ice camping

[Ata83]

a small fan goes a long way too.

I was hoping to sleep on simcoe sat night, lol but she was singing way too loud for my liking.

[Sam Menard]

Look at WalMart Dorcy 2000 lumens 4D battery operated lantern.
It is excellent,and easy on batteries.

Thx I’ll check it out.

[Sam Menard]

I have one of those (Trek 75) and one the next size up (Trek 82). Once all hitched up with both behind the Scandic my conga train is 31 feet long (each toboggan and hitch add about 10 feet) but can carry all gear, shelter (Eskimo 450 same as Sam's), food, fuel, augers, batteries, heater, stove, cots etc. needed for a weekend on the ice in one trip. That is everything for 2 people. Scandic is a 2up as well with the long track and a decent on board cargo area behind the second seat.





The Eskimo Outbreak 450 insulated is a great shelter with two caveats. It is marketed as a 5-6 person shelter. For camping it is a 2 person shelter. Day use 4 is pushing it and 3 people is comfortable. The second is that it is big and bulky even packed up. It weighs close to 50 lbs dry and even folded up it is too long for the Pelican Trek 75 that Trimmer linked. It does fit in the Pelican Trek 82 but takes about 40% of the toboggan space. This is a pic of the 450 set up with Scandic hooked up to the Pelican 82:

Thanks for the info and pic. Do you have any ice camping stories?

[trimmer21]

looking for suggestions on hub tent for 2 guys. and heat source i have buddy heater but leaning towards wood at night. any tips or tricks or tips would be great have done winter camping with no heat but not on lake with winds etc .

Thanks for the info and pic. Do you have any ice camping stories?

I was on Lake Scugog many years ago in a home made collapsible plywood hut with an orange tarp covering. When we lit the Coleman lanterns inside,the hut could be seen all over the lake. We put automotive reflector tape on the outside. Lots of times,there'd be snow machines roaring up and down the lake. We were the only hut that was lit up. Other huts used to get thumped on regular basis,but,ours didn't.

[delmer]

looking for suggestions on hub tent for 2 guys. and heat source i have buddy heater but leaning towards wood at night. any tips or tricks or tips would be great have done winter camping with no heat but not on lake with winds etc .

Just bought an Otter Resort insulated hub. Over 100 sq. ft. of space. Been watching YouTube videos to see different ice setups and equipment. Like watching Clayton Schick fishing/camping videos. Already have a Pelican 75 sled, but based on the size of the hub, wondering if I should upgrade to the 94.

[Species8472]

Just bought an Otter Resort insulated hub. Over 100 sq. ft. of space. Been watching YouTube videos to see different ice setups and equipment. Like watching Clayton Schick fishing/camping videos. Already have a Pelican 75 sled, but based on the size of the hub, wondering if I should upgrade to the 94.

Keep the 75 for day tripping and get a 94 for camping. I very much doubt the 75 will hold that shelter and even if it fits my guess is there will be very little room left for other items.

Edit:

Just googled the dimensions and collapsed that shelter is too long for the 75 - same issue i had with Eskimo 450. I went with the 82 instead of the 94 as the 94 is too long for the box of my truck. Regardless it looks like a bomber shelter that will serve you well.

[Species8472]

Thanks for the info and pic. Do you have any ice camping stories?

Only camped in it once as i have only had it for 3 years and our place is only 10 minutes by sled from Nip. Being 10 minutes from a great fishery with a heated cottage equipped with all the amenities makes it hard to bother staying on the ice when i can just head back each night to a queen bed, room temp, full kitchen, sat TV, internet etc..

The time i did camp was mid January last year during a cold snap. Very comfortable (not as comfy as the cottage though). It was on Nip but by design it was to a part of Nip that is a long way from where we get on the ice. It was definitely chilly as i am paranoid about CO even with a detector so i typically turn the heat off when i retire for the night. Camping that way i use a -29C mummy bag with an added fleece inner liner with two R5 thermarests between the bag and the cot. Was about -25 ish both nights and that worked fine other than cold getting going in the morning. Fishing on that trip was slow so never bothered posting a trip report.

Going back more years though i used to do it regularly with a small pop up to run and gun combined with a 4 season tent set up as a base. Back in those days i used a 4 season Northface mountaineering tent as they can take a lot more wind than any hub shelter or prospector type heated tent. If was heading to back lakes i would probably still consider this method as the small pop up and the Northface tent combined take less space and are lighter. Fishing would have to be real good though as no room for a cot in that Northface so thermarests are directly on floor and my days of sleeping like that require great incentive.

As for craziness my most recent craziness was actually not on a camping trip but a day trip on the season closer on Nip last year. Riding 14 km back to the landing on hard glare ice at dusk. Had everything you see in that pic. The Scandic, the 82 loaded with the 450, auger, drill, clam plate, batteries, 20 lb propane bottle, big buddy heater etc.. All together between the toboggan, hitch and all contents pushing 250 lbs in tow. Was riding with my son on the 2up. All told 800 lb sled, 250 lb toboggan, 400+ lbs of rider - combined almost 1500 lbs. Well came up on open pressure crack that was hard to see. Glare ice so no way to stop or turn in time. Just pinned it (thanked the snow gods my track was studded) and hoped for the best and hit the water doing about 80 or 90 km/hour. Skipped the whole works across 25 or 30 feet of open water and made it across. Kept it pinned all the way back to the landing. Everything in the toboggan was soaked. Haven't had that much adrenaline flowing since nearly flush drowning on a class 5 rapid in the Andes about 10 years ago.

[Species8472]

does that shack hold humidity with propane heater, i eyeing eskimo or otter insulated my uninsulated shack would almost rain

I have never had the heat on overnight but during the day for 8 hours with heat on (inside heated to about +10C) and outside between -10 to -20 there is very minor condensation but not enough to ever bother us. That is in the Eskimo 450.

I don't think you can really go wrong with either of those choices (just $$$$). I know even solo i can set up the 450 in the wind in less than 5 minutes and from what i have heard the Otter is just as or perhaps even easier.

[warningshot]

thanks for info

[Ata83]

As for craziness my most recent craziness was actually not on a camping trip but a day trip on the season closer on Nip last year. Riding 14 km back to the landing on hard glare ice at dusk. Had everything you see in that pic. The Scandic, the 82 loaded with the 450, auger, drill, clam plate, batteries, 20 lb propane bottle, big buddy heater etc.. All together between the toboggan, hitch and all contents pushing 250 lbs in tow. Was riding with my son on the 2up. All told 800 lb sled, 250 lb toboggan, 400+ lbs of rider - combined almost 1500 lbs. Well came up on open pressure crack that was hard to see. Glare ice so no way to stop or turn in time. Just pinned it (thanked the snow gods my track was studded) and hoped for the best and hit the water doing about 80 or 90 km/hour. Skipped the whole works across 25 or 30 feet of open water and made it across. Kept it pinned all the way back to the landing. Everything in the toboggan was soaked. Haven't had that much adrenaline flowing since nearly flush drowning on a class 5 rapid in the Andes about 10 years ago.

ohh this sounds crazy ! my hand was shaking reading this
we just had a machine go through last night at north simcoe.