Shappell Wide House 5500

5 Points on why the 

Shappell Wide House 5500 Hub Ice Shelter

works for me.

The hub style ice shelters are an ice fisherman's dream. Hub means that at the center of each of the 5 walls (no floor) there is a hub. This allows the walls to pop out and support the structure. There are many different brands, some of them are very similar and some are difference.Shappell WH4500 Wide House is a great setup for me and here is why:

1. First of all, I love to move. I generally walk onto the ice and this fits perfectly into my Shappell Jet Sled 1 - ATC with my auger. It also has straps on the carry bag which allow it to be carried like a backpack. I am 5'8" and carrying this way does not work as it is too long and my heels hit it as I walk. When I have had an overloaded sled, I have been able to carry it over one should with success, more like a duffel bag. However, with a little work puzzling everything into my sled, allows me to not have to carry it. Mobility is important to me.

An hour of marking no fish on the sonar makes me dread the next hour. So I look at the lake chart and make my move. Popping in the hubs and moving is very simple and I can be set up again in just a few minutes. 

2. The windows. Some hub-style houses have very few windows. This one has plenty! Yeah sure, they still fog up, but they have Velcro holding them in. Need to check a flag, not problem even if the window is fogged up.  They are also at just the right height. Sitting on my bucket and looking out is not a problem at all. Doing some night fishing, or too bright to see your sonar. Not a problem as you can cover up each window from the inside. 

3. The material seems to be very rugged. I have had this for about 2.5 years and the outside is still in pristine condition. The inside is black, and their are some light dots showing up where the inside coating is scratching away or where ice has stuck to it during the tow back to shore while it was folded up. It is minute amounts of light and allows no wind to come through. 

4. The trickiest aspect to hub shelters is getting them staked into the ice (via ice anchors) before erecting the entire pop-up. It comes with 4 anchors, which is still all I use today. During windier days I will only stake in three anchors and use the fourth to run a line from windward hub to the fourth stake. I have been out in some pretty harsh conditions with winds gusting over 30mph and it has not budged with that setup. Without that hub staked in, though, a side can get pushed in which can cause some chaos for the items inside nearest that wall.

The base of the shelter has a wide amount of material that extends from the wall, outward. This is great for kicking some snow onto to provide extra insulation from that wind. If there is no snow, the wind will take some of the heat through the floor. I have found that one small heater does the trick to have you sitting in comfort even with the wind. 

5. Hub quality is legit. If one of the hubs breaks, I am not sure it would be worth fixing. I don't treat my toys nice. I bought them to use and that's what I do. The hubs are going strong and I hope they will into the future.The hub-style house also provides a lot of elbow room. 

Is the Shappell WH4500 Wide House right for you? Well, you have to decide that for yourself based on your needs and limitations. I have enjoyed this Shappell WH4500 Wide House Hub Ice Shelter since I purchased it. It is not the least expensive house on the market, but its not the cheapest one either. If quality is important, the few extra dollars is well worth it. The hubs are well built and the material is sturdy. I hope to be warming up in this shelter for many years to come. 

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