Ordered an Ocelot

A

azcamper

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Sep 4, 2016
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Sent in my deposit for an ocelot shell build last week.

My wife and I had an 85 Westfalia weekender for a number of years and had many great adventures but wanted to switch to a more reliable platform. Flew to Sacramento and visited All Terrain and Four Wheel last year and came away very impressed with ATC. We went home and started looking for something used while also dreaming/planning on buying a truck that we could take to ATC for a flatbed build.

About 2 weeks ago I flew out to Seattle and drove home a package that I found on WTW. 2006 Toyota Tundra 4wd limited with 65k miles and a 2009 ATC Panther shell on the back. On the drive home I stopped in at ATC to talk to them about some work and realized I wanted a fresh build made up exactly how I wanted it! I love the Tundra and love the Panther shell and will be camping in it until the Ocelot is done and placed on the Tundra.

The 78" Ocelot will have the furnace and the stove in the back drivers side. 2 large windows on both sides as well as the small window on the back wall. (I loved the open windows and light from our Westy.) 160 watt panel and one or two batteries. We'll have an Engel cooler that I think will sit underneath the front window or maybe in the truck. 2 fantastic fans. Awning. Cold weather pack.

Some questions I have....

1 or 2 batteries? In the Westfalia we had a 100 watt panel on the roof and a 44 amp house battery. This ran an Engel fridge and interior lights without a problem. I will have a heater and the fantastic fan as well but am wondering if I can get by with 1 battery which is close to twice as big?

Bed extension? I'm 5'8" and my wife is less than that. The bed on the Ocelot will be 76 inches. Not terrible but would we want a bigger bed? If an arm rests against the tent walls at night would moisture wick through? Condensation?

We like to travel light and the access cab of the truck will hold some of our gear. I'm wondering if the Engel cooler could go in the cab and free up floor space in the camper? I imagine ATC could find a way to power it from the camper battery.

I'm open to any thoughts or ideas anyone may have on our build!

I was told that the wait time is 7 months. This seems like a long time to wait but in the end I'm fine with it. I feel like if everyone who was shopping for a camper realized what a great company ATC is the wait could easily be several years. I've been so impressed with the people and their willingness to work with you to build exactly the camper you want. I also like that I know the small group of people who will be doing the build. Couldn't be happier to take my place in line:)
 
Welcome to the ATC ownership and WTW group.
I have a 09 Bobcat mounted on 02 Tundra 4x4 AC Limited,full camper. 3 way fridge,1 fantastic fan,roof lifters,1 AGM 100a battery,105w's solar.
We sleep across the bed,I am 5,7 and have no problem,Bobcat width is 72".

Your setup/list sounds like a good rig. Get what you want that fits your camping needs.
To my knowledge wicking doesn't happen on the camper liner. Condensation yes but depending where you camp and temp it's not a major problem. If you are camping in very cold areas you might want the arctic pack.
Also make sure you get the "storm flaps". They can be very handy.
I think Marty still includes them.

One thing about the battery. When I got a new battery last year some of the info about Amp size,was at 100a my solar is just about enough to recharge/use. If you go to more Amps you should have more solar power.

I also have a Truckfridge 12v cooler.They are great a few of us have been using them and the battery/solar holds up.

Last year on our 6 week Alaska trip the first 5 nights on the ferry the fridge ran off the battery no problem.
Battery was at 12.13v before we saw sunshine again.

I had mounted it in the rear of the AC cab,removed seat and made a platform for storage.
I powered it from the camper battery via a 12v plug in.
I kept it there for 2 camping seasons then moved it into the camper under the front window.
Like it better there,as it's easier to retrieve items than going into the truck.

Also in the rear of the truck are 2 plastic "file" stack drawers,one each for our clothes.

If you go through my travel blog ( at the bottom of this page) you may find some helpful ideas.
Feel free to ask questions.

Let me know if I can send some pictures of anything.

And Marty/Jeff the best.
Frank
 
Hi Azcamper,
Congratulations on the new camper and order. I'm sure you will love it. What a great find on a low mileage Tundra.

