Clam 4000T or Eskimo 949I

[Bobby B.]

Well, I'm still in the research mode of what ice shelter to buy and I would appreciate some help from those of you with experience. I just sold my Clam Denali, a tent with quality that impressed me. However, I now want an insulated pop up. I've narrowed down my choices to the Clam XL4000T and the Eskimo 949i.

The pros for the Clam is the thicker 600 Denier skin, the stronger poles and hubs, the wider skirt, the slightly larger 'fishable area', and a much better storage bag. The only consistent complaint about the clam is the zipper grabs. The pros for the Eskimo are the larger and more numerous ice anchors along with their superior straps.

From reviews I've read, the Clam appears to be the superior tent. Is this true?

Bobby

[Jack&7]

Well...as a Clam Command Post owner, I must say I love the quality. the zipper grab issue can be easily resolved with a little bit of paracord to make extended grabs.

I have fished the Eskimo and they are a great tent too...but the kicker for me was the thicker 600 Denier material on the Clam products. you know it will last.

[NCFlyfishin]

Hey there, I have owned the clam XL4000T for one season now, so far I am very impressed! I love how it keeps the heat in (I also own a little buddy heater which heats it perfectly) also love the material it is made out of, although it does build up some condensation at the top after long periods of time with the heater going, easy fix to that though I just wipe it off. Or you could also buy clams fan that hangs from the ceiling of it and circulates the air. It' is also really easy to put up ( I can do it in less than 3 mins with someone helping me) and I find the poles are great quality and it folds up real nice. It's huge though and isn't that fun to haul around in a sled when ice isn't thick enough to drive, but it's still worth it. Overall really nice tent and I would definitely recommend it, it has lots of space and I just love it, can't wait to put it up for the first time of the season sometime in the next week! Sorry can't comment on any Eskimo tents as I have never owned one.

[Uppercut]

I bought the xl4000t about a month ago. And the zipper pulls are cloth now.

[kcward]

I bought the Eskimo 949i last year and found the poles bowed. I think they have corrected that this year. I contacted eskimo and sent then pictures and they sent me a complete set of poles...they were about 3/4 inch shorter. Great service! The only other issue is the velcro windows...it is hard to match up the velcro when the tent is stretched out.
I have the big buddy heater and the clam light/fan inside and it is great.

First I bought a Clam tent that was extendable but the pouches that the poles fit into ripped first time out. The tent poles were a little heavier which I liked. I bought it at wholesale and they didn't want to pay for repairing it and would rather give me my money back so I returned it and bought the 949i at the fishing hole.

The one I would buy is the Eskimo fatfish 6120i (new this year). It is 115"x115"x78" height vs 96"x96"x82" of the Clam4000xl. It weighs 52 lbs vs 42 lbs. I also wanted to mention that I didn't notice a big difference in the thickness of the two materials...300 vs 600 should be quite a diffence, but it is not.

Hope that helps out, Ken

[muskokagould32]

had problems with zipper on my last clam pop up. my eskimo has had no problems except they give you tiny bag for storage.

[Bobby B.]

That's crazy. I thought this would be a bit more of a Chevy vs Ford vs Dodge vs Toyota thread. Maybe everyone is being nice in case Santa is watching! Remember, Santa isn't the only one who gives presents!

Bobby