Sled Towable shelters? ... Frabill, Otter, Clam, Eskimo

[KeithNyst]

As I near retirement, I'm stocking up on the toys. Bought a Skandik WT and am now looking for a good portable I can pull behind it. From my prelim surfing, it looks like Otter and Eskimo offer up accessories tow hitches to tow their portables behind sleds.

Do Frabill and Clam offer hitches like Otter and Eskimo? Have not seen anything on their web sites on this.

My basic criteria:
Insulated
Can tow behind sled (for several miles).
Fit in my Silverado short bed (69")

Possible candidates: Frabill Guardian, Frabill Trekker Max, Otter Pro Cabin, Clam Fishtrap Yukon, Eskimo Flipmo2.
What would you recommend?

[surflizard]

Welcome to the site KeithNyst, glad to have ya aboard ! I'm partial to the Frabill's, I've had my Ranger XLTwin for 12 years now and she has been trouble free the whole time ! I think the padded swivel seats on the Frabills are as good as it gets myself. Frabills hitch is rugged and simple to use. I would like to retire the ranger and go with the Thermal Guardian myself and at 69" folded up for travel it should do the trick for you !

Eskimo seems to be going backwards with their designs, I see eskimo is gone to fold up camp chairs in the 2 man portable, the sled is lower and smaller ?

Clam has had issues with cheap chinese assembly hardware, bolts stripping and snapping and trouble with shoddy sewing and poorly fitting tents ! they said they have addressed these issues, but reports of these problem are still showing up on forums here and there !

Otter is the Cadillac of the portables, thicker sleds and large tubes on their tent frames. Myself personaly, I don't like the full length seat mount rail set up, makes getting to stuff inside the sled base harder. They are also Heavy, no two ways about it !

Which ever unit you decide to go with, I would recommend getting the runner kit to save wear and tear on the sled bottom, but The factory runner kits are pricy and only 1/4" thick. I bought 3" x 3/4 " PVC trim boards and made my own for half the price and after 3 seasons they will go another 2 or 3 more ! Good luck with what ever brand you choose and enjoy the hunt !

Surf

[snowman6902]

Only experience I have with those is my buddy Marshie has one of the Frabill's like Surf's that we used last winter. I loved it. I'm looking to find one for myself. We were able to fill the sled with gear, hauled great across the ice and popped right up easy and we were able to keep the girls warm as we fished. Just my .02

[DRIFTER_016]

Like Surf I have a Frabil flip over.
Trekker II but upgraded the canvas to the DLX tent this year.
I made my own hitch ' as I'm too cheap to pay $50-$60 for something I can buld myself for less than $10.
I also reinforced the front (tow area) of my sled because I drag it over some pretty nasty stuff.
Insid and out on the front curved area that first hits the ice, rocks trees etc. is sheathed with 1/8" aluminum sheet.
It also reinforces the hitch mount area.
I saw one on another board (IS?) yesterday with a big hole where the hitch used to bolt on.

I also bought the Frabil runner kit but the plastic it is made from wore out quickly.
Last year I replaced my runnners with 3/4" UHMW polyethelene and afte a year of running around the Arctic there is virtually no wear. The originals only lasted a season and a half.

I have towed it over 100 miles one way with now problems.

Here's some hitch pics.







And a look at the beast with the new tent.





I have heard the Otters are real fine shelters but have never seen one in person.
One day I would like the Frabil R2TEC insulated shelter.

[surflizard]

I might be able to help ya with that Snowman !

You were right Drifter, your style hitch was easy to make, I put one together for my smaller sled !

[snowman6902]

hmmmmm...........

[doc morgan-Blue gil killa]

Nice Rig drifter..and set up..I used to be a frabil guy then I bought a 2 man otter and love this shack. its darn sturdy and has taken a quite a few long trips out into saginaw bay behind my skidoo in some of the worst conditions you'd ever want to be in. complete white outs, jumpin preasure cracks and shoves hoping the gps batteries dont fail. The Square tubing design In my opnion is less apt to fold or bend in strong wind, and is easy to set up.. and the deep tub is a great design. sturdy molded heavy plastic. Also the hitch design on the front is molded and hard to beat.. But like any shack its how you treat your equipment that makes them last for years to come.Mine is bench seated that lifts to store all your gear..you could probably lay down it it and take a nap with a pillow and blanket for the night if you got stranded. I would reccomend otter to anyone looking for a quality built shack..Frabil would be my next buy. no matter what one you use they all bite you at the check out counter.

