6 Best Portable Thermal Ice Fishing Shelters (Shanty, Tent, House, Shack) Review

Ice shelter for winter fishing is not a luxury but an essential attribute. This item is able to protect from the wind, snow and rain in the open space of the frozen lakes. That is why the ice shelter can often increase the time of fishing in cold winter weather.

TOP Fishing Shelters Comparison Table

1. The Best Thermal Ice Fishing Shelter/House [Eskimo]

Everything fits into a cinch carrying bag that can easily be carried on your back. 60-Second Set-Up. Mesh storage pockets to keep essential fishing gear handy. Single door with strong durable YKK zipper. Extra-long skirt helps eliminate drafts and keep elements out. Heavy-duty material sewn over corner joints for reinforcement. Adjust your shelter's ventilation with detachable hook and loop windows.

2. The Best Ice Fishing Shanty (Fishing Tent/Hub) [Eskimo]

3. The Best Portable Ice Shanty (Ice Fishing Shack) [Otter]

4. The Best Automatic (Umbrella) Ice Shelter (Ice Fishing House) [Otter]

5. The Best Portable Ice Fishing Hub/Shelter/Shanty [Clam]

6. The Best 1-Person Ice Fishing Tent (Portable Ice House) [Clam]

How to choose an ice fishing shelter?

When choosing a shelter, especially for winter ice-fishing, you should find out which model is the best option for all occasions. First, you need to pay attention to the windproof tent fabric because the winter cold at times are quite strong and unpredictable. Today tents manufacturers strive to win the trust of consumers and use high-quality material, as opposed to the wind and cold air. Durable fabric — it is certainly nice, but there is a thing you should remember: condensation may appear inside the tent. This often leads to a decrease of air temperature. That is why in order to avoid condensation it is necessary to make sure that the tent is not completely sealed. In addition, the presence of carbon dioxide emitted from the heating devices, not only causes headaches, and general malaise. For good breathing inside a tent should have inlets and respective valves. Winter tents could be а two-layer, outer and inner tent. If the inner layer is made of membrane material — it is good. Double tents are much warmer than their single-layer counterparts, but about 30% more expensive. A two-layer tent should be assembled correctly — with no contact beetween the layers — it should be a layer of air between them. For day fishings with temperatures not below minus 15-20 degrees a single-layer tent is enough. For overnight stays on the ice it is better to use a two-layer winter tent, and, of course, gas heater. The color of the tent is also important. Classic versions: white and yellow. Why choose the bright colors? Because they are more transparent. Choosing a tent, do not forget about it. If the ice shelter is in camouflage color or has inserts made of dark cloth — it is better to refuse. Otherwise, it would be necessary to use the lights, even in the daytime.

Ice Fishing Shelter Types

By design, shelters for ice fishing are divided into two types:

Automatic (Umbrella) Ice Shelters

Automatic (Umbrella) Ice Shelters are popular with anglers who prefer active fishing methods. The advantage of this type of shelters is mobility. It could be installed in a few minutes and quickly disassembled. However, there is a drawback — a large sail, the instability of the wind. Bad weather resistant tent can provide a comfortable fishing.

Frame Ice Shelters

Frame Ice Shelters — the opposite of the automatic type, are designed in traditional summer tent technology, where the tent is attached to the arcs on the hooks, and the arcs are on the outside of the tent. The time of their installation is several times longer. But these models are endowed with greater stability and have excellent capacity. Also the obvious advantage of such tents — small size when folded up — like a normal summer camp tent. Arcs, made of fiberglass, are not always reliable, especially in the cold, and the whole structure may lose its form, especially in the strong wind.

Ice Fishing Shelter Sizes

Manufacturers often indicate a single, two-, three- or even four-person models. We offer such a rule — if a tent is less than 8 feet (2.5 m) in diameter (between two opposite corners), this is single-person shelter, if more, than it is comfortable for two fishermen. For the three-person ice fishing, shelter should be 11 feet (3.5 meters) in diameter, but these tents are rare and too expensive. It is clear that you will fit in the half-meter tent, but you need sometimes to pull your legs and a place to put the heater, get out of the box fishing accessories, not interfering with the partner.

Don’t buy cheap ice fishing shelter/tent

If you buy cheap, you will end up buying twice. There are some very cheap fishing shelters on the market, but these are the ones made from poor quality material and components, and they can break down after a few months. Buy more quality model as it will be worth price that you pay.

FAQ

Let's go over some frequently asked questions about fishing shelters.