ATC Panther or Ocelot?

T

Tuff Guy 62

Senior Member
Joined
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Messages
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Location
Arizona Rim Country
I'm a new guy here but have been lurking for a long time. I would appreciate to get some feedback from the ATC crowd with respect to the Panther vs Ocelot.

My wife and I are ready to take the plunge for a pop-up truck camper. We made our way from Salinas to Sacramento this past weekend and visited both ATC and FWC. We like both, but when it came down to it, ATC will build what we want. I'm not too handy when it comes to carpentry, plumbing etc...

We come from the tent camping side of things and have spent the last 30+ years dry camping through the southwest. So we don't need all the bells and whistles for comfort.

Our basic build will be....

Panther or Ocelot Shell
Furnace
Battery
Pre-wire for solar
Roof assist struts
counter top on drivers side
Thermal pack
bed slider

I like the idea of the 84" width of the Panther compared to the 78" Ocelot. But I've read that the extra 6-inches makes a difference with respect to wind resistance.

The camper will be stored in our garage and will only be on the truck when we take it out for our trips into the wilds.

I would especially like to hear from you Panther owners.
 
Welcome to the forum.
Maybe I can help with your decision.

I have owned both. A 2006 Panther standard build and a new custom Ocelot shell. Both on full time on a Chevy 1500.

Like you I spend my time outdoors so I view the camper as a tent and storage on wheels. Your option list looks about like mine if I was to order new.

I like the width of the Ocelot for backcountry travel and have experienced a boost in gas mileage of 1 to 2 MPG with the Ocelot as well. This may be due to the weight difference between the shell and fully equipped models but It seems like there is less air resistance as well.

Both have been excellent for what I do but I think it will boil down to bed size. I don't need a lot of length so I have plenty of room to sleep sideways on the standard bed without a pull out. If you are tall I would think you might be happier with the Panther unless you plan on using the slide out bed option.

For backcountry travel the reduced width of the Ocelot is a plus, I found the Panther pretty wide for brushy roads, the Ocelot is just about the same width as the truck making it less prone to damage.

I also find the Ocelot easier to drive around town as the decreased width gives better visibility, I was able to ditch my mirror extensions.

Either way I think you will be happy with ATC campers, a company with an excellent product and great customer service.

Feel free to pm me if you want more information.

Dsrtrat
 
You might want to consider the following: extra battery, hot water heater/outdoor shower, sink, water pump, and stove. I can't comment on the ATC models. We have a fully loaded FWC Grandby. Just my two sense worth, they might help with the re-sale down the road. We have no mechanical, electrical, or carpenter skills, thus the fully loaded camper. Good luck. jd
 
Thanks for your response Dsrtrat.

Likewise, our camper will be initial mounted on a Chevy 1500.

Not sure how much brush covered trails we'll be traveling. For now it will be just my wife and myself. I'm about 6'1" and I thought the Panther may be a better fit for me in a east-west sleeping situation. I will say that the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands is definetly on my bucket list, if that makes a difference.

The guys at ATC are willing to make a custom 32" slide which would make a fully extended sleeping area of about 81"X80". This way we could accomodate a couple of small grandchildren sometime in the future, sleeping north-south.

I would like to talk more about this with you. Since I'm a noob to WTW, what do you mean by pm?

Sorry for my inexperience.
 
Welcome to the forum Tuff Guy. And congrats on the new ATC. PM is short for Personal Message. While logged in, click on your user name and a dropdown list will show up. Click on Personal Messenger. Type dsrtrat in the "To" box. As you start to type the name, possible member names will show up. You can select dsrtrat from that or just finish typing the name yourself. Then type your message in the message box. When done, click on "Send" below the message.

Is the only reason to get the Panther so you can sleep east/west? I'm 5'7" and just fit in our wider camper when sleeping east/west. So not sure the Panther would make that much difference for you at 6'1" Getting the longer bed extension so you can sleep north/south will likely be more comfortable for you. With that, you can stick with the Ocelot.
 
We have a 2013 Ocelot that we had ATC fit out fairly similar - it has a slide out bed, side dinette, ice box and propane tank. I built the cabinets and countertop and installed a two burner stove. We use 5 gln jugs for water and a wash basin. I also did a bit of remodeling last winter and installed a Propex heater. We had a Wave 3 catalytic, but it was not warm enough for ID and MT cold weather. I am 5'10" and can just sleep east - west. I do like the width of the Ocelot matching the width of our 2005 Tundra. I think the wind resistance is somewhat less and for brushy roads, it does help. Either one would work great I am sure.
 
I really appreciate all of the input. I have a tough decision ahead of me. You guys on WTW are really helpful.

So far the consensus seems to be to go for the Ocelot.

Would still like to hear from a few Panther owners, if there are any out there?

