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-   -   Fish Inn 6 man ice tents (http://www.outdoorsmenforum.ca/showthread.php?t=77649)

WayneChristie 12-20-2010 08:09 PM

Fish Inn 6 man ice tents
 
OK Ive used my new tent for 5 weekends now, and in general Im happy with it, especially for the price. I do have a few concerns, and have emailed the company who supplies them to Costco about those concerns. I will post my email, to save me typing the same thing twice. If anyone else has a review of the product after using it please post here.
"Dear Sirs:
I purchased one of your 6 man Fish Inn Ice shelters from Costco in November. .Model 10346078
When I set the tent up for the first time, 2 of the plastic windows were cracked. After using this tent for a couple weekends on the ice, most of the windows have cracked or are completely destroyed.
A direct quote from your homepage "With a solid background in the development and production of innovative consumer and custom products, Equinox Industries’ success flows from its dedication to quality and manufacturing consistency."
I am very disappointed with this, since after looking through your website before I purchased the tent I was impressed by the look of your products and thought I would be getting the same quality with the tent. I would like to know if you can replace my windows with some that are made for cold weather, and much sturdier, as obviously this is an ice fishing shelter, as such the components should be expected to stand up to our harsh winter climates.
I also tried the attached strap which is supposed to hold the tent in the closed position before putting it back into the storage bag, and the first time I pulled on it the very lightweight plastic buckle broke in two.
As well the stitching of the included storage bag began pulling apart even as I opened the bag for the first time.
The stitching for one of the gear pockets is also coming apart.
I am a member of an outdoors forum with over 20,000 members, and some of these members who are into ice fishing have also purchased this model shelter . I will be posting a copy of this email along with my review of the tent in general, and in general I am happy with the tent, aside from my stated concerns. I would like to be able to give them good news as to your thoughts and actions regarding the above concerns.
Thank you very much,
Wayne Christie "
I will post any reply I receive about my email .
I do have a 2 man shelter I bought last winter from HT and have never had a single problem with the plastic windows, even though the tent material is only 300 denier compared to the 600 denier material the Fish Inn is made from.

Fishfinder 12-20-2010 08:16 PM

I am very interested to see if u get a reply Wayne. Fingers crossed. Got a hunch they will just send u a new one.
The bigger we go, the easier to fall apart I reckon.
Cheers.

iliketrout 12-20-2010 08:18 PM

Wayne,

Keep me posted on their reply. I have had the same problem with the plastic windows. Haven't had the problem with the strap yet, although I'll be buying a few extra cam buckle straps for it as a single strap just isn't cutting it.

Also I am annoyed with the short skirt :scared0018: and the lack of velcro on the window coverings (not the actual windows themselves).

All in all I'm satisfied but not blown away.

Starting to think that a few of us on here should get together and design our own tent. Apparently the people that design these things don't actually ice fish....

LacLaBicheNS 12-20-2010 08:20 PM

I have the smaller costco "orange" tent. The 6x6.. I used mine in -17 yesterday, no windows cracked or broke and my heater wasn't putting out much heat either. I was impressed. But than again -17 isn't that cold.

Other than that, nothing bad to report. Although I am interested in what they say because I'm sure I will run into some of your problems.

calgarygringo 12-20-2010 08:22 PM

Orange tent
 
Nice email Wayne. I will throw in my 2 cents. I bought the smaller one myself and we used it yesterday for the first time. We had myself,Will and wife and at one point my lab and his dog in the tent at the same time. We opened and closed it many times and was impressed with the 2 zippered doors. I have heard people complain about lousy zipper doors and that is important if it is cold and blowing. My windows did OK as well and we were wiping the sweat lots to check on the dogs as they played on the lake most of the day on their own. It was tough to get back rolled together to get back in the bag so just put the strap around and did it at home. For the first trip it worked good. I can't wait for a bit of Southern Alta breeze and have to anchor it down and see how it does. We kept toasty with the Big Buddy heater going inside as well. Too bad the fish didn't co-operate but I guess it made up for the day we had the week before.

