If we talk about one of the wonderful outdoor adventurous activities, I think ICE FISHING would be among top three in the queue and if we talk about gear list needed for this adventure, ICE FISHING SHELTER or verily called shanty would the first in the list.

Most of the anglers prefer ICE FISHING SHELTER to ICE FISHING TENT, because of certain unavoidable reasons and it is truly advisable to use shanties instead of tents.

ICE FISHING TENT are made of a fabric therefore unable to withstand the rugged wear and tear involved in ICE FISHING DESTINATIONS.

Secondly tent cannot withstand the heavy winds that sometime surpasses 30 mph at ICE FISHING DESTINATIONS. Such vigorous winds many a time overturn the ICE FISHING TENT and it is dangerous for anglers to take this risk because life is precious than any number of fish to be caught.

In addition it cannot protect you from cold even though it is made of double layered canvas fabric. Yes, it is less expensive, but still the risk involved is far greater than the money saved.

On the other hand ICE FISHING SHELTER mostly called shanty is sturdier towards abrasion, can easily withstand hefty gust of wind or snowstorm, able to keep you well-insulated and able to hold heat so that your fun may not be spoiled.

So in any good reason ICE FISHING SHELTER is advisable and preferable to be used once you make trip to conduct ICE FISHING.

So now we see what criteria may be adopted to select the BEST ICE FISHING SHELTER.

Looking into the particular purpose, the expert and veteran anglers see following things to be essentially fulfilled by any best ice fishing shelter;

The top must be totally sealed and waterproof.
Sufficient openings (with open/close option and mosquito net) must be given for vent.
Insulated or not (Subject to intensity of cold at Ice fishing destination).
Sturdier against abrasion, wear and tear.
Spacious to cover angler and his gears and other accessories.
Weight of shanty.
Easy to setup and quick to break down and packed plus its durability in repeated set ups and repacking without hardware failing.

Now let's see the 3 best ice fishing shelter that completely fulfills the criteria.

Eskimo Outbreak 450XD Limited Pop-up Portable Insulated Ice Fishing Shelter, 75 sq ft. Fishable Area, 4-5 Person

Made up of Polyester
Insulated
Spacious for 4 person and sufficient fishable area
Easy to setting up is easy and breaking down and packing is quick.
Abrasion resistant and durable
Withstand wind and hold heat
Waterproof
Enough openings
27 Kg Weight

Fits in criteria except slightly heavy in weight, but it is spacious for 4 persons so in this respect the weight is not too high. Its good to buy this item and have fun with your friends on ICE FISHING trip.

Eskimo FatFish Series Pop-Up Portable Ice Fishing Shelter

Fatfish 9416i (7-9 person) Insulated

Spacious for 7-9 person and sufficient fishable area
Insulated Quilted fabric which is 35% warmer than a comparable non-insulated shelter
Ease in set up, quick in breakdown and best in portability
Enough openings with 10 removable windows
Sturdy and Durable
Fully insulated
Weight 66 lbs

It is the best ICE FISHING SHELTER you can directly go for shopping without any second thought. Keep this noted that it is series of shelters in this category so go for style 'Fatfish 9416i (7-9 person) Insulated' because it is fully insulated and satisfy the criteria thoroughly.

Eskimo QuickFish Series Pop-Up Portable Ice Fishing Shelter

Style: Quickfish 2i (2 Person Insulated)

Set-up and take-down quick and easy
Shelter fits 2 people and has extra elbow room measuring 6.3ft x 6.3ft
FULLY-INSULATED
IQ Insulated Fabric which is 35% warmer than a comparable non-insulated shelter
Excellent in portability
Weight 31.35 lb

It should be noted that there are variants of this product insulated and non-insulated. The one we mentioned above is fully insulated with 2 persons occupancy style name Quickfish 2i (2 Person Insulated). However there are 2 more fully insulated variants having 3 persons (Quickfish 3i) and 6 persons (Quickfish 6i) occupancy. You can go for shopping according to your requirement of occupancy.

Let's make this amazing product part of your ICE FISHING gear list.

Intention is to write a series of articles defining all gear list items with best options. This series of ICE FISHING articles includes all you need for this adventure.

I believe that you will feel better in making choice out of these ICE FISHING SHELTER after reading this article.