I’ve fished out of A LOT of ice fishing tents (or hubs) in the wintertime. Nowadays, there’s a lot of great flip over ice house and pop up tent options. But I’ve found what I think is my personal favorite, and that’s the Eskimo ice fishing tents that stand out to me. Here’s why…
Eskimo Ice Fishing Tents Pros
- It’s HUGE – They boast the dimensions at 115″ x 115″ and elbow room of 122″ x 122″ (I’m assuming they’re measuring with the pop-outs). It’s also 78″ tall. Not too shabby. It’s advertised as a 5-7 person ice fishing tent but I think that’s pushing it (for any hub in my opinion). I like to have ROOM, so this will work for 3 to 4 people ideally.
- It’s WARM – We use a Big Buddy by Mr. Heater and it heats it just fine. The fabric is insulated, which is a must in north country.
- It has REMOVABLE WINDOWS – Why companies are still making ANY ice house without removable windows is beyond me. When they crack…you can replace them…BRILLIANT!
- Easy Setup – But to be fair, most ice fishing tents setup the same and are pretty easy. I highly recommend using an Eskimo power drill ice anchor adaptor for QUICKLY drilling in your ice anchors.
- Great Zippers – They use a large zippers. Do I need to say more???
- Lots of Windows – 10 to be exact, and when they’re all covered it’s DARK in there.
Eskimo Ice Fishing Tents Cons
- The Carrying Bag Sucks – That’s right, I said it…it sucks. It’s just too small, in my opinion. It takes 2 people to get that into the bag, and it does take a few minutes for sure.
- Some Windows Don’t Align Well – This may be anal, but I’ve noticed some of the removable windows don’t perfectly align. Not enough to let air through, but enough to notice.
There’s a ton of things to like about this ice house, and after using it you’ll probably understand why. If you’re trying to be mobile, I highly recommend having a strap to wrap around the entire house (with velcro) so you can fold it up quickly and take it on the go. Forget shoving it in and out of the bag, it’ll just slow you down. I use an Otter XL sled to transport the hub and gear behind my ATV.
I only have one video of the Eskimo ice fishing tent in action, see below (some explicit language – warning).
