Check Out This UTV Ice Shanty Patent

We found a patent application recently for a UTV ice shanty that we thought was interesting and innovative enough to share with you. You can check out the patent for yourself here.

This shelter is housed in the bed of a UTV and expands much like the slide outs you’d find on an RV. By keeping everything compact while it’s not deployed, the UTV ice shanty looks to have much less of an effect on the UTV itself.

When deployed, the ice shanty expands out horizontally, then again vertically until it reaches the ground, providing an L-shape.

The maximum height is actually a touch lower than the top of the UTV in the patent drawings, so standing upright could be a challenge for many of us taller folks.

The inventor, Todd M. Huntimer, looks to have made this as mobile ice fishing shelter. That is pretty cool in itself, but it would appear there are other applications. Imagine having an expandable trailer attached to your UTV? You could spend a weekend camping trip and stay a lot more protected than you would be with a tent.

Our only real concern is how it will affect the performance of the UTV itself. The UTV ice shanty will not only add significant weight to the vehicle, but it would also alter the center of gravity. This could make the UTV less stable.

Regardless, we love seeing smart people designing cool products and the UTV ice shanty fits the bill perfectly. Hopefully this product eventually comes to market and we can see how it works for ourselves.