WayneChristie 12-20-2010 08:26 PM

As someone else posted, this is probably the only time I too have complained about a skirt being too short!!! :sHa_sarcasticlol: The windows on my 2 man are at least twice as thick as the big tent, and seem to be more like vinyl than old saran wrap like the 6 man. I already lost the strap, got frozen to the ice and tore off when I moved the tent, so I brought it home and threw it out. I think we could do a much better job designing one, after all how many pictures do you see of Chinese workers ice fishing in one of these???? Maybe the same company as the Sears tents I tried last winter, that went back before I went mental(er) tryng to figure out how to set it up at home. The anchors they sent with that one were those little cheap metal ones they sell with summer tents, abut 7 or 8 inches long and just perfect for setting your tent up on a manicured lawn! I couldnt figure out how they expected anyone to use those in ice, kind of blew me away that Sears would sell something that shoddy.
another advantage to my 2 man tent is the inside anchor holes are actually metal grommets in heavy duty fabric flaps, as opposed to the fabric loops the Fish Inn uses, which of course freeze to the ice the second they get wet. I am expecting to lose one or two of those to the ice pretty soon too. You get what you pay for I guess.

Willowtrail 12-20-2010 11:21 PM

Great email Wayne. I have the Blue Equinox Kingfisher 3 tent from Costco. I've been out in my tent now 5 times in various weather. So far so good on the windows not cracking (knock on wood). The only issue I had with the tent was 1 of my 4 window covers velcro pulled off but a quick needle and thread can touch this up. If it happens to more it will be returned to Costco and exchanged.

The only other tip I can pass on is to zip your doors closed leaving the zippers at the top. With the heater on and the condensation on the walls I had the zipper stick with ice.

WayneChristie 12-20-2010 11:58 PM

the zippers are good, so far, as long as you dont splash on them. they seem sturdy enough

Jimboy 12-21-2010 02:18 AM

Love my 3 man Eskimo3 tent , no issues at all , and the company is great with there service , they gave me a new pull rope assembly for my auger for free and also sent me the metal part that goes below the plastic cover , on top of that they sent me a nice letter and a new touque , all within a week.
Eskimo all the way:sHa_shakeshout:

Kim473 12-21-2010 05:50 AM

If your not happy with it Wayne, take it back to your local Costco and get your money back then buy another new tent.

Jimboy 12-21-2010 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim473 (Post 771438)
If your not happy with it Wayne, take it back to your local Costco and get your money back then buy another new tent.

Get a refund and buy an Eskimo , 6 man is $349 at the fishing hole

JJMorrocco 12-21-2010 08:05 AM

Did you post this review on the Costco website as well? I posted a bad review once on a water softener, in two days I had a reply from Costco that the item would be fixed, the next day I receieved the new part. Costco does not put up with shoddy merchandise and will have the manufacturer fix it or pull the product.

aulrich 12-21-2010 08:58 AM

I had a hub break on my first one, a window was broken when I opened up the next one. It also seemed to not want to lay flat. With these other reports I am temped to call is quits and get a 6 man clam at the FH boxing day sale.


3 cheers for the costco return policy. I going to go an revise my review on the site.

gramps73 12-21-2010 09:21 AM

Wayne, I hope you get somewhere with your email.
But I would think that if your looking for a ice fishing tent your should have gone to an ice fishing store...
I must say when you first posted pictures it looked great and I hope to company backs there product.
good luck

tacklerunner 12-21-2010 09:56 AM

Mine just arrived on my doorstep yesterday. Ordered it online Dec 14, received Dec 20. It's the smaller one but I will keep you posted.

billycap 12-21-2010 12:22 PM

windows are broken in mine.... zipper on one door sticks in the middle..... it kinda pulls in on one side around the middle... only got it back in the bag once after the first use... its junk

LacLaBicheNS 12-21-2010 05:52 PM

Weird... I used mine twice now.. Today was -20 and I have had NO problems at all..

mooseknuckle 12-21-2010 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kim473 (Post 771438)
If your not happy with it Wayne, take it back to your local Costco and get your money back then buy another new tent.

X2 Wayne you said "other than these major issues" your happy with it? No way man thats crap you should just return it buddy. You've been out how many times already this season? get yourself something that will hold up for you. Costco has a great return policy drop it off and pick yourself up something better. It may cost you a few extra bucks but it's worth the peace of mind.

Cheers!!

hockey1099 12-21-2010 10:50 PM

I have used my 6 man costco tent on Gull, wab and pigeon on a very windy day. I have had zero issues. All of my windows are fine, and i have learned how to get it back into the bag. Its easier in warm weather but can be done on a cold lake. The only issue is that the flaps on the windows let too much light in and the you really need to toss snow around the outside to ensure a good seal (stupid short skirt). Other than that its a great tent so far. It is a pain in the butt to heat though do to the size. My other 4 trips i used my three man eskimo also bought from costco (last year).

