If you and one friend are planning an ice fishing expedition, one option for a collapsible ice fishing shelter is Clam’s Fish Trap X2. It goes for about seven hundred dollars, which is a little pricier than most Clam ice fishing shelters, but the Fish Trap X2 features more space and is of better quality than many of the other options on the market. This two-person shelter is 90 by 72 inches at the base, and 75 inches tall in the center, providing plenty of room to sit comfortably and enough room for most people to stand up straight. Its packed dimensions are 75 inches long, 42 inches wide, and 25 inches tall. At 145 pounds, the Fish Trap X2 is a little awkward to move on to or off of the sled or truck, but given that it was designed for two people, it would be safe to assume that whoever is setting the shelter up has some help. The difficulty in setting up the Fish Trap X2 is entirely a result of its weight, because once it is where you need it to be, the setup is simple and straightforward.

The Fish Trap X2 is a flip-over style portable shelter, as opposed to the suitcase variety. While the flip-over style is generally more expensive than its counterpart, it usually takes more time to set up the suitcase variety of portable shelter. Also, the flip-over style always features a built-in bench, whereas people who bring a suitcase style shelter also have to bring something to sit on. Some people prefer the suitcase variety because it is usually lighter, and its packed dimensions are less awkward, but those people also have to bring more ice fishing gear, such as a seat, which increases both the weight and the volume of their gear. So in terms of how easy the shelter is to set up, the flip-over style is better in that it has a built in bench and the design makes setup quick and simple, but worse in that it is much heavier and takes up more space when it is collapsed.

Another difference between the suitcase and flip-over varieties of ice shelters that it is important to consider when you are thinking about purchasing the Fish Trap X2 is that the flip-over models have compartments for your gear, whereas the gear is just supposed to sit on top of the suitcase models. This means that some gear can slide off of the suitcase variety of shelter when you’re moving around, which causes a lot of gear to get lost. With the flip-over variety of ice shelter, losing gear is not nearly as big of a concern. Also, since the flip-over style is much heavier, the Fish Trap X2 will only have to be anchored to the ice if there is very strong wind. Suitcase ice shelters must always be anchored to bare ice. Finally, the insulation around the bottom of the shelter in flip-over shelters is usually not as good as that of the suitcase shelters, which causes some people to complain of colder feet in the flip-over style.