# Shanty Comparisons: Clam Style vs Pop-Ups



## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Still researching shanties. Who has experience with both styles, (Clam, Flip Type & Pop Ups)?  Pro's & Cons, Pluses & Minuses of each style.

Which do you prefer?


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## swantucky (Dec 21, 2004)

The convience of a flipover is hard to beat. It keeps you very mobile. They also outperform the "tent" style in high winds. The tent style are a little roomier and weigh less but I love my pro.


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## chaunc (Apr 11, 2004)

me too. I have both. There's a shappell for sale on the fisherie board for $80. If i didn't already have one, i'd get that one for that price.


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## capt S (Sep 5, 2007)

it depends on how much storage room you have too. the pop-up styles fold down flat and the flip-over styles take up more room.


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## peon (Feb 28, 2005)

i have a pop up frabill and wish i had a clam flip style one... i like my shanty alot but its not mobile at all and when you put your gear on top of the shanty/ sled when folded up it dont stay on top of the sled well.. as a clam flip shanty is a deep style sled when not in use...


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## bassmastermjb (Apr 8, 2004)

Icebucket, you can probably answer the question youself.How much gear do you take out on the ice?I have a bucket for my rods,tackle box, larve bait, scooper, extra towels, gloves and hat, another bucket if you are going to be taking fish home with you, bucket of minnows, auger, lantern or heater with extra can of gas,small shovel,thermos and munchies,vexilar, Aqua-view or both with an extra battery.This will not fit on top of a clam pop-up style shanty.I have seen guys make a frame for the top of the sled so thier gear doesn't fall off, but they're not efficient enough.You will then need to unpack the complete mess, set up the shanty and pull everything back inside with you.This is where the flipovers come in.All the gear stays in the sled until you need it, it's a lot less hastle.One more big thing to consider.........I was at Presque Isle a couple years back in 50 mph winds.Walked all the way to the channel, me and my buddy could not set the Clam 5600 up.We tried for 30 minutes but the wind was just too strong.We decided to walk all the way back to shallower water where the trees were breaking some of the wind.The whole walk back we were passing guys fishing and everyone of them was fishing in a flipover. Just my 2 cents.......I now own 2 different sized flipover shanties.


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## PapawSmith (Feb 13, 2007)

I just bought a Shappell 4000 from Wannabiteawerm and it's great. However I will use it primarily when fishing with my wife or a friend so i have a second person to pull my ice box full of gear. Also, I can set it in about 2 minutes but in a 50 mile p/hr wind i would probably lose my mind in about that same 2 minutes and kick the crap out of it just before it blew away. If I were to fish alone, no question i would buy a clam type. In fact next year I will buy one just so I can.
So there is the answer, buy one of each.


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## hardwaterfan (Apr 6, 2004)

i agree with everyone but heres my 3 cents. one advantage that i could think of with a pop style is that the floor is somewhat insulated because the plastic covers the ice. in a flip type the floor area is half open. (half ice/half tub) and also some guys love the headroom. but for me a flip is the way to go.

theres a lot to consider when picking a shanty, you have to get one that fits you. sometimes things arent necessarily "good" or "bad" but rather a trade off. for example:

more room - more heat needed from a heater
more room - heavier/bulkier, need to consider hauling and storage in the off season
more durable - heavier

also consider the $$$ trade off but you should think of it as an investment.

i love the flip type that i have (a clam pro) and would always go with a small flip type because it matches the way i fish. (usually alone, always pulling by hand, and moving around a lot....it only takes seconds to set up a flip and you dont have to line up ice holes with the base like in a pop up. im not sure exactly how its done but theres slots for the ice holes)

for someone who fishes with lots of people and likes a lot of room and pulls a shanty for miles with a quad, that might be the wrong shanty for that person. but my Dad and I used a flip - type voyager (huge shanty) for years and that was a great shanty. PappaScott is the owner of that shanty now. because it got to be too much for my dad to deal with, now we both have pros.

theres so many out there, in the last year it seems like theres twice as many to choose from. 

good luck with your search, sorry to hear youll be laid up and off the ice for a while. good time to do some window shopping. fish trap/clams website is loaded with info for you. when you lay your eyes on the right shanty, youll know it. 

here it is:

http://www.clamcorp.com


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## Zfish (Apr 5, 2004)

I've had both and I have to say hands down a flip over is the way to go. The one thing about the flip overs being 1/2 tub and 1/2 ice.... Take a rubber car mat with you for your feet and issue solved  I usually carry the following and it all fits in my fish trap pro.

Vexilar or 2
Tackle box (6 bins)
Mr Buddy Heater
Munchies
5 gal bucked 
4 Rods 
Auger
and some other things I'm sure I'm forgetting. Trying to haul that on the pop ups is not fun


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Nice tip Z about the rubber mat. will have to bring one along even if without a shanty.


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## mrphish42 (Jan 24, 2008)

John, hope your recovering well from your surgery,, every post has covered just about every point of fact that you need to consider... I am older and find that extra weight of flip overs ( Guide Series ) which I own, to be much harder to pull when there is snow on the ice, than the effort it takes to pull my older (19 year's) pop-up Frabill, which spreads out the weight factor and just glides over the snow and does not plow it. If I go with someone else..... no contest,,, flip overs are topp's..... good health to your future as well as good fishin........Jon Sr.