Anyway, I currently own two 2WD 1/2 ton pickups of which I'm going to have to sell one of them for my camper purchase.

I have a 2000 Chevy Silverado extended cab with 127k miles and a 2006 Ram 1500 standard cab(6 cyl, 6 speed manual) with only 28k miles. I sure hate the thought of selling my Ram but I think I can get more for it than my Chevy.

Anyway the plan is to put the ATC on one of my 1/2 tons for about three years until my wife's car is paid off. Then I'll upgrade to either a Chevy or Ram 2500 4WD.
 
Ted said:
Welcome to the forum Tuff Guy. And congrats on the new ATC. PM is short for Personal Message. While logged in, click on your user name and a dropdown list will show up. Click on Personal Messenger. Type dsrtrat in the "To" box. As you start to type the name, possible member names will show up. You can select dsrtrat from that or just finish typing the name yourself. Then type your message in the message box. When done, click on "Send" below the message.

Is the only reason to get the Panther so you can sleep east/west? I'm 5'7" and just fit in our wider camper when sleeping east/west. So not sure the Panther would make that much difference for you at 6'1" Getting the longer bed extension so you can sleep north/south will likely be more comfortable for you. With that, you can stick with the Ocelot.
Click to expand...
Thanks Ted.

I'm sure it will take me a while to get the hang of this.
 
Yahoo!

Sold my 2006 Ram 1500 today!!!

Going to see Marty & Jeff sometime in the next couple of weeks and place my order for a new Panther or Ocelot shell.

Hmmmm..... decisions, decisions.
 
Tuff Guy 62 said:
Yahoo!

Sold my 2006 Ram 1500 today!!!

Going to see Marty & Jeff sometime in the next couple of weeks and place my order for a new Panther or Ocelot shell.

Hmmmm..... decisions, decisions.
Click to expand...
Way to go Brian. Now go get that camper.
Frank
 
Frank,

Thanks for all your insight and helpful ideas.

I'm going to give the guys over at ATC a call to try and set up an appointment for next weekend.

Can't wait to step into "the light" and join the ATC brethren.

I'll keep you posted.

Brian.
 
Tuff Guy 62 said:
Frank,

Thanks for all your insight and helpful ideas.

I'm going to give the guys over at ATC a call to try and set up an appointment for next weekend.

Can't wait to step into "the light" and join the ATC brethren.

I'll keep you posted.

Brian.
Click to expand...
Welcome Brian and best wishes on joining the "brethren". :)
 
Thanks Ski, that means a lot coming from you.

Your blog is awesome.

I'm hoping to get my order placed by the end of the month.

Got a lot of good ideas from dsrtrat.

Still on the fence between a Panther or Ocelot. I like the thought of the extra interior space of the Panther model, but it seems to be a disadvantage for narrower trails (e.g. White Rim Trail, Lippencott Road, etc...). For most places, it probably won't be an issue.

Based on the response so far, I can only assume there are not many Panther rigs out there.

Anyway, thank you for your good wishes. Maybe our paths will cross someday on the back country trails of Death Valley.
 
Tuff Guy 62 said:
Thanks Ski, that means a lot coming from you.

Your blog is awesome.

I'm hoping to get my order placed by the end of the month.

Got a lot of good ideas from dsrtrat.

Still on the fence between a Panther or Ocelot. I like the thought of the extra interior space of the Panther model, but it seems to be a disadvantage for narrower trails (e.g. White Rim Trail, Lippencott Road, etc...). For most places, it probably won't be an issue.

Based on the response so far, I can only assume there are not many Panther rigs out there.

Anyway, thank you for your good wishes. Maybe our paths will cross someday on the back country trails of Death Valley.
Click to expand...
Brian, for what it's worth - since we don't have either a panther or Ocelot - we went with a narrower camper because of the tight places we like to go. Also in our minds is our hard to break backpacker ways - get too big a pack and you'll find something to fill the space.
 
ski3pin said:
Brian, for what it's worth - since we don't have either a panther or Ocelot - we went with a narrower camper because of the tight places we like to go. Also in our minds is our hard to break backpacker ways - get too big a pack and you'll find something to fill the space.
Click to expand...
That is the truth Ski.
"Build it bigger and they will come"
Frank
 
I don't quite get it as far as the narrow thing goes. I have a FWC Hawk on a GMC truck and the camper's width is flush with the wheel wells on my GMC 1/2 ton (with the jacks off). The jack brackets are maybe 1 inch beyond the wheel wells. The factory mirrors extend at least 6 to 8 inches further out than the camper.

Where is this width savings coming into play. Caves, overhanging rocks, tree branches.
I'd love to see a picture of a pop up camper driving through something so tight that it wouldn't have made it with a wider camper option.
 
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