I have an ATC Panther on order after selling my old 2000 Tundra AC and FWC Ranger combo this past fall. We had that setup for 10 years and really enjoyed it. I went with the Panther because I am 6'2" and worry about pushing out of both sides :p I ordered the bed extension and figured I could leave it home if I find I don't need it and it would still be a selling point later. We usually share the bed with a dog so probably need the extra space.
 
Hey Azcamper, welcome to "The Cult".

Congrats on the new camper(s). We have a custom ATC Panther shell on a 1/2 Chevy and we love it. Jeff and Marty are awesome to work with. I guess we were lucky when we ordered our rig back in August 2015 as we took delivery six weeks later in October 2015.

Welcome to WtW, this is a great place full of great ideas and some really nice folk.
 
Hello Azcamper and welcome to WtW

We recently got our Cougar and enjoy it as much as we can.
Went with the two battery system. Engle fridge, I mounted in the back where their fridg would have been,also i think you will like the dual fans. Get a big a panel,we went with the 150w. I would also recommend the bed extension, are you referring to the slide out with the two xtra cushions? Don't have to use it , but you would have it if you find yourself liking it. Slept in Reno in January about 10 degrees that night some condensation on the windows, and I had opened vent and one access to turnbuckles slightly to help reduce this. No moisture wicking thru the vinyl.
Are you getting the jacks, I think it was a good investment even thought I removed them. Consider the Yakima roof racks, relatively inexpensive and can put mounts on later if need.
ATC was great to work with.
Confucius says great things will come to the patient one. May your Ocelot be greater than you could ever imagine!
Russ
 
Congrats on your new camper order! The wait may seem long but will be over before you know it. Best wishes for lots of fun with it.
 
Welcome to WTW!! You're going to love your new camper, even after the long wait. To say that Marty and Jeff are great to work with is an understatement. I don't think there is anyone better, and the loyalty of their customers is proof in the pudding!
 
With the furnace and the fans, it would be highly recommended you get 2 AGM batteries. The solar will keep you charged. If you decide later to get a compressor fridge you will be set. The furnace will use your battery. Get the bed extension. I'm 5'-9" and the pullout lets us sleep North/South with my feet hanging over a little. If you purchase a roll of marine Hyper-vent for under the matteress you will help prevent condensation and when we pull out the slide the material matches the 1/2" of the slide so no discomfort for our hips. Congrats on the new camper. jd
 
Hello Azcamper,
Congratulations on the new camper order, like me I'm sure you will love it. Since my delivery is 46 days out,( + or - 3 days) I'm still using my imagination. The guys are building me an 78 "Ocelot ,though with sink ,side sofa and shore power included. I'm 5'8 also and opted to not go with the extended bed, mostly because it can be added later and I'm located within 100 miles of the factory.

I have read so many posts here about solar and batteries, and the information has been very helpful. To sum it up, it seems too small of panels or batteries has been the biggest concern, that said I am having 2 100 watt Renogy panels installed, mounted directly to the roof with two 79 AH AGM batteries.Not huge but for 3.25 seasons use should do fine, also an outside plug for a portable panel, I struggled a little wanting to add or change parts before they built it. They build a well thought out product . Installing a external solar plug or an extra panel is probably not too difficult, changing the charge controller, or some other component as needed should be doable. This is what I think I need, and should have years to toy with any changes, PLUS the answers are all here , WTW is an awesome place to get help.

I am putting a 50 Quart compressor chest fridge similar to your Engel,in the front center, the weight should ride better there. The original location of the factory fridge will have a door and adjustable shelf. As Frank said, the convenience to me is worth the space in the camper

I am having them install Yakima tracks, but I am still unsure why, if I put anything on them it seems like it will create shadows on the panels, so still thinking about that . I've almost conceded to nothing up top but solar although I have seen fly fishing rod holders that look pretty cool and are not heavy or large.

Sorry if I rambled on, but if I was in it now, I wouldn't have internet. :)
Btw the wait has went pretty quickly for me, but I'm a complete newbie to anything but a tent and a motorcycle , truck & camper shell or a sailboat.

Rock....
 
Thanks for all the rambling, kind wishes and information:) While I haven't posted much here I