I dont notice any difference between the 600 and 300 denier fabric between the two tents so i dont know how much of an issue that is. Ifd you dont like the costco tent or are worried about the quality i would recommend an eskimo.

WayneChristie 12-22-2010 05:58 PM

Been 2 full business days now, Im going to give them one more day then post my review on the Costco site. Its not as simple as just returning it for a refund and grabbing something better, since its a 5 hour return trip to the city, which makes the price even steeper counting my time and fuel. I think 2 or 3 days is plenty of time for a responsible company to check emails and send an answer of any sort back.

bigjeff 12-22-2010 06:06 PM

I've had two of the big Frabills before. Both ended up being returned and I settled with an Ameristep tent. Its one cube of Waynes size tent. Two seasons, lots of use and zero problems.

I love the big tents but only the Eskimo seems to hold up....

Garry B 12-22-2010 06:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WayneChristie (Post 773247)
Been 2 full business days now, Im going to give them one more day then post my review on the Costco site. Its not as simple as just returning it for a refund and grabbing something better, since its a 5 hour return trip to the city, which makes the price even steeper counting my time and fuel. I think 2 or 3 days is plenty of time for a responsible company to check emails and send an answer of any sort back.

Yep, 2-3 days is plenty. A company concerned with their customers and their reputation would have taken your concerns seriously and addressed you even to say we will get back to you in a few days. Unless maybe your e-mail went into their spam box and they never saw it but those types of things are rare but conveniently used as excuses when things suit.

bigbear 12-22-2010 08:03 PM

I recently purchased the same tent and on the first trip out (-15C) windows started to crack and the buckle also broke. :mad3:
It too, may be headed back soon. I look forward to hear what they tell you.

MeYammy 12-22-2010 08:40 PM

My boys and I are loving my Canadian Tire Sub Zero 4-man tent. Lots of excess skirt at the bottom. I fold the four skirt edges inside and set stuff on them like auger, sled, cooler bag, pails...and the tent won't move in a wind, nor will the wind blow inside. Sets up in seconds. Good windows. Good zippers. And it easily packs back in the carrying bag. Bought on sale a while back for $199. Used it 4 times and can't find a fault with it other than if we wanted more people it would need to be bigger. But for me and my boys, it's ideal.

Sure hope you get taken care of Wayne, but I don't doubt you will have a trip to Calgary to Costco in your near future. Stuff typically gets taken care of at the point of purchase.

hockey1099 12-22-2010 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry B (Post 773282)
Yep, 2-3 days is plenty. A company concerned with their customers and their reputation would have taken your concerns seriously and addressed you even to say we will get back to you in a few days. Unless maybe your e-mail went into their spam box and they never saw it but those types of things are rare but conveniently used as excuses when things suit.

I think at this time of year 3 weeks might be a better time frame. With Xmas around the corner im betting 50% of the staff is on vacation

Drano 12-23-2010 04:43 PM

keep up the good posts wayne.hopefully this all works out for you.

tacklerunner 12-23-2010 05:33 PM

Used mine for the first time yesterday. No problems with the tent itself or the windows; granted it was very mild out.

Regarding getting it back into the bag, broke the buckle on the first pull and when I thought I might try put it in the bag anyways, noticed the stiching came loose on one end of the bag leaving one end open.

Had it for 3 days now.:thinking-006:

tacklerunner 12-23-2010 06:06 PM

Sold Out
 
Hey Wayne... don't think you're going to be able to post a review on the Costco site. Says they are sold out of Fish Inn tents so there's no link to post a review. Gonna have to call Customer Service I think.

WayneChristie 12-23-2010 06:21 PM

Turns out Im off tomorrow :sHa_shakeshout: and have to hit Medicine Hat anyways, so the tent is going back to Costco, still no reply from the manufacturer, so I will have a chat with customer service at Costco. Even if its the holidays the company could have at least an autoreply saying they are closed, since they dont seem to be too interested I wont deal with them again. I see the tent is made in China so they dont even make them themselves, maybe with a few returns and some bad reviews Equinox will find a better supplier.

Fishfinder 12-23-2010 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry B (Post 773282)
Yep, 2-3 days is plenty. A company concerned with their customers and their reputation would have taken your concerns seriously and addressed you even to say we will get back to you in a few days. Unless maybe your e-mail went into their spam box and they never saw it but those types of things are rare but conveniently used as excuses when things suit.

X2 on that.


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