ATC Panther vs. Ocelot

[Bo17]

I am new to WTW and recently submitted our order for an ATC Panther full camper with side dinette. Because of the backlog of orders and ATC having great customer service I have some time to fine tune a few things.

We currently have a 2011 Tundra DC that the camper will ride on. It will most likely stay on the truck 90% of the time. It won't have to be a daily driver but will be driven enough. We Don't live in the city but drive the highway often and have to go to bigger towns to get goods, etc.

We will be using the camper a few months a year and moving around often when we do. Traveling with my wife and two dogs (one 95lb Rhodesian Ridgeback, and the other a 20lb Aussie) The dogs travel well and are pretty mellow. We are active and hang inside the camper as possible. We enjoy exploring new towns/cities for a few days at a time then head out to sleep. We rarely stay in one spot for more than a 2-3 days. My concerns with the Panther are visibility, parking, maneuverability, etc. The Ocelot I will need the jack extensions when loading/unloading. Will we with we had the extra elbow room every time we are in it or will it be a relief that it's narrower?

I have spoken to a couple Panther owners (who also have a Tundra and they love the extra width vs an Ocelot). I value their opinion and experience but also would like to hear from Ocelot owners and their thought process and experience too. Other than photos of a Panther on a Tundra I have not seen either one on a 1/2 ton to compare. However,I have seen both in person.

The camper will outlast my Tundra so it may or may not go back on a Tundra in the future...who knows?

As I am sure you're all aware of the widths, if not:
Bobcat: 72 inches wide
Ocelot: 78 inches wide
Panther: 84 inches wide

FWC Hawk is 80 inches and that's the widest they build. Being that ATC has options makes my head spin a bit.

Anyway, looking for pros and cons of each.

I have learned a ton and spent hours reading previous threads, This was a great find.

Thanks in advance

 

[TacomaAustin]

"My concerns with the Panther are visibility, parking, maneuverability, etc".


Within a few days of returning to home base, the camper comes off my truck. I live in the city center as opposed to the suburbs.

In my case, I travel mostly solo, so I can get by with the smaller footprint of the Bobcat on my 1st Gen Tundra. It would be nice to have an extra six inches of width inside. An extra foot of width even better.

Urban parking spaces are a bit narrow for an RV. The excessive overhang from the cargo bed will make it awkward for folks parked on either side of me to squeeze through as they egress and ingress their vehicle. Even with a narrower Bobcat, I tend to park farther out in the hinterlands of parking lots and have foam pool noodles zip tied to the jack mounts to prevent people from scraping their arms.

In fly over communities where land is cheap - parking spaces tend to be a bit more generous.

If there are two or more of you or in your case four occupants, two of which that travel on four legs - it sure would be nice to have the extra width when sleeping in the east/west orientation on the bunk over the cab, especially if anyone is over six feet tall.

 

[penner]

We had ATC build us a 72" wide Ocelot 4 yrs ago and it sits on a Chevy Trail Boss. This is our first camper and we knew we would be doing mostly long trips and rarely spend more than one night in any place. Only time we had longer stays was on our trip to Baja. I have to say , there are times when the weather had us wishing we had more room but it's not often. Heading out mid July for a 2 month trip to Alaska so I might think different about it after that.Personally, I would love to have a flatbed but can't see that happening. As far as the jack extensions go that's not a big deal . I think I made my front ones 6" and don't need any on the rear. Good luck .

 

[Bo17]

Thanks for the replies and personal experience.

I have absolutely zero experience with a slide in cab over camper so all of this is brand new but exciting. I am anticipating a lot of learning on the fly but I am trying to mitigate the should of would of could of situations as much as possible. I know the 6 inches extra in the Panther sleeping east to west is huge (Iam 6'0) but is it also super noticeable when driving around? I don't want to shy away from driving the truck because, "it's too big of a pain" and end up only taking it on trips. If I end up with an Ocelot will I constantly be thinking of the Panther? I guess there is no perfect decision.

Does anyone know why they offer a 78" and a 84" when the floor size is the exact same? I definitely appreciate the options...simply just curious.

 

[Vic Harder]

Thanks for the replies and personal experience.

I have absolutely zero experience with a slide in cab over camper so all of this is brand new but exciting. I am anticipating a lot of learning on the fly but I am trying to mitigate the should of would of could of situations as much as possible. I know the 6 inches extra in the Panther sleeping east to west is huge (Iam 6'0) but is it also super noticeable when driving around? I don't want to shy away from driving the truck because, "it's too big of a pain" and end up only taking it on trips. If I end up with an Ocelot will I constantly be thinking of the Panther? I guess there is no perfect decision.

Does anyone know why they offer a 78" and a 84" when the floor size is the exact same? I definitely appreciate the options...simply just curious.

We have a 72” wide Puma (Grandby) on a 2015 Chev 3500, and I like the narrower width. Custom build inside, so it still feels roomy (for two).

 

[OutToLunch]

I’m happy with my Ocelot. I decided I didn’t want any overhang as my truck (F150) was already wide enough. I don’t know if an extra six inches of width inside would make any difference for us, perhaps it would just be an encouragement to take more stuff.

We got the jumbo bed so we could sleep north-south. No waking and climbing over the other person if you have to get up during the night. When I camp by myself, sleeping east west works well and I leave the extra cushions home. I’m 5’11” and shrinking fast. Before our two dogs aged out of camping, they shared the floor with no complaints. Tired dogs are happy to sleep anywhere.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

<snip>
Tired dogs are happy to sleep anywhere.

They are, until you step on one in the middle of the night.

 

[Mykiss]

They are, until you step on one in the middle of the night.

 

[5outta6]

I’m happy with my Ocelot. I decided I didn’t want any overhang as my truck (F150) was already wide enough. I don’t know if an extra six inches of width inside would make any difference for us, perhaps it would just be an encouragement to take more stuff.

We got the jumbo bed so we could sleep north-south. No waking and climbing over the other person if you have to get up during the night. When I camp by myself, sleeping east west works well and I leave the extra cushions home. I’m 5’11” and shrinking fast. Before our two dogs aged out of camping, they shared the floor with no complaints. Tired dogs are happy to sleep anywhere.

When I ordered my Ocelot shell, my main concern was that I wanted my two dog crates to fit inside.....Only to find out later the dogs wouldn't go in the crates (w/o a battle) inside the camper. So they just sleep on the floor on carpet I put inside. At night if I have to come down out of bed, they seem to move out of the way....