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## Buckeye Mike (Jan 4, 2007)

I have 1 of the first Fish Traps, blue top & plastic base, that Dave Genz came out with and love it. It is the 1 man, and all i can ask for in a shanty, easy up, easy down. If i was looking for 1 now, and know what i allready know about the Fish Trap, i would buy another.


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## Zfish (Apr 5, 2004)

Icebucket, you're more than welcome. Actually a guy I met off of here taught me that trick and was the main reason for me getting into ice fishing years ago. I usally keep 1 or 2 of the car mats in the shanty and just leave it in the sled. Im talking about the thick rubber mats from walmart for the front of your car. They're only like 7 or 8 bucks a piece and they're very thick and have the grooves in them... If your heater is on and melts anything on your shoes the water just goes into that instead of refreezing on the ice and making it more slick.


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## joewallguy (Jan 18, 2008)

I got the Pack Shack 3 for X-mas. It has it's pro's and con's.

Pro's
-extreamly light and easy to set up and down.
-tons of room for 2 (tight with 3)
-comfortable chairs
-on nice days you can fish with it open


Con's
-vaunerable to high wind(had to modify it to hold her down)
-dont know how well she will hold up(not very durable)
-no floor


Over all I guess I like it. With a heater and something to keep your feet off the ice it is surprisingly warm and functional. When I go by myself(whitch happens alot) it is very conveinent.

For the $170 bucks Im not sure it's worth it. I'll determin that after a good bit of use and after having her out on THE BIG LAKE a few times.


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## toboso (Apr 14, 2004)

I love my one-man Trap. I learned the rubber mat idea from the same guy as Zfish. A little "floor" goes a long way--even with the top down. This is true even while bucket fishing. I also need the extra leg room a flip style affords. I can configure my holes in many ways to accomodate the placement of tools (Vex, heater, lantern, etc.).

Mobility is crucial much of the time and being able to make relatively small movements without a big hassle keeps me from getting lazy or complacent. I often leave the top down unless I need the shade or heat but the functionality of the shanty makes fishing more efficient & enjoyable. Adding skis (even simple wooden runners) to the flip style sled (or any sled) makes a world of difference in the way it tows.

One minor advantage in my mind is for mental comfort--I like being able to flip the lid & exit the shanty in an instant in case of emergency: heater/lantern malfunction, wind sailing, thin ice, etc. I feel a somewhat trapped (isn't that ironic?) in pop-up styles.


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

Used the 2 man by Dave Genz this year. Love it! Easy to put up and get out of for chasing tip-ups.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Looks like a flip-up is the way to go for my kind of ice fishing. Now the hard part is deciding which brand & size... Clam, Eskimo, Frabil, Otter, etc....


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## mrphish42 (Jan 24, 2008)

John, Like Jig, I also have the Two Man "Dave Gentz" Trap Guide Series and if its comfort and room (like fishing in your living room).... go for it man, But I get the feeling that you fish more often by yourself and probably one of one man traps would be best.............. You'll totaly love fishing with all that comfort..........There are several mfg's... so do me a favor (and yourself) call Mark(bassmasterjmb) at 330-221-5213............ the man has some gear at his place and should be able to get you the right price......for what you need good fishing to you........JonSr.


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## lumpyman (Sep 11, 2007)

i have both frabill pop up that is a pain dave genz 2 man fish trap both have there place. the fish trap was a real pain in the wind, otherwise it was a lot quicker to set up hauled way more stuff,easier to load unload things.i bought the trap after several years of pop up styles .the pop up holds heat much better last week on buckeye the wind really blew no snow on the ice to tuck in around fish trap it was blowing and bucking out of control all i could think of was being on erie freezing with this setup. but in all fairness i take the trap everytime unless winds are over 20 miles an hour that seems to be the switchover point. i also took1/2 inch plywood some scrap marine carpet made small square floors for the trap put 1by1 pine around perimeter of floor drilled carpet to edge of trap left 6 inches of play in carpet works great gives you something to get your feet up off the ice plus it seals the problem area on the floor where the hinge is really cuts down on the draft


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Yeah, mrphish42, I've been in contact with Mark via e-mails. Since I'm still recovering from my surgery, I'll most likely take a ride to see Mark withiin the next 2 weeks. Evenso, I think my ice fishing season is already kaput b/c I dont want to risk further injury by pressing my ice fishing season. 

Hey, I was delighted to spend 2 full days at Old State Park (Turkeyfoot at Portage Lakes) catching a few fish. Even though the gills were sporadic, I saw more LMB's caught in 2 days out there than I've ever seen in 40 yrs of hard water fishing. I also lost the largest LMB I've ever had on a line during the 2nd day. Nice memories, but hope to make more next season.

If nothing else, I may walk out and check some guys ice, but I wont be wetting any more lines thru holes this season.


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## mrphish42 (Jan 24, 2008)

John..... just got home and saw your post.... either way I'm glad you got in touch with mark......... he really does have some great deals at his place...... I dont work for him ( but do believe in sending business his way) because with todays prices everyone deserves a bargain. Tell you what. I only live 2 miles from him and I'll tell him to call me when you go to his shop... I would like to meet you and who knows, maybe next season (God willing) we can cut a few holes thru the ice ....share some stories and catch some fish.... together. Speedy recovery.. to you. Jon Sr.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

Sounds good Mike. here's my email also: [email protected]


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