During the holidays I bought a portable ice shelter. I think the Gorilla Ice Cube, shelter for 4 people. I did research and looked at a few different ice shelters and chose the Ice Cube. So this is my personal review after trying it ice fishing on a river.
First of all, the price was right! It was on sale for $100 off regular price so that was a bonus! After trying the Ice Cube, I think paying regular price would not have been a problem for me. It is a good size, I can stand on it without any problem and it can accommodate 4 people. I tried it with 2 people first and had plenty of room to move around and have some gear inside. The second time I used it was with 2 adults and 1 child and there was still enough space. For a center height of 91″x91″x80″, it has plenty of room, because looking at it you wouldn’t believe it.
The Ice Cube comes in a nice carry bag, with straps to carry it behind your back. Hard to believe that this shelter is this bag! So after I got to my place on the river, I unpacked the shelter and started the simple 1-2-3 setup. At first I tried to install it in my garage so I knew what I was getting myself into and I’m glad I did. Setting it up is easy, but it takes some getting used to at first. The instructions are straightforward, but it took a bit of getting used to. You think you are going to break this when you install it, but the posts are very strong and can take a lot when you install it.
The first thing is to unfold it with the top piece up, pull hard on the eye, then go to each side and “pull” all the sides. Oh, first you have to anchor in a corner with the screw on ice anchor to make sure it doesn’t slip away. This is done in windy conditions, but I didn’t need to, as I just stepped into a corner and stopped, then went side to side, pulled the sides out, because there was no wind at the time.
After the ice cube is up, place it wherever you want. Once this is done, put it on and now fix it to the ice on all 4 sides with the adjustable straps and ice anchors. Simply screw the ice anchors into the ice and place the strap around the anchor. Holds up the shelter very well. Now you’re good to go ice fishing!
Once the ice bucket is up and anchored you can now open the 2 windows to let in some light. Now I dig my holes, clean up the slush, set out my gear and chair, and start fishing. It was -20 degrees so I turned on my space heater which made it quite comfortable after about 20 minutes. There is an air vent in the roof to make sure you get enough air with the propane heater running. Also, the black color attracts the sun and gives you more heat, which I liked.
Now I fished for about 4 hours and it was great! My wife and I first time out and then us and our granddaughter the next time. There was plenty of room for all of us and the Ice Cube withstood the Manitoba winter. I am impressed with the Ice Cube and should have bought one a long time ago as it also allows you to move to where the fishing is hot!
Disassembly was a breeze and on the first try I managed to fit the shelter into the storage bag. After a few more times, setting it up and taking it down is easy. All things considered, I couldn’t have gone wrong buying the Ice Cube. It is a very good product and can withstand Canadian winters!