[KeithNyst]

Thanks for all the replys and the pics/ideas for the hitch.
Drifter, the idea to use the 3/4" UHMW polyethelene is great. From what I've read, some of the cargo sleds used up in Alaska/Canada are made completely from UHMW ... sound like some terrific stuff.

I live just outside of St. Paul. The annual ice fishing show is this coming weekend at the rivercenter. Based on your feedback, I'm going to go and take a close look at the Frabill and Otter lines. Thanks, Keith

[Hickgtx600f4]

Do Frabill and Clam offer hitches like Otter and Eskimo? Have not seen anything on their web sites on this.

i have been running an older Clam nanook. with the back breakin seats and pre thermal tent. the new Nanook has the thermal tent and some comfy reclining seats. as for a tow hitch i seem to be like Surf and Drifter and made my own like the factory ones with a shock absorber and such. the hitch has held up great for one season and should hold up for many more. lord knows i'm not easy on anything and it is one tough S.O.B. my reason for the Nanook purchase was the great deal (clearance) and it was already put together. a few pic's.

[guinea]

Hijack alert!

Is that a Jiffy 30 in the foreground?

[Hickgtx600f4]

Hijack alert!

Is that a Jiffy 30 in the foreground?

Nope. a Jiffy model 50 lite. (clockwies drill )
a genuine hand me down.

[surflizard]

Nice 50 Hick, haven't seen one in a few years ! The 50 also has the smaller starter recoil like the lightning, not the big round one like the 30.

[mainedog]

I've built and I've bought hitches.
Drifter's hitch is probably longer than most commercial versions, and it probably makes pulling the shelter a bit easier.
Looks to be constructed a bit better also. Something to consider if building your own.

I have a Shappell heavy duty hitch that I've not destroyed yet, nor probably every will.
I've destroyed several cheaper, lighter ones. I built one from conduit and it folded on me also.
I use the heavy duty hitch to tow my XL Jet sleds and my Yukon. Nothing fancy. a swivel connection,
no springs....I don't think you need the springs in your hitches until your sled+cargo exceeds 250lbs.
I will be upgrading to home made runners when the factory runners wear out.
I have lined some homemade hard side runners with UHMW and it is truly a wonder material.

I have a Silverado shortbed, and have a flat cover over it. My Yukon is too tall (folded up) to fit inside
the back. I have tied it onto the top of the cover before, but it is a hassle to load/unload. I miss my truck
cap on my previous truck....The best way I have found to travel with my Yukon is to take the covered two place trailer,
but take only one snow sled, and tie the Yukon down to the trailer bed where the other sled should go.
I have owned my Yukon for a few years now and don't use it that much. I use my Shappell 6000 more often than
not.

My Yukon TC has plenty of room to fish--enough for two, okay seats, easy to set up/take down. But is heavy, and really doesn't hold much gear inside when folded up--I manage but things are tight. I prefer to have another tag sled filled with gear. It's easier
to get to, holds more, doesn't risk tearing up the Yukon cover, etc.

I did have some hardware issues putting it together, nothing major. The company made good and sent me replacement
hardware. I think the thermal top really helps with the condensation. The tent has some good vents. I never use the
back door on the tent. I think the tube and round tubes are solid. You need to work on the tubes/holes/plastic stops
initially to get everything lined up and broken in so it won't stick and be a problem in the cold.

I previously owned a Rover 1--one of the original ones with a board seat covered with a thin astro turf. It was much smaller
being a 1 person shelter. Was too heavy to really pull long distances by foot in deep snow. Don't even think about pulling
the Yukon in deep snow by hand...sounds like your are well equipped in the snowmobile dept.

Will be interested to hear what you decide after attending the show.

MD

[Androwildfire]

love the glidelite surf !!!!! im going to rig mine up like that! and in the spring im going to be looking for a two man set up with sled and seats so thank you for all the info!

[snowman6902]

Andro, how many shacks does one person need? NEVER ENOUGH! Haha