Ice Castle, Grey Wolf, Yetti or ????

[NDSportsman]

I'm looking to purchase an ice house/camper in the next couple months. I want an RV style with a ramp door for hauling an ATV. Will be used mostly for hunting trips in the fall and ice fishing in the winter. I would like something fairly small and light weight yet large enough to be comfortable spending a week or so in. The lakes I fish do not have the greatest access points in the winter so keeping it relatively short is important. I'm thinking an 8x16 would be about as big as I want to go. Obviously would like an all aluminum Yetti but wow are they spendy. Leaning towards Ice Castle or Grey Wolf at this point. What are every ones thoughts and opinions on these units? Would like to here from folks who have experience with the different makes and what to look for. Thanks!

 

[NodakBuckeye]

Fished once in a Yeti and once in an Ice Castle. My take is a Yeti is made for ice fishing 1st. Ice Castles are campers first. Castle I was in had one hole you could sit directly in front of and jig, everything else was side saddle or put a folding chair in the way. If you want a blend, that is the route.

Not to say they are all that way, just seems as size increases, ice fishing is not a priority

 

[Fish whisperer]

Have a buddy that rents an ice castle from Outlet Recreation for our annual Lake of the Woods trip and the new one he had last year was worthless. We played cards in there and the furnace couldn't maintain a steady temperature for anything. Either way too damn hot or too damn cold. Another buddy picked up a Glacier last year, seems to be a nice unit. I personally put Ice Castle on the bottom of my preference list.

 

[nxtgeneration]

I follow the "ice castle owners group" on facebook. I don't own one, but had thought pretty hard about it and that is why I joined the group. Seems like they really have a lot of issues with quality control. Might be a good place to go for some additional information. A friend had an ice castle for one year, sold it and bought an 8x16 firebrand with the toy hauler door. The fit and finish of the firebrand is WAY better than the ice castle. Whatever you do insulate the floor and get the 30k btu heater. His has the 18k and on real cold or windy days it does not stay as warm as it should.

 

[drivenmarine.net]

The quality of the Yetti is really good, my brother bought a bare shell house and finished it himself, so I saw the construction that is normally hidden. Give Jason, Mike or Lori at North Country Marine in Garrison a call. They are great to work with and usually have quite a few on the lot.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Yetti or The Lodge

 

[NM 24]

Curious why no mention of Ridgeline? Are there issues or just not known as well in ND?

 

[slippery]

I bought a custom cottage a few years ago, made in MN, small company, quality work and great customer service. checkem out..

 

[AaronJ]

Yetti through North Country in Garrison. They have a few hold-overs and are an amazing company to work with. Customer service after the sale is nearly as important as the product you are purchasing....they cant be beat in this category. Yetti puts out a great product.

 

[NDSportsman]

Curious why no mention of Ridgeline? Are there issues or just not known as well in ND?

Hadn't heard of them. Looking at their site it doesn't appear they make an 8 foot wide model.

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I bought a custom cottage a few years ago, made in MN, small company, quality work and great customer service. checkem out..

Will do. Notice most of these companies don't have dealers nearby. That might be an issue as I like to take a look up close before I buy.

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Another question is lift mechanism. Should I go with the standard winch, electric or hydraulic? Any issues that people have seen with these options.

 

[FishinRN]

I have the ice castle lake of the woods hybrid 8/16 model. I have had the house for about 18 months and used it both camping with family and on ice. I purchased as a spring model holdover without insulated floor, which I did myself. I have had no complaints other than the usual stated lack of craftsmanship and 1 of the two skylights had water trapped between the panes, which isn't leaking into the house at all. I contacted customer service they suggested this to condensation but no way as it is a couple ounces of water. This does sit out all year, so will have to further investigate it is also a 1 piece window they tell me so don't see how moisture can get in between layers. I have no further complaints it has pulled well and probably more than 1,000 miles. I am happy with the purchase and not being much of a handyman myself I wasn't looking to finish a shell off myself, although that does seem like probably the best option if capable. For the price difference between mine and some of the higher end units I can live with a few cosmetic issues.

 

[espringers]

i would be looking for spray foamed walls regardless of what you buy. i've seen the shells of an ice castle in cases where people start to "remodel" them and have pulled the existing paneling. moisture gets behind the paneling, condenses and the insulation gets wet and black mold sets in on the studs. if its in the budget, i would try to find an all aluminum (walls included) and spray foam.

 

[3Roosters]

Concerning Yetti shells, can someone on here chime in on cost to finish off the shell, say size 8X16 or 8X17 as I may go this route also. I would probably be hiring a bunch of the required work as my skill set does NOT include electrical or carpentry. Looking for ballpark figures for total cost. Shell, inside finish materials, labor/beer. Thanks

 

[AaronJ]

Concerning Yetti shells, can someone on here chime in on cost to finish off the shell, say size 8X16 or 8X17 as I may go this route also. I would probably be hiring a bunch of the required work as my skill set does NOT include electrical or carpentry. Looking for ballpark figures for total cost. Shell, inside finish materials, labor/beer. Thanks

Yetti contracts with an individual in Wisconsin that will finish off the interiors. You can be as basic or elaborate as you would like. They can also be ordered bare bones to be finished yourself.

Id advise you to call North Country for some details.

 

[RustyTackleBox]

Imo the ice castle and yeti are not well finished for the money... the ice castles look like they just pulled any old wood from the pile and didn't care if it was warped or cracked and just slapped it in place, called it good and charged you extra

If I was going to buy one it would be the big bite ones from Minnesota

 

[BBQBluesMan]

I have the 8x17 ice castle rv and love it! I don't think the fit and finish are as bad as some describe. Is it as nice as some of the others? No. But I think it's still very good, and saved myself around 10,000 by not going with the other brands. I had mine custom built with the led package, artic insulation (whole house spray foamed),rubber floor, added a couple extra holes, and upgraded to larger furnace. Never had an issue with heat. You can fish in your boxers if you so desire haha. Mine pulls fine with a a half ton, although would not want to travel through the mountains. Plus side about them being heavy is they don't bounce on the highway or ice like a yeti does. For the price, can't go wrong with ice castle IMO. If money is no object, custom cottage would probably be at the top of my list.

 

[norbz24]

I love my 24' Glacier RV Edition. Very well put together.

 

[Wildyote]

Yetti or The Lodge

I have been impressed with my Team Lodge. They are well built and well insulated with spray foam. An insulated floor on a fish house is just a bandaid fix for poor insulation other places. It also promotes floor to rot.

 

[FishinRN]

I have been impressed with my Team Lodge. They are well built and well insulated with spray foam. An insulated floor on a fish house is just a bandaid fix for poor insulation other places. It also promotes floor to rot.

Please explain, closed cell insulation is water tight how does this promote wood rot? I feel that the insulation on the floor of my house has made a world of difference in keeping warm air on the floor and most importantly feet.

 

[Fox Island Outfitter]

No complaints on my 17' Grey Wolf other than I wish I had more time to use it.