Continuation of Shelter building...

[Caddfly]

During my Operations Managment I figured I'd do something useful and start making a list of what I'll need to build my ice shelter. Two questions soon came to my head:

1) I thought about sewing together 5 tarps to make a shell that would fit perfectly over the frame. Will tarp hold up fine (I'm thinking about putting a strip of canvas or like material on top of seam to strengthen and prevent from ripping) or should I look for a canvas material to make the whole thing out of? Then again, canvas is a whole lot heavier.

2) For two people, will 6' x 6' base be enough room? That will be 8.5' from corner to corner. What are the dimensions of some of larger shelters that you all use?

CADDFLY
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[BEARCLAW]

I have a 7X7 polar ice shelter (tent style). I would say thats a minimum for two people and their gear, chairs, heater, etc....
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[DKSRenegade]

Ice shelters are normally rectangular not square. This is a more efficient shape unless you want to put 4 people back to back. I have had poor luck using the plastic tarps for anything that I want to last. Cordura or canvas will last a lot longer, but you may be able to buy a shelter as cheap as making one out of these materials. I have seen several nylon type tents on the ice and they look to work ok. They can also be found for a cheap price. Now you will also need a sled to haul everything in, so there is more money that could go toward just buying one. Just some food for thought DKS.
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[FishingWaters]

I built one to pull behind a snowmobile with an aluminum floor. I used 1/2” metal conduit to hold up a blue tarp. I even put a zipper in the door and a few windows. The tarp lasted 2 years the third year I have a few small window or fresh air holes. I was going to buy some canvas to cover it until I realized that I could buy a tent for the cost of the canvas. I would try using the gray tarps they are not as cheap as the blue one but they do last longer. I ended up buying a popup work tent for work so I could work in the rain and snow and it works great for ice fishing.
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