Product Review – Eskimo Quickfish III Portable Ice Hut

[Jonny]

Finally had a chance to try out this 6 x 6 ice hut for ice fishing, and my verdict is that it was a damn good buy.

 

The best thing about it is that it really is a snap to set up, and if anything, takedown is even easier.

 

With two people, you simply unbag the hut, fold it open, pop out the top, then pop out the two pairs of sides and the whole thing stands rigid. You then simply move it over holes you’ve drilled, position it to your liking, and peg down the corners.

 

The good-quality ice anchors are in a nicely-made folding pouch, with a separate loop for each peg. Also included are pegs and rope for tying the walls to stabilizing anchors for really windy conditions. The anchors screw into the ice easily and do not need pre-drilled holes. Apply some pressure for the first few turns until they grab and then they pull themselves in nicely.

 

The hut has plenty of room and to spare for chairs for two people, a full-size propane heater, a couple of holes and extra gear. The bulged walls mean plenty of elbow room that makes it feel bigger than a 6 x 6 hut. It would fit 3 people fairly comfortably.

 

The zippered door at one corner is well thought-out. Never once did we catch our boots stepping over the sill. The four plastic windows let in enough light and are at eye level if you’re sitting, so you can see your outside holes. There are also two ventilation ports. Position the door to the lee of the wind and you can leave it open, or partially open, too.

 

The construction and fabric seem sturdy enough for a lot of use.

 

Folding the hut is a breeze. Remove the anchors, pop in the two pairs of sides, then the top. When you’ve done that, the hut almost folds itself – you have to experience this part to believe it. Tie the folded hut with a Velcro strap (provided), and it slips back into its storage bag with minimum fuss. The bag has two padded shoulder straps if you want to carry it on your back. It weighs about 35 lb.

 

I doubt whether you could find a better hut of its type.

 

Kept a nice feed of perch from this outing.

 

 

 

 

 

[irishfield]

Thanks for the report Jocko !!

 

Now on that heater... ever so carefully turn the burner unit 90* and then you have a cook surface when you want lunch! .. and you can still have it upright to throw heat at you as well when you want.

 

Edited January 23, 2010 by irishfield

[tb4me]

id love one of these..The tackle shop here in Brantford has them..the price is inane..they want $565.00 for that same hut..They look so well built and the canvas is nice n thick

[johnnyb]

great report, Jocko....I'll bet you never thought it would be so good, eh?! I was a long time open-air ice fisherman...but now that I have a portable hut, I don't know why I held out so long

[Jer]

id love one of these..The tackle shop here in Brantford has them..the price is inane..they want $565.00 for that same hut..They look so well built and the canvas is nice n thick

 

 

If you can find a Costco with some still in stock, they were selling for less than $180.

[Jer]

I've got the same hut, Jocko, and just love it.

 

I've used mine three weekends in a row, we've become quite the pros at set-up and tear down. One tip I can offer is to peg down the corners of the windward side before popping the top and sides, It gives you something to pull against, then peg down the other two corners. We can be set-up and fishing less than five minutes after arriving at a spot. The most time consuming part is drilling the holes, I need a power auger.

[Twocoda]

ohhhhhhhh man those perch look good....im do for a feed....

[grt1]

just got one at costco in winnipeg for $179 plus tax it came to $201.

 

Cabelas had the smaller quickfish 2 for $229 .

[Jonny]

Thanks for the heater tip, Irish. I'll give that a try. It certainly throws enough heat to cook something.

 

Tb4me, the material is some kind of nylon, I think, but much thicker than tent nylon and looks to be double-layered. It gives the impression of being pretty tough stuff.

 

Johnnyb, you're right, I was skeptical about the quick setup claims but I can't see how it would be any easier and faster than this hut, without giving up some rigidity. I'll tell you, what really impressed me, besides the hut itself, is the ice anchors in their pouch. Good quality anchors laid out like one of those roll-open tool kits. Better than you would expect.

 

Jer, I'll keep in mind the anchoring tip when the conditions are windier or if I'm alone, thanks.

 

Grt1, I got mine at Costco in Sudbury in November for $179. At that price it's money well spent! I don't know if I'd go smaller, unless I did most of my fishing by myself. It's nice and roomy for two people (and gear) without them tripping over each other or getting in each other's way. It's the kind of hut you could fish in all day without feeling cramped. If you used it just as a warm-up shelter and had all your holes outside, it would easily seat 4 people plus have room for a heater. And the QF3 folds up into a bag only slightly bigger than you can get your hands around and less than 4 feet long.

Edited January 24, 2010 by Jocko

[NipissingTaco]

I have an eastman Ice-cube, I use a Mr Heater portable, if I'm not using disposable 1lb'ers I keep my 20 lb'er outside the hut and run the line under the bottom of the hut. I put the heater on a small piece of plywood. Very toasty, room for two holes, chair, milk crate table, Marcum VX 1 Pro flasher.... well you got it. This week CT has Sub Zero pop ups on sale, the same thing as the Ice-Cube. I'm going to get at least another year out of this old pop up, it is 5 years old now. One fiberglass rod inside split when I opened it up this year but I just wrapped camo duct tape around it, good as gold.