Flip over versus hub

[nige]

I am thinking about getting new ice fishing shelter this year. What are pros and cons between flip over or hub style? 99% of the time I will be fishing on my own.

[JSK76]

If you fish alone then look at the Shappell Bay Runner. I just bought one and I really like the concept of it. It's different then anything else out there. I think they call it a sled based cabin, you fish out of the sled floor.

[eyeguy 54]

I have a pop up hub cause it fits in my car. Thats the only reason. lol

[NCLaker]

I've gone to about 90% using my hub shacks (all hubs Eskimo brand, flip over is an otter lodge & fishtrap pro). With the deep snow last year I didn't use the flip overs at all since I don't have my own snowmobile to pull them with. Here are my pro/con's for hubs vs flipover:

PRO's

- Cheaper

- Light weight so easy to lift in/out of your vehicle, and tow in sled

- Can fit in just about any vehicle because packs up so small

- Much roomier options, there are models that fit 6+ yet still pack up pretty small

- Easy to store at home

- Definitely go with a thermal version if you can, Eskimo ice spikes are the best

- Most have multiple doors so makes a little easier to get in/out

CON's

- If you plan to transport using a snowmobile/wheeler, you still have to buy a sled to transport

- If moving around a lot, it is more work to put up & take down

- If windy, need to be smart on how you set it up by yourself (stake a corner down before you start)

- Fancy modifications & accessorizing your shack are very limited

- No integrated seat options so have to bring your own

To me the pro's outweighed the con's for my situation and how I fish. I typically use my shelter as a home base and do all my hole hopping on the open ice so portability is not as critical. Getting my flip overs in/out of my vehicle was a pain when full of all my gear. Now if I had a snowmobile/4 wheeler & trailer - then I would likely use my flip overs much more.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

I bought a new shelter 2 weeks ago. I had an Otter Lodge flip over several years ago and really liked it. I looked at hub style shelters and really like the portability but decided to go with the Otter Pro XT Cabin. It's actually bigger than I need. I bought the Otter Cabin because I do fish with my friends and I wanted the room for them, although it may be a little cramped. I think the problem with hub shelters for me is the wind. How in the heck do you set them up by yourself in the wind??? I didn't see a hub that would fit my needs. I have several friends that have hubs and they like them BUT most of the time they fish with somebody else, like me, who helped them anchor the hub.

My 1st shelter was a 2 man Shapelle, suit case style, which was actually a nice shelter. I could but it up by myself in the wind as long as I remembered to drive over the rope with the truck LOL!!! Just point one of the doors into the wind and open it up and POP you could put the poles in without much trouble. Probably pretty much like a hub as long as you have one end anchored???

What are your friends using??? Ask questions on how they like their shelters, go to an ice fishing show and check out what's available and then base your decision on your instincts.

Probably not much help, just my thoughts.

Mike

[NCLaker]

Capt H,

Setting up hubs can be a bit tricky in higher winds. But very doable if you know how to do it. Start by planing your setup so that a corner is pointed to the direction the wind is coming from (if have a single door, make sure that it doesn't open on the wind blown side). Stake that corner in first, then stake down the other 1-2 corners adjacent to that first corner. After that you should be able to pop open your hub then stake the 2 side hubs that are hit by the wind. If driving out, I park my vehicle to help block the wind. When taking down, leave 2 stakes on the corners of the wind blown side until the hubs are completely collapsed before pulling them all out.

Definitely not as easy as a flipover, but manageable for the occasional windy day.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I originally had both. After trying a friends hub for a season I bought a hub of my own for a spare. After a few seasons with both I actually sold my fish trap and kept my eskimo hub style house. Main reason being that the several years I owned both I found myself taking the hub far more than my fish trap. Biggest issue with the fish trap was it being a PITA to haul around on foot in snow deeper than a few inches. The hub house goes on my back and everything else goes in a sled that pulls much better in the snow for those early season trips. I also love the extra room the hub offers. I was worried about wind issues but its not much more of an issue than any other house once you have a few spikes in and its banked properly.

[DLD24]

Highly recommend the Eskimo Hubs, I fish.by myself 90% of the time and I have no problem setting the house up in the extreme wind...I fished Lake Superior last winter in some really high winds and it was just fine...Just have to be smart about it...

[Northlander]

Im not a hub fan. I like a flip over so I can put all my gear in it and tow it where I want. Heck if your walking or snowmobile/wheelering out you need a sled anyway so why not have your house attatched to it? Hub would be good for long trecks and when you only have a small car.

They can be very tricky to set up alone in wind. Anchoring takes time I dont want to waste.

Hubs give you a lot of room but everything is in the snow.

If you have the room in a vehicle and can afford a nice 1 man flip over get one. If not get one of the light weight Otter sleds and a hub. Get the biggest sled you can fit in your vehicle and still pull well because there always seems to be someone who wants to toss gear in it with you.

