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View Full Version : Best Shack for Windy Conditions?


pinelakeperch
02-01-2021, 08:57 AM
I currently have a 6 man pop-up tent and am getting tired of setting it up in windy conditions. If I happen to forget my tie-downs at home, or if I fish alone and can't find a fellow fisherman to hold down the tent while I set up, I'm fishing shelterless.

Are the flip-up shacks with benches more sturdy in heavy winds? If so, I'd be very interested in one.

My concern about the flip-up shacks is weight, pack-down size, and space. Is there anything available that is light enough for a man to pull along the ice for moderate distances, pack up small enough to fit in an SUV if necessary, and big enough to have 3 people fish?

HuyFishin
02-01-2021, 09:05 AM
I currently have a 6 man pop-up tent and am getting tired of setting it up in windy conditions. If I happen to forget my tie-downs at home, or if I fish alone and can't find a fellow fisherman to hold down the tent while I set up, I'm fishing shelterless.

Are the flip-up shacks with benches more sturdy in heavy winds? If so, I'd be very interested in one.

My concern about the flip-up shacks is weight, pack-down size, and space. Is there anything available that is light enough for a man to pull along the ice for moderate distances, pack up small enough to fit in an SUV if necessary, and big enough to have 3 people fish?

most that are packable will be a 2 man for the SUV. They are big and cumbersome to lift on and off the SUV. Under extremely heavy wind conditions the sled can still slide if you both stand up. One person always has to stay seated to hold it down.

This is from my experiences with a sled tent I own.

58thecat
02-01-2021, 09:11 AM
Ice Cube 3 Man Portable Ice Shelter by ThunderBay….hmmmm


I got a six man tent and when I go out if needed I pop the end up first and secure it to the quad or truck then go about popping up the roof, sides etc and anchor accordingly....if no vehicles then I wrestle it and secure then pop up but if its blowing like a bugger I better things to do.....good luck.

pinelakeperch
02-01-2021, 09:26 AM
most that are packable will be a 2 man for the SUV. They are big and cumbersome to lift on and off the SUV. Under extremely heavy wind conditions the sled can still slide if you both stand up. One person always has to stay seated to hold it down.

This is from my experiences with a sled tent I own.

Generally speaking, would you say that the sled tent is more secure in the wind? Of course, with 80km/hr winds there are going to be issues but I'm just trying to minimize those issues as much as I can.

Ice Cube 3 Man Portable Ice Shelter by ThunderBay….hmmmm


I got a six man tent and when I go out if needed I pop the end up first and secure it to the quad or truck then go about popping up the roof, sides etc and anchor accordingly....if no vehicles then I wrestle it and secure then pop up but if its blowing like a bugger I better things to do.....good luck.

I live in the south, so on ice vehicles aren't always an option. If I never went fishing when it was blowing like a bugger, I'd never get out! :sHa_shakeshout:

58thecat
02-01-2021, 09:47 AM
true...hunt down south for muleys and yup...wind...more wind...hate it!

HuyFishin
02-01-2021, 09:56 AM
Generally speaking, would you say that the sled tent is more secure in the wind? Of course, with 80km/hr winds there are going to be issues but I'm just trying to minimize those issues as much as I can.



I live in the south, so on ice vehicles aren't always an option. If I never went fishing when it was blowing like a bugger, I'd never get out! :sHa_shakeshout:



Yes I do Believe it is better in the wind. I do however think that difficulty setting up a hub shack is more worth the hassle compared to storing and lifting the sled up and down the SUV.

But this is just me.
The sled tent was really good for windy and bad conditions when you still want to move from one location to another. After I set up a hub tent even if I dont catch a fish for 7 hours I still wont move LOL

Pro's and cons to both. To be honest I do recommened keeping the hub and If you can afford it I would buy the sled tent. Its actually really nice to be able to choose which tent to use based on where you are going and the wind conditions ect.

I just know there are days I wish I had a pop up and there are days I wish I had a sled tent LOL

CNP
02-01-2021, 10:03 AM
Being from the land of the wind I'm quite experienced at ice fishing in the wind.

I had two tents. A four man tent is what I typically use when I am by myself or one other fortunate partner :) I have challenged myself and this tent in the heaviest of winds in SW AB and it has never let me down (have had to perform some minor repairs).

One day I figured I needed lots of room in the tent, the forecasted winds weren't prohibitive , so I took the 6 man tent. Mistake. Never count on a wind forecast in SW AB, especially when on a lake.

