Product Review: The Otter Sled

I’ve used a lot of sleds over the years.  From ice fishing to trapping, shuffling gear to backcountry camps and working around the farm, sleds are critical to getting the job done in the winter months.  My first sled was a Shappel Jet Sled – a fine product for the price, but the plastic wore out after just one season of hard use and the sled pretty much fell apart.  My buddy has a Viking Sport Sled that he uses for ice fishing and trapping.  It’s okay.

I picked up a calf sled for $30 at a farm auction and put together a homemade hitch from parts salvaged from the dump.  Years later I’m still using the thing.  It’s heavy duty but too small for most of the jobs I need to do and places I go, so it doesn’t get used as much.

Other sleds have come and gone, but none have impressed me like the Otter.  Otter sleds are the toughest on the market and are built to last.  Designed for heavy use, they are built using a process called roto-molding, which produces a single-piece uniform construction of heavy duty polyethylene.  The sleds are rugged but light.  You’ll pay more, but if you plan to really use a sled, buy an Otter and you’ll pay only once.

While the Otter sleds come in a variety of sizes, I prefer the bigger sleds because I never seem to have enough room to fit all of what I’m hauling in small sleds.  In my view, the best package is probably the large or magnum Otter Pro Sled with the tow hitch, travel cover and hyfax kit.  The hitch is a must when towing, and is extremely well built.  The cover keeps snow out of whatever you’re transporting, and the hyfax kit is a set of runners that make the sled more stable and serve as wear parts to protect the bottom of the sled from ground wear.  This package will tow large loads with ease.

If you use tow sleds frequently in the snow and on ice and can afford the investment, Otter sleds are the way to go.