During the holidays I bought a portable ice shelter. I think the Gorilla Ice Cube, shelter for 4 people. I did some research and looked at a few different ice lodges 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 the regular price, so that was a bonus! After trying the Ice Cube, I think paying full price would not have been a problem for me. It’s a good size, I can stand on it with no problem and it seats 4 people. I tried it first with 2 people 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 reaching my spot on the river, I unpacked the shelter and began the simple 1-2-3 setup. At first I tried to install it in my garage to know what I was getting into and I’m glad I did. Setting it up is easy, but at first you have to get used to it. The instructions are simple, but it took a bit of getting used to. You think you are going to break this when installing it, but the posts are very strong and can hold 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 out” all the sides. Oh, first you need to anchor in a corner with the screw in ice anchor to make sure it doesn’t slip out. This is done in windy conditions, but I didn’t need to do it, as I just stepped on a corner and stopped, then went side to side, took out the sides, because there was no wind at the time.
After the ice cube is up, place it where you want. Once this is done, place it 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 loop the strap around the anchor. Holds the shelter very well. Now you’re good to go ice fishing!
Once the ice cube 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 up 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 on the roof to make sure enough air gets in with the propane heater running. Also, the black color attracts the sun and makes you warmer, which I liked.
Now I fished for about 4 hours and it was great! My wife and I the first time we went 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!
The disassembly was very easy 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 in all, I couldn’t have gone wrong buying the Ice Cube. It is a very good product and withstands Canadian winters!