New Flip Over

[ndfinfan]

I've decided I'm going to sell my 5 year old Shappell 1 man flip over and buy either the Clam Nanook XL Thermal or the Eskimo Sierra Thermal. If any of my NDA brothers have any insight or feedback on either of these flipovers, it would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Rowdie]

I got the Jason Mitchel Clam XL thermal. Heavier than I thought. Will only use it if I can go with my 4 wheeler

 

[ndfinfan]

I got the Jason Mitchel Clam XL thermal. Heavier than I thought. Will only use it if I can go with my 4 wheeler

Gotcha...yeah I don't have a wheeler so smaller lighter flip over key for me...want the thermal for sure tho.

 

[Slappy]

Whatever you get, put a hyfax kit on it immediately.

Even the smaller 2 man flip overs are heavy and unwieldy when moving in and out of pickup bed by oneself.

If not connected to a wheeler, have anchors and rope on hand to keep from blowing away in the wind, especially on ice without snow.

 

[Rowdie]

I took an old boat trailer and modified it and haul it on that. If your a young buck it makes a difference. I pulled it out once, never again

 

[ndfinfan]

Whatever you get, put a hyfax kit on it immediately.

Even the smaller 2 man flip overs are heavy and unwieldy when moving in and out of pickup bed by oneself.

If not connected to a wheeler, have anchors and rope on hand to keep from blowing away in the wind, especially on ice without snow.

For sure - will put the hyfax on the sled first thing before putting it together.

 

[ndfinfan]

I took an old boat trailer and modified it and haul it on that. If your a young buck it makes a difference. I pulled it out once, never again

Wish I was a "young buck" Rowdie...sadly I'm just a couple years shy of 60. Not in bad shape for an old fart, but yes, pulling the flip over out in heavy snow any distance beyond 100 yards can really suck! It's why I fish Audubon a lot during ice season - short walks!

 

[Bfishn]

Id go try and sit in both and see which one you like better, maybe see which one is easier to remove and replace a seat to keep weight down when you are alone. Other than that id look at window placement, pole construction and sled durability. If they seem pretty even, id probably lean Eskimo, but I'm just not a big clam guy.

 

[Jigaman]

i had a one man flip, and 2 man flip and a hub house that were all clam products. I now own those same sized houses but they have been switched to Otter. IMO otter is a better quality product. Most of my use is up on Winnipeg where conditions are more unpleasant. If I was only fishing out of my truck occasionally I prob would have just stuck with the clams.

 

[4Buck]

I am looking at the same houses. I was leaning Eskimo, the one Scheels sells. Only thing is that it seems the Eskimo thermal is not as heavy duty? I have the Jason Mitchell right now that I love but looking at going to something smaller and leave the Duramax parked with the price of fuel!!

 

[MicLee]

Otter > Clam > Eskimo

 

[johnr]

I believe mine is a Frabile, 4 seasons on it, so far so good. Insulated is key.
The house is pulled by the side by, so I cannot attest to the young buckishness needed to pack it around.

 

[Big C]

I have been in this same situation and have done a few things to help make my life a bit better, but do see other improvements that I could implement as I get older (or equipment gets heavier!).

1) I fish out of an Otter Cabin most often by myself and hound, but works ok for two. I keep the bench seat, propane auger, etc. in the sled when loading and pulling out.
2) I put on hyfax right away and works well with ice or limited snow.
3) With more than a bit of snow, I use a "Smitty Sled" that I built and it is crazy how much that helps in moving the sled. From heart attack mode to fairly easy walking.
4) For loading into the truck bed by myself, I use a pair of 2X8 ramps that I cut down to fit into the bed of my 6' truck. I stand in the bed of my truck and the sled pulls up fairly easy on the wooden ramps. Easier than trying to lift when by myself. Improvement here may be an electric winch at some point.

Good luck.

 

[Bfishn]

I have been in this same situation and have done a few things to help make my life a bit better, but do see other improvements that I could implement as I get older (or equipment gets heavier!).

1) I fish out of an Otter Cabin most often by myself and hound, but works ok for two. I keep the bench seat, propane auger, etc. in the sled when loading and pulling out.
2) I put on hyfax right away and works well with ice or limited snow.
3) With more than a bit of snow, I use a "Smitty Sled" that I built and it is crazy how much that helps in moving the sled. From heart attack mode to fairly easy walking.
4) For loading into the truck bed by myself, I use a pair of 2X8 ramps that I cut down to fit into the bed of my 6' truck. I stand in the bed of my truck and the sled pulls up fairly easy on the wooden ramps. Easier than trying to lift when by myself. Improvement here may be an electric winch at some point.

Good luck.

Take the bench seat out and get an electric auger and you instantly drop 50+ pounds. I don't put my bench in until I'm pulling with atv, that thing is a heavy POS.

 

[Rowdie]

I was thinking of taking out the seat and making a custom bench seat with hatches in it. A lot of youtube videos on guys doing it. That way my dog can sit up on it too. Probably be heavier when I'm done.

 

[Big C]

Take the bench seat out and get an electric auger and you instantly drop 50+ pounds. I don't put my bench in until I'm pulling with atv, that thing is a heavy POS.

For sure, but that would take 10 min and cost a couple hundred dollars!!!

 

[Upnorth]

The Eskimo 2600 is a beast. Way nicer than the otter and I’m an otter owner. If your looking for a lighter two man, the older clam Yukons are easy to load yourself. Could build a smitty sled for any shack which makes pulling it easy for anyone.

 

[Rowdie]

I could barely load mine in my truck 3 years ago. Still can put it on trailer but it's a little heavy. So a smitty sled isn't what I would go to IMO.

 

[ndfinfan]

I believe mine is a Frabile, 4 seasons on it, so far so good. Insulated is key.
The house is pulled by the side by, so I cannot attest to the young buckishness needed to pack it around.

Totally agree John - insulated is a must have.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

I was in the same situation last year, and I went with the nanook XL thermal over the Eskimo Sierra thermal. My main reason was because I didn’t like the bar that was mounted in the Eskimo.