I set up the 6 X 12 tent in the morning, winds were light, as the the morning turned to afternoon, the winds picked up..........I thought I heard a train coming...........there is no train track for 25 kms:scared: The wind hit the tent with such force that all 12 straps connected to the ice screws tore off the tent and sent the tent 300 yards down the ice before it collapsed. All 12 screws were still in the ice. The flower on my propane taken was broken off and the tank was pumping out propane full throttle. I was on the ice after the resin chair I was sitting in broke a leg. I had a nasty gash on my head.

I'll never replace that 6 man tent with another......a 4 man tent is enough tent for me and another angler who dares.

Set up in moderate to heavy wind is best done by first anchoring the tent with ice screws on the two upwind corners of the tent......it won't go anywhere now and you can get on with popping-up the tent. Take it down in the wind by removing all but the two upwind corner screws and one mid-wall screw, then collapse the tent.

If there is any snow on the ice I shovel it onto the sod cloth around the base of the tent so no wind can get underneath.

Maybe you already do all this stuff? Just thought I'd share my experience...

AlbertanGP
02-01-2021, 10:28 AM
Set up in moderate to heavy wind is best done by first anchoring the tent with ice screws on the two upwind corners of the tent......it won't go anywhere now and you can get on with popping-up the tent.

This... :bad_boys_20:

fly Guy
02-01-2021, 06:24 PM
I have both a flip style and a hub tent, i to fish in the south and deal with wind on a regular basis. Unless i am taking my daughters I almost always take the flip over. Much easier to deal with in the wind, a little more effort to unload from the truck, however no more effort to drag on the ice. Might have to go with a single man flip over for it to fit in an SUV though

Red Bullets
02-01-2021, 07:33 PM
When i was younger if I went ice fishing on a windy day I would find a place to fish that had a hard packed snow drift. I'd cut snow blocks from the drift and make a wind breaker wall with the blocks. Then put up a one man suitcase pop up tent behind the windbreak or just sit out of the wind without a tent.

58thecat
02-02-2021, 12:10 AM
All I know after a few hours of the tent shaking, flaps vibrating etc my internal noodle gets a little bit wonky and I bail....13 years in the jaw...hunting...fishing....moved into the woods up here and going down south eats on me with the forecast of wind...even in the summer!

Now a tropical breeze I can handle:)

Good luck to the OP on this quest.

HuyFishin
02-02-2021, 07:53 AM
This shack anchor may help under windy conditions with the flip tent.

https://shackanchor.com


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Topshot
02-03-2021, 09:10 PM
Hi, I have a Frabill 6 x 12. Got it at CT for 200. Have had for 5 years, still good. Got a little wind damage with 80km gust on one peg holder but easy fix. I use 2 drills, 1 to drill pilot holes and 1 with adapter to put in screws. Friend uses lag bolts with washes. Need pilots holes for them. I was out at lake when the wind came up and a guy and his kid were trying to setup. No way he could do it. Me and friend run out there with drills in hand and got it done. Like a race car team. At least you stand a chance with drills. Hope that helps.

WayneChristie
02-03-2021, 09:52 PM
Hi, I have a Frabill 6 x 12. Got it at CT for 200. Have had for 5 years, still good. Got a little wind damage with 80km gust on one peg holder but easy fix. I use 2 drills, 1 to drill pilot holes and 1 with adapter to put in screws. Friend uses lag bolts with washes. Need pilots holes for them. I was out at lake when the wind came up and a guy and his kid were trying to setup. No way he could do it. Me and friend run out there with drills in hand and got it done. Like a race car team. At least you stand a chance with drills. Hope that helps.

the 2 of you, kinda like a human pickeral rig

Topshot
02-03-2021, 10:40 PM
Yes, I know you hate pickeral rigs but my rig keeps the bait looking like a fish. Up right. Your rig looks upside down and a mess. You hook live fish in the mouth and dead fish in the spine. Yes i have had a few drinks.

WayneChristie
02-04-2021, 07:13 AM
Yes, I know you hate pickeral rigs but my rig keeps the bait looking like a fish. Up right. Your rig looks upside down and a mess. You hook live fish in the mouth and dead fish in the spine. Yes i have had a few drinks.

my rigs are upside down and a mess on purpose :bad_boys_20: big girls prefer easy meals not chasing healthy bait. believe me Ive tried all sorts of setups and positions and for me this is the best rig for catching big fish. :sHa_shakeshout:

58thecat
02-04-2021, 07:37 AM
Like Smoky said on a fishing thread a while back....truck:)
If ice can keep ya afloat:sHa_sarcasticlol: