# My Otter XTH Resort Hub



## RStock521 (Jul 17, 2008)

Figured I would post my first impressions of my new shanty that got delivered today. The box is huge, I'm 6' tall and it's a few inches taller than me. I didn't set it up until it was getting later in the evening, so I was only able to take the couple of pictures. I'll take some more over the weekend.

My comparison is against the Clam Bigfoot 1660 (non-insulated) that my buddy has. The fabric is much thicker on the Otter, that's for sure. I was setting it up as it was getting dark out unfortunately, but not much light (if any) seemed to be getting through the fabric. Much contrast to the Clam that allows all sorts of light in. I would say I would probably like the light to shine through better, but the fabric is so thick that it's just not possible. I'll take that compromise any day. There are 6 windows, so getting light inside shouldn't be an issue. I'll try it again once I have more daylight to work with.

The 1660 is taller, especially around the walls. Again, I'm 6' and my head hits the ceiling all around the perimeter. Not that big of a deal because I'll most likely be sitting in it when I'm fishing, but just something to note. The way I look at it, the less volume inside, the easier it will be to heat.

The ice anchors seem very nice and they fit in the Eskimo ice anchor tool perfectly, but I do wish they gave you nylon straps instead of string to tie it down with. The straps just seem heavier-duty to me, but again, not a deal breaker. The skirt is made out of thinner material than the rest of the shack, but should be sufficient out there in use.

They give you a little holder for your name/address which was a nice little surprise.

The bag seems very nice, but unfortunately, mine had a tear in the seam. I'm going to email Otter about this, but I'll chalk it up to a first production run mishap. I didn't buy the shanty because of the bag...

Now I'm in the market to buy a sled, can't decide on size and Otter Pro vs Sport. I'm more excited than ever for ice season and I can't wait to see how this thing performs out there. Feel free to let me know if you guys have any questions on it.


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## RStock521 (Jul 17, 2008)

Update on bag: Otter replied first thing this morning regarding the bag. They're sending me a new bag today and I told them I'll send them the faulty one back in their pre-paid postage box. I'm sure they'll look at it for QC purposes.


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## revpilot (Feb 10, 2009)

Good to hear . I've always had good service from Otter myself . They sent me parts overnight last year . I just wish CanvasCraft still made their shells and covers .


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## FISHIN 2 (Jun 22, 2005)

Sounds like if you want a sled that the otter will fit inside, with a cover and you will definitely need a cover, you shuld choose the otter pro magnum or at least the magnum size, your taking 86 inches in length however. Not sure if just the large sled would be long enough for em. Bass pro has a lot of their ice stuff listed already and I believe a magnum sled was 159.00, not a bad deal.


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## RStock521 (Jul 17, 2008)

Yeah, I'm assuming the shack is going to hang over the sled, I'll just have to bungee it down. When on the ATV, we may even lay it across the top rack. That's what we did with our buddies last year and it seemed to work well. Basically I'll need the sled for all of the other stuff: heater, rods, bait, lures, Lowrance.... The auger and shanty we can be creative and mount on the machine. When pulling by hand, I won't worry about it flying out.


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