for a while, 5-6 years. It’s held up very well. Compared to the pop ups it’s way easier.
My only complaint that I haven’t seen mentioned is the little spring loaded pins for the retractable frame poles are plastic and tend to freeze up in colder temps. Usually a little screw driver or knife tip can pop it loose and lock the poles but on really cold days they don’t and you just grind away the plastic. Hasn’t been a big issue, as when that’s happened it’s only been one or two and still get it set up and the heat on and the problem corrects itself. I’ve seen some fixes where guys swap them out for various things but it hasn’t bothered me enough to take them all apart to fix. I just thought I’d mention it for you. Attaching a picture. Circled in red. It’s the pin on the inside that tends to freeze up and not spring into the hole. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalkhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...366a3b4443.png |
I own both tents a frabill and a clam both equal setting up very fast and effincent, no poles to drop down the hole, carry all my equipment in it pull it behind the quad and away I go, easy to move it’s great, I prefer my frabill over the clam as it’s bigger
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The fastest one man tent set up I ever saw was an old guy at Pigeon Lake had a set of what looked like bat wings with shoulder straps that he wore on his back. He would sit down and cloak the wings around himself and the fishing hole. He could just stand up and walk away with his pail for a chair. Made about a 6 foot tepee tent when he was sitting.
Just like this black heron does. |
I’ve always thought about modding a HT one man and mounting it on a sled. Kind of a poor mans flip, but never got around to it yet.
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I am in the market for a flip tent I believe. It will primarily be myself and infrequently a friend or my six year old son. So I think a flip is best for my needs. Enough of my friends have the big pop ups so I can always get into one of those if enough friends are going.
At what point is a 2 man flip up tent too heavy? Is an 80lb empty flip tent setup heavy? I am a young half-fit person. I dont mind a bit of work but I dont want to be training for a biathlon either. Are there any 2 man tents liggter then 80 lbs in the flip style? |
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Biggest problem most guys have is they pack WAY too much crap. Stick to an auger, 2 rods each, skimmer and a fish finder and you will be just fine. Start adding Heaters, extra finders, 6 rods, two LARGE tackle boxs and the like and even Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn't pull it. |
Thanks Dean. Yea Im pretty minimal in my gear. Mainly becauze I dont have a whole lot! But I have a hand auger, only bring small plastic tackle trays and bait. The heater I may opt to bring depending on the day. I know gears adds up quick as I canoe camp a lot so I am used to packing only useful gear. Im just tired of setting up the big pop up with my buddies and fishing for 6-8 hours in the same spot when they are not biting. Cheers.
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Yea but I dont have either! Would love too but I got married to early and my toy accumulation is slower then I would like. My dad never told me to stock up before marriage! Advise I will be giving my boys haha
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If there is deeper snow, drifts, hills etc on the walk to lake then that is when weight becomes a serious downside. The same goes for just choosing a sled too. The Otter sleds are awesome but heavy. Great if you are going to tow them behind a quad/snowmobile but by hand they can be a bear. Much more difficult to pull then a light calf sled. In short choosing the right tent or sled and determining weights all depends on the conditions a person fishes in most often and their physical abilities. 80 lbs tent/sled plus power auger, tackle, heater, propane, camera or flasher etc adds up quickly. On ice or hard pack your fine especially for shorter distances. Deeper snow, any significant trails or distance you are going to get a workout and then some. The thing with the flip tents is you don't want to necessarily go the cheap lighter weight way either. The ones with better quality sled and seats and more durable material are heavier but more comfortable and will last longer. There is no good tent for every situation. That is why I used a 1 man flip, 3 man, 6 man or 6120i tents and different sleds depending on the situation. Just for comparison if you are always walking on you can get a 3 man popup uninsulated (~20-25 lbs), 2 light comfortable camp chairs (~5 lbs each) and a middle size lighter style sled (~10-15 lbs) and total is around 50 lbs vs the 70+ for most good flip tents. |
I have an Otter on a medium sled. I usually pull it with a quad , side by side or snow machine depending on the amount of snow.
When I first got it I just pulled it by hand. It is heavy and at first I tried pulling it with a rope but it was hard on the hands and hard to pull over all. Then Igot a harness, originally made for pulling game. That was much better. Then one day I pushed it from the back to get away from the truck. I was surprised how much easier it moved. After that I just pushed it, although I mainly use an ATV of some sort now. I was thinking of making a push bar to allow me to be more upright and easier on the back. Pushing it looks goofy but it is easier |
Thanks fellas!
All great points fellas - clearily having one tent is not ideal for all my fishing oppurtunities, but I have to start somewhere. I guess then I need to buy the tent that will fit my needs perfectly 80% of the time. And that is most definately drive to edge of lake or even drive on. I dont forsee myself hikkng for countless hours to get to a fishing location.
But Im hesitant to get any pop up because I want to be mobile. Although RavYak brings up a good point, I can load up my own sled with a 2 man popup which would be manageable and the gear I already own - tripod seats. I feel like Im just over thinking it at this point! Is a 2 man flip that much better for mobility then a 2 man popup? There is an eskimo evo2 in the classifieds on here Im eyeing up - its like a hybrid popup flip tent. |
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Good point with the pushing! Seems counter intuitive cause I feel that front wheel drive is better in snow vs just rear wheel drive (pull vs push). Maybe I can just get a dog sled team until my boys are old enough for some hard labor themselves. 👍🏼 |
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I have also used one of these for good mobility. Does an excellent job of keeping the wind off you. HT Enterprises Polar Windbreaker https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=h...s-l640.jpg&f=1 |
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I love the one man's
easy to set up fast to set up :fighting0074: easy too move :47b20s0: backpack carry's heater /hooks etc sled for easy pulling auger n tents 2 rubber snubbers hold load on if deep snow use snow shoe's to set trail:test: 2 Old Guys David:) |
A flip tent is faster moving then a pop up but popups aren’t that bad especially if it is not windy and you don’t have to spend time installing screw anchors. I have often just left my pop up set up and just drug it over to a new location(if only going a short ways) in which case it doesn’t take much longer then flip tent.
If it is warm enough you can spend most of time hole hopping and just have pop up as a home base to get warmed up in. In the end it depends what you want for mobility. If you want to be able to jump hole to hole with tent(so can hole hop in cold weather) then get a flip tent. That is their main advantage since with a pop up you will be more reluctant to move especially if cold and definitely if windy. The evo tents have more room then a flip over tent and have comfortable seats. A bit more set up then a basic flip tent though and have to stake them out if windy. One thing not previously mentioned is that with kids one thing to think about is free space if they want to do something other then just fish. With a flip tent you have a seat to sit on and a bit of leg/hole space and that is about it. With pop up tents you can lay down mats and they can have more room to play around with other stuff. You can do that in flip tent if you don’t drill holes on the one side but there is not a bunch of room. Warm free space and cameras are two of the easiest ways to keep kids entertained when ice fishing. |
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