Got rid of a frabill predator not too long ago. I loved everything about it other than the weight and pulling it by hand through any amount of snow. Loading a full tub into the back of a pickup proved to be a chore as well.
Trying to be a bit more mobile this year and have a pop-up shelter in mind. Do the non-insulated have condensation issues from the propane? Has anyone spent the $$ on an insulated rig, and was it worth it?
I have a big buddy heater so I'm less concerned about heat retention, more concerned about a quick take-down and not having to thaw it out in the garage after every outing.
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greatwhitehunter3!
- Mergie Marauder
- Posts: 1602
- Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 9:38 am
- Location: Southwest Minnesota
Re: insulated pop up shelters
Check out Eskimo Fatfish 949i.
I for one would definitely pay the little extra and get insulated version. We ran a small buddy heater in my buddies last year around Christmas north of Bemidji and we cooked in there! It is also very roomy in my opinion and fished three guys with really no problem.
I have always had condensation problems with portables that were not insulated. The 949i I do not recall having any problems.
As far as set up and take down; easy! Make sure you stake the corner that will be faced into the wind first and it's pretty simple there on out. Fits into a bag about 4 feet long or so and isn't too heavy imo. Only problem I saw with the 949i was the bag; not the portable itself. It seems they made the bad too small for the portable. But this may have been changed too as this one is a few years old.
Definitely check it out!
I for one would definitely pay the little extra and get insulated version. We ran a small buddy heater in my buddies last year around Christmas north of Bemidji and we cooked in there! It is also very roomy in my opinion and fished three guys with really no problem.
I have always had condensation problems with portables that were not insulated. The 949i I do not recall having any problems.
As far as set up and take down; easy! Make sure you stake the corner that will be faced into the wind first and it's pretty simple there on out. Fits into a bag about 4 feet long or so and isn't too heavy imo. Only problem I saw with the 949i was the bag; not the portable itself. It seems they made the bad too small for the portable. But this may have been changed too as this one is a few years old.
Definitely check it out!
Re: insulated pop up shelters
That looks like an ideal setup, and the price isn't bad either.
I find myself looking at the clam 6 pack quite a bit now, mostly for the added room - but I haven't found an insulated option and I think it'll be fairly expensive.
949i is looking like the ideal request from Santa this year, thanks for the recommendation!
I find myself looking at the clam 6 pack quite a bit now, mostly for the added room - but I haven't found an insulated option and I think it'll be fairly expensive.
949i is looking like the ideal request from Santa this year, thanks for the recommendation!
Re: insulated pop up shelters
I have two hub shelters. A non insulated hub (not sure the brand) and last year I got a 949i. My buddies all run sled houses both insulated and non-insulated. I will be getting a sled house soon too.
The non-insulated will have condensation isues once you get down to 20 or so. The insulated will get it once you get below 0 but it is much less than a non-insulated house. Any portable is going to get some condensation at those temps. I actually got the insulated because I fish with my old man a few times a year and he complains that his back is cold and his front is too hot in non-insulated houses. Insulated gives you equal warmth throughout the house. I rarely run my big buddy over medium and usually it is on low and the house is cookin.
Hubs have their advantages and drawbacks compared to a sled. Sled houses are good for first ice with less than a few inches of snow or later in the year if you tow your house with a sled or wheeler. Once you get some snow the sled houses are a pain to pull by hand. A hub is much lighter and is easier to tow in an otter sled. Sled houses are better in high winds because you need to put in a couple ice stakes with wind that is 15+ with a hub house and those stakes can be a pain to get in. Hubs are also a pain before we have any snow because again you need to put a couple stakes down. Once you have a couple inches of snow you can bank them and no stakes required if the wind isn't narly. Hubs are nice when you can drive your vehicle out because they take up less room in the truck and are easier to load/unload especially if you are alone.
We tend to fish with my buddies sled houses for first ice but once we get some snow or once we can drive out we are always using my hub. If we take a sled we fish the sled houses but we don't need sleds too often. Hub set up and come down in a few seconds and take up way less room. Hubs are super spacious with two, comfy with three, and doable with 4 if it is smaller people. You can't fish more than two in most sled houses.
Once thing to keep in mind with insulated houses is it adds weight. I went with the 949i because it was one of the lighter insulated houses of its size. Some of the insulated clam hubs along with some other brands are super heavy and you lose a lot of the advantages of a hub house.
The non-insulated will have condensation isues once you get down to 20 or so. The insulated will get it once you get below 0 but it is much less than a non-insulated house. Any portable is going to get some condensation at those temps. I actually got the insulated because I fish with my old man a few times a year and he complains that his back is cold and his front is too hot in non-insulated houses. Insulated gives you equal warmth throughout the house. I rarely run my big buddy over medium and usually it is on low and the house is cookin.
Hubs have their advantages and drawbacks compared to a sled. Sled houses are good for first ice with less than a few inches of snow or later in the year if you tow your house with a sled or wheeler. Once you get some snow the sled houses are a pain to pull by hand. A hub is much lighter and is easier to tow in an otter sled. Sled houses are better in high winds because you need to put in a couple ice stakes with wind that is 15+ with a hub house and those stakes can be a pain to get in. Hubs are also a pain before we have any snow because again you need to put a couple stakes down. Once you have a couple inches of snow you can bank them and no stakes required if the wind isn't narly. Hubs are nice when you can drive your vehicle out because they take up less room in the truck and are easier to load/unload especially if you are alone.
We tend to fish with my buddies sled houses for first ice but once we get some snow or once we can drive out we are always using my hub. If we take a sled we fish the sled houses but we don't need sleds too often. Hub set up and come down in a few seconds and take up way less room. Hubs are super spacious with two, comfy with three, and doable with 4 if it is smaller people. You can't fish more than two in most sled houses.
Once thing to keep in mind with insulated houses is it adds weight. I went with the 949i because it was one of the lighter insulated houses of its size. Some of the insulated clam hubs along with some other brands are super heavy and you lose a lot of the advantages of a hub house.
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fulldraw84
- I came here for the barrel sticker
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 10:35 pm
Re: insulated pop up shelters
I have the 949i. You can check it out if you come to the cabin sometime. It gigantic, for solo trips or even two guys the smaller one would be better. I plan on spearing so the extra size is a good deal.
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