[Mike Stark]

Flip overs are nice if you plan on being mobile. It's hard to be real mobile with a hub if there is any wind. Hubs are nice if you don't plan on moving too much. You can strap them to a snowmobile rack too if conditions are bad and you don't want to pull a sled.

Get both.

[mwal]

I have an Eskimo quickfish 3 and a one man fish trap. The fish trap has not been used in 3 years. When in wind just anchor the corner of the hub 1st and use all your anchors the eskimo anchors go in by hand easily. My previous hub was a clam and the anchors were junk as well as the hubs on the tent lasted 2 season and in the dump it went. Been happy with the Eskimo products so far. I went non insulated next time I would try insulated.

Mwal

[RiverChuckNorris]

I would definitely encourage a light/smaller, 2 man flip over. You're far more mobile, much easier to "set up" and up until/if you can drive around everywhere on the ice, you're going to need a sled to throw the hub, auger, gear, etc in anyways.

Since you're by yourself most of the time, you'll be kicking yourself every time you set up/take down the hub IMO. I fish out of my buddy's fairly often and I don't care what these guys say on here, they're not EASY or quick to set up or take down by yourself. Just my

[Naturboy]

I have both types and pull them out on foot but both are on skis when I do it. The flip over is a one man Fist Trap Pro I put on skis and the pop ups are a 2 man and a 4 man. For the pop ups I built a sled that holds my rods, tackle, bait bucket, heater, auger, and pop upand. Any kind of tub type sled with all that stuff in it would be a bear to pull out by hand unless its on skis. Also if your thinking of fishing with friends, a two man is good for one, a 4 man is good for 2, hint if you like room.

I'll challenge anyone to a foot race through snow with you pulling your ski-less tub.

[RiverChuckNorris]

***Should've qualified my thoughts with the precursor of "Unless your Bob Villa".....

Nice mods Naturboy, you win the footrace

[MN BassFisher]

I started off fishing from a Hub (6'X6') for 3 years before I purchased my flipover (Frabill Trekker II). If you like to stay mobile, Hub's can be a bit of a pain. They work well for camping out on a spot or two. They are a con if you have to stay mobile to find fish. The positive's of hubs are that they are inexpensive, get you out of the elements, light weight, and can fit into a car (this was the reason I bought mine).

Flipovers are convenient for SUV's & Trucks because you can throw all your gear in the sled and be gone. They are conducive to hole hopping and moving around often because setup/take-down is a breeze. A lot of the times I just use my chairs and don't flip the shack over.

[Capt. H (Ret.)]

NCLaker,

Thanks for the information. It seems like everywhere I fish has more wind than I like!! A friend of mine just bought a 6 person hub so we'll see how that works out.

Mike

[NCLaker]

Capt H,

If never used one before set it up and take it down at home a few times before you do it out on the ice. It gets easier the more you do it. Also recommend bringing a couple cinch straps, makes it easier to bundle it up tighter when you pack it back up. Not sure which one you got, but if it is listed as a 6 person hub, it is doable for six but will be pretty tight, typically more realistically it is better suited for 4. Me and my 3 brothers use the Quickfish 6 and it works great for 4 of us. This year I'll be trying my new Fatfish 949i - It is insulated and should be room enough for 3 and only 34lbs ... can't wait.

Ice stakes are easy to overlook as an important item - Eskimo brand screws in easily by hand. Some of the other brands are a bit more of a challenge - probably why some use a drill tool to drive them in. It is a big deal if it is cold and windy out when setting things up.

Again, once you get use to setup/take down a few times you will get better at it so don't get discouraged if the first few times is a challenge. Good luck!

[Naturboy]

I agree with NCLaker, best tip for a hub is instead of trying to stuff it back in a bag put a bungee cord or two around it.

[Rikkus]

Last year for the annual ice fishing trip, one of the guys in the group brought a 6-man Hub. It wasn't that windy, but we did the anchors first, and then set it up. All took a bit of time. And, once setup, you weren't moving for a while. All was very comfy for two guys with two heaters going. I myself wouldn't get one. I don't have a snowmobile or ATV. So I pack a truck or walk onto the ice. I will always remember a guy's hub rolling across the thin ice on Lake Winnie. The guy could only just stand there watching it go away. With a hub, you'll have to also bring out the auger, buckets heater and such. So. either make multiple trips or get a sled.

I have 2 Clam Suitcase style portables, that can be linked together. These are good with getting your feet off the ice. But, I customized an Otter Sled to pull out walking, or hook up to a buddy's snowmobile. Setup is faster than the Hub. But, your bringing alone a lot of extra gear.

