If you are looking for flexibility in your ice fishing house, Clam’s Fish Trap Guide model is a good option to consider. It has enough room to comfortably fit two fishermen, but is also relatively lightweight and mobile when collapsed, so if you plan an ice fishing expedition on your own, you can still bring the Fish Trap Guide and use the extra space for your ice fishing gear. For $320, it is moderately priced for its size.

The Fish Trap Guide is 83 inches by 61 inches at the base, and 61 inches tall in the center. It collapses down to 61 inches long, 36 inches wide, and 21 inches tall. At only 82 pounds, the Fish Trap Guide is very light for its size.

Again, the main advantage of having a Fish Trap Guide is its flexibility, which is probably why it is the best selling collapsible ice fishing shelter in history. The two seats are independently removable, so if you are mounting an ice fishing expedition on your own you can remove one seat so you have more room for fishing equipment. The biggest fishermen are more comfortable in the Fish Trap Guide than smaller models such as the Fish Trap Scout. The innovative bench system also allows for the option of one adult and two children.

The Fish Trap Guide follows the flip-over style of packing, as opposed to the suitcase varieties. Shelters made in this style are usually harder to move from place to place, because they are usually heavier and collapse into large, awkward dimensions, but faster and easier to assemble once they are at the site. Also, flip-over styled ice fishing shelters come with a bench, so you will not have to pack anything to sit on if you bring the Fish Trap Guide, whereas with the suitcase design you would always have to carry a seat along with your shelter. Another characteristic of the flip-over style of collapsible ice fishing shelter is that shelters made in that style have compartments for your gear even when they are collapsed, which means that you don’t have to leave all your gear on top of your shelter when you are moving around. People with the suitcase style of ice fishing shelter are often frustrated when some of their equipment slides off the top of their collapsed shelter and gets lost. Because the flip-over design is more sturdy, and attached to the bench people sit on when they are fishing in it, shelters made in this style rarely have to be anchored to bare ice, whereas shelters made in the suitcase style must always be anchored or they are likely to be blown away.

A good thing to keep in mind is that the plastic runners that come on the bottom of the packed Fish Trap Guide are low quality and will quickly wear out. If you buy the Fish Trap Guide, it is highly advisable to either buy some runners to install over the ones that come on the Fish Trap Guide or make some yourself.