In Business: Pine River Father and Son Develop ‘Go Full Tilt’ Ice Shelter

This winter, many Minnesotans hope to return to a normal ice fishing season. A Pine River father and son believe they have developed something that will allow anglers to set up more quickly at their favorite spots, and they call it the Go Full Tilt Rapid Deployment Shelter.

Lee Johnson is an avid fisherman. In his experience, he has found that many ice fishing trailers could be improved upon. Some of his problems were the fabric used in conventional trailers and other issues with portables. This led him to develop a portable shelter that was mobile and easy to set up.

“I decided to do one or try to develop one that would still be completely comfortable under any conditions,” said Lee. “It’s fully insulated, hard-sided, and I wanted something real easy to set up, easy to move. Allows you to be real portable and go anywhere you want to on the lake.”

Go Full Tilt is designed to be lightweight. This lack of bulk, along with the ease of setting it up and breaking it down, is meant to allow anglers to extend their ice fishing seasons and navigate through virtually any area of a lake.

“Getting out on early ice, staying late in the season when other mobile-type fish houses aren’t able to get it out there,” added Lee’s father, Alan Johnson. “The approaches to lakes, the landings can be very challenging for a lot of units. This one can go virtually anywhere.”

The rapid deployment shelter is still just a prototype, but the feedback that the Johnsons have heard has been very encouraging so far.

“It’s definitely have been a real positive feedback that we’re hearing, especially from people who are real serious fishermen,” Alan stated. “People even say, ‘Oh, I’m selling my other side-by-side and getting one that I could put this on.’ But we’re just looking for that feedback and that reaction and how people, you know, what they think of it.”

The Johnsons have been working on this project for about five years in their free time. The ever-flowing tinkering and adjustments require attention, and whenever work is needed, the Johnsons see it as family time.

“Well, it’s been a big, important factor of the whole process to me, personally,” Alan said. “And we’re lucky because I have two sons and they both live right within a half mile of us and we have access to the grand kids and to the sons. And I’ve worked with both of them on the various projects and I feel fortunate that we’ve had that opportunity.”

The Johnsons expect a few more years could pass before they find a manufacturer. If you wish to learn more about the Go Full Tilt Rapid Deployment Shelter, the Johnson’s would love to hear from you. You can email [email protected] for more information.