After year's brutal weather, fishing one day in -38 degree weather, I bought a Thermo Flip Over for this season. I got the Frabill DLX Ambush Thermo. My Flashers, Heater and gear fit easily inside the sled. The Auger fits on top, underneath the cover. It takes up space, but less than a suit case with all of the extras. And, it weighs less than one of my suit case portables.

If you can make it work, I would suggest the flip over. Moving around is much easier. Really, all is easier with setup, and packing your gear for going onto the ice.

[JigginIsLife]

I have had all the types of ice houses and I had the hub style the longest.. main reason, time in my life, and types of lakes i liked to fish. I lived in Moorhead for 8 years and would fish lakes that are a bit harder to get to. I packed light, very light, becuase of roughly 1-2 mile trips one way. Everything was light then. Now I am settled in southern mn, have a vehicle with a trailer, and the pull onto the lakes never exceeds 1/2 mile, and if it does, i will use a buddys wheeler or sled.

Staying on fish, requires you to move around, flip over shelters allow you to do this the easiest, thus a flip over is what im back to. I spent a bit more to have some more room with the frabill mag with glide trax (not sure how i will like them) but i like frabill and thier seats so thats why i picked them.

just my .02

[ClownColor]

I'd go HUB after fishing both...but I also don't think the flips are bad either. I typically wait to set up my fish house until after I caught a few fish and know I'll be there for awhile. I don't go to a spot, set up my HUB, drill holes only to find no fish then take it all down. Just doesn't make sense. I usually cheat when using my HUB and tie the windy side down to my ATV or snowmobile so it takes just a few seconds. I love the extra room in a HUB vs flip and love how small they can be stored. Either way both these are 10x better then a suitcase!

[RoldGold]

Hope I'm not repeating what others have said, I didn't read the other replies. I have used a flip for a few years and bought a hub last year. I was amazed at how nice the hub was, the extra room was great. However if I'm going by myself, I will never take it. I don't need that much room when alone, and set up/mobility are much easier with a flip sled. My flip is a Clam Yukon (which is smaller, my buddy is 6'4" and doesn't complain about it, at least not to me). Hope that helps!

[nige]

Thanks for all the info guys. Looks like I am buying a flip over.

[FshBloodRiverMud]

I used to have a Eskimo QF3 - Awesome house.

I now have a Clam 4000T Bigfoot - Use it for groups or weekends with a cot...It's my portable perm.

I also have a Clam Commando - 1-Man Flipover. My go-to house for run/gun fishing.

I'll probably always have both, and would like to also get a 2-man flipover or a 2nd 1-man so i can bring someone else with who doesn't have a flipover and we can still run/gun and catch a bunch of fish. Rather than setup the house and sit.

I run smitty sleds with anything i'm pulling on the ice. There's simply no other way. Smitty sled is attached to my 1-man flipover and i have a big otter sled that i put a smitty under whem i'm using my hub.

[Neiko]

I had a Clam X2 and it was great but when I was by myself it was a beast to load. As much as I hated selling it I am glad I did. I went to a Eskimo 949I and love it. I do a lot of remote lake fishing upnorth and it fits in my Medium Otter sled. I have also tried to downsize as I take too much stuff with me. I use a Big Buddy heater and it heats it just fine on low. I even used it opening deer hunting to sleep in and will be using it again this weekend. Perfect for 2 guys with cots. My buddy picked one up 2 weeks ago and my brother is looking at getting one. We are probably going to sleep out on the ice on LOW this winter in them also. Sure beats hauling a Ice Cabin and all that. Whatever you decide make sure it is Insulated. You don't get the drips with them and you will save propane big time.

[hamms-scooter]

I have an X2 and like it a lot for 2 people but with my 4 and 6 yr olds with my wife and I it doesn't work having the X2. I am looking at the eskimo fatfish 949i for having the family outings. Can someone show the inside theirs setup with gear and chairs how ever you yours? I am looking at building a smitty sled and thinking of using it to haul gear and then use it inside shack for bench seating for us. Would that make sense?

[Trump34]

I like the bench seating idea. I just built this sled today and if I had read your post earlier I would have added a little more height. The tote that is on the sled will be used for seating along with a couple folding chairs. Tomorrow will be the maiden voyage for the sled and the hub style house. I will post some pics when I get everything in place.

[hamms-scooter]

Thanks do that! Looks like a great sled I'm designing mine yet. Headed to the lake..

[Naturboy]

Looks good trump. One thing I might add about the skis, is you don't want to pull them over any gravel or black top parking lots, it wont take much to really mess up the bottoms. Also if you use down hill skis instead of cross country skis they will float your sled a little better. If we get lots of snow I will put on two sets of skis.

Good Luck this year

[Trump34]

Thank you for info. It pulled amazingly well on the ice and I could tell just from the small amount of snow we went across yesterday that wider skis would be better. Looks like I have another project.