It depends on the weather and your own personal preference if you want an insulated ice fishing shelter. If you're someone that will be ice fishing in the fairer weather of winter, like those sunny, above freezing kind of days, then you'll be just fine without an insulated shelter. Also, if you don't want to spend extra on the insulated shanties, and save a little money then that is just fine. As discussed in the article above, the shanties that didn't have insulated walls still retained heat just as well as the ones that were insulated. It's all about the material and the quality of construction. No matter what, an ice shelter is designed to keep you protected from the elements, so they will always do just that. Also, since most people will be using some sort of heater in their shelter as well, then the insulation isn't as big of an issue.