New Product; Frabill Arctic Caboose
Category: new products
Jan 2nd, 2006 by OutdoorsFIRST
Modified Jan 2nd, 2006 at 12:00 AM
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The Frabill Arctic Caboose hitch-mounted in travel mode
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Frabill introduced the hitch mounted Arctic Caboose portable ice shanty this fall, creating quite a bit of anticipation from the ice anglers who spend much of each season driving a 4 Wheel Drive SUV or pickup on their favorite iced over waters. I received a call from Mark Gostisha from Frabill and within a few days, was putting the Caboose together on my porch.Assembly wasnt as bad as anticipated, but pay attention to the extra sheet ‘addendum’ for the hitch assembly, read that first and itll save you time disassembling and reassembling the hitch bar.
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The Frabill Arctic Caboose deployed
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The Caboose handles easily with two, but can be a bit heavy for one person. The hitch bar slides into your trucks hitch receiver, easily locking the unit on board. The hitch rocks a bit in transport, but no more than any other hitch mounted assembly Ive used. The fact the unit is carried on the hitch leaves the cargo area of your truck or SUV with much more room for gear!The zip/strap cover keeps the unit clean and dry, and free of road dirt and slush. The cover takes just a moment to remove and replace, about the time it used to take for me to get my Ranger up into the pickup box. The hitch bar is held in place horizontally with a pin. Set the leg height on all four corners with lock pins and use the leg pivot pins to lock them in place, pull the pin holding the shack up, and drop her on her legs. Set the pin in place locking the assembly down on the ice, deploy the tent and you are ready to fish. The base of the shack is a heavy material, tough and rigid. It creates a base for the new Frabill padded seats, which are mounted on swivels. Theres a fair amount of space behind the seats to put your gear while fishing, and two really well placed cargo net storage pockets sewed into both sides of the rear inside of the shack. Windows are removable, and are even coverable when in place with the storm flaps. Excellent placement of Velcro straps and tabs keeps the windows, cover, and all fabric in place and tight.
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The Frabill Arctic Caboose deployed
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Room inside is exceptional, allowing two anglers plenty of leg, shoulder, and head room. Standing up inside the unit is no problem, as the Frabill Arctic Caboose offers a 6 roof height. Front and side windows offer good outside visibility. One can flip up the top of the unit to exit, or use the large zippered front door. Both methods are fast and easy to use. The open ice area in front of the seats is plenty for two jigging holes and a lantern or heater.The Frabill Arctic Caboose is a pleasure to use. I found it to be very convenient, comfortable, and most importantly, EASY to deploy and store. If you move around on the ice by truck or SUV, you need a Frabill Arctic Caboose on your hitch!For more information,please see:www.frabill.com