Hotspotoutdoors

The boss (wife) finally agreed to let me upgrade my equipment this year. I am going to be looking for a flip style shanty and auger I need the shanty to be comfortable seat wise and in heat retention because my 13yo daughter wants to start coming. I have been using my brothers Frabill Trekker the last two years and am unimpressed the material seems thin and the poles are very stiff to work with. I should mention my budget is a thousand dollars.

You'll get a thousand different answers on this one. I would say an Otter Lodge and a Strikemaster Lazer Mag auger. You should be right on budget with those two. The poles on the Otter can be difficult to work with but they are squared tubing for extra strength. The insulated houses are nice but I've never had an issue with heat when running a big buddy or sunflower heater in my otter.

Pretty solid advice from toughguy. I personally have an Eskimo shelter but have heard nothing but good things about the Otter units. A bit more spendy but again, nothing but praises. One thing I will say about my Eskimo is that compared to several other flip over shacks I've been around and used the poles extend and retract very easily. The fabric though, seems thinner than some of the competition ,although I have never been cold using a standard Mr. heater sunflower style. Buying again, I would like a longer look at the Otter.

For whatever it is worth I purchased a Lazer Mag last year and couldn't be happier. I just fired it up in the garage Saturday afternoon. Always runs like a champ and cuts like a samurai.

Good luck!

The Otter units are solid!!!! You'd be hard pressed to find a better shelter for the money. As far as augers go, I'd recommend a Strikemaster. The new Solo engines are insanely fast and lightweight!! Either way, shop around and find what you want. You have a budget so use every last penny

If you think your daughter is going to really get into it, take a look at a Clam Denali. I got one last year because my son always goes with me. It is really nice for each person to have their own fishing area, however if you go by yourself alot, it is a little tougher to set up and take down by yourself.

The auger purchase would be easy for me, defiantly a Strikemaster Lazer Mag. The house would be a wait and see whats new this fall. I ran a Otter for 13 or 14 years which was great and then this last spring bought a Canvas Craft insulated flip style which seems to very nice and uses all the Otter components but this setup wouldn't leave any cash for an auger.

I heard Clam is make changes to there canvas and sleds so it will be fun to see whats new this fall. I wouldn't set my mind on any one brand until all the models hit the floor and hopefully we will see some more choices for insulated portables.

I really love my Frabill Refuge, even though its not a flip over shack. I have a SM Strike Lite and I love that as well. It has a Lazer bit on it instead of the plastic and it screams through the ice.

++ what toughguy said. If you play your cards right you might be able to get a shelter, auger and another toy for that price.

The new Otter poles are very easy to use. I havent had a issue with any of my Otter poles since they went to the new pole design. I also would say a Otter Cabin or Lodge. You wont get both a Otter and Strikemaster for $1000 though.

My bad. Prices have gone up some since I was in the market. I did some checking and you'll have to pay about $1150-$1200 for that pair.

The Trekker is just as much shack for the money an Otter is, half the shack for half the money. Give your brother $150 for the Trekker and buy a used auger. You will have $600 left over to buy your daughter anything else she might need. Everyone loves to pull a fast one on their boss.

Insulated Canvas Craft and Strikemaster. After you've used an insulated
shack it would be hard to go back to noninsulated, especially with kids.
My two cents FWIW.

The new Frabill sleds are as good as the Otter sleds, plus Frabill makes an insulated shelter called the R2 tech, great sled, great seats, insulated shelter, all for like 700 bucks. Add an 8 in lazer mag and your just over a grand. Oh yah, i'm a big Strikemaster fan, so as for the auger, Lazer Mag all the way, there is only one auger out there that can come close to the Lazer.

I bought a new Otter 3-man and new Strikemaster Lazer Mag last season for less than $700. Got the Otter at H&H in Maple Lake for $350 with hyfax and cover. It's a Wild 3 sled, but has individual seats instead of the bench. Found the auger on HSOList.com for $275. Brand new, never started, hung on the guy's wall for a few years.(Note: I wish I had a wife that bought me an ice auger for Christmas) It isn't a Solo, but it definitely gets the job done.

Keep looking for deals and you'll find them.

This is my .02 cents worth. Wait till the Annual St. Paul Ice Fishing & Winter Sports Show. You will be able to get a lot more for your money plus they have great deals. That is where I picked up my portable for a great price. You will have all the dealers out there so you can compare them to each other.