It’s late July and summer is beginning to wind down. If you haven’t taken your wheelhouse camping yet, it’s a great time to get it out on the road and find a place to set up for the weekend or even longer. Wheelhouse manufacturers are building increasingly more creature comforts into their designs and today’s ice fishing houses are no longer limited to use on the ice. Many of them are truly year-round models with features like full kitchens and baths, air conditioning, and entertainment systems. Here are some of the big advantages of summer camping in an ice fishing house.

Wheelhouses Are Trailers First

Want to bring extra gear on the trip? Your wheelhouse can handle a lot of equipment. If you have a toy hauler model, bring along an ATV, kayak, or a small boat or canoe. Plenty of room exists for fishing rods, tackle boxes, or hiking gear. Want to just kick back for the weekend? Toss in some coolers, lawn chairs, and even a hammock. Instead of driving an extra vehicle on our camping trips, we can throw everything we need in the wheelhouse and hit the road in one truck.

Easy Leveling

Ice fishing houses are designed to be dropped down. If you have a hydraulic house, leveling couldn’t be easier. Push a button and let the magic happen. If you have hand cranks it’s a little more work but still very simple to drop the house once you’re in place. Speaking of dropping… this is another major advantage of wheelhouses over campers. Most campers, especially bigger models have a set of stairs to traverse before entering the camper. When camping with a fish house, simply drop it down at the site and step in easily all weekend long.

A Refuge From The Northwoods

My wheelhouse doesn’t have a bathroom or even a refrigerator. But it does have a range, a television, and most importantly for the summer, air conditioning. While I don’t have the features in the top-of-the-line models, I have a place to escape the rain, wind, and mosquitos. After years of camping in a big tent, having a dry and secure place to sleep, cook, and just relax at the end of the day is nice.

Preparation For Ice Season

My favorite part of camping in a wheelhouse is simply spending time in the house. I get to see what is missing and what I can probably do without. You find out where the cup holders should be placed. Maybe you don’t have enough toilet paper or trash bags in the house. It’s nice to find out what you need before ice season. I’d rather discover that the sail switch on the furnace has gone bad on a 50-degree night in late August than when it’s -5 in December. Hydraulic issues or even just burned-out tail lights are much easier to service before the snow falls.

If you haven’t put your wheelhouse on the road since last ice season, head out for adventure. It will be a nice respite from the daily grind and it will put you one step closer to enjoying your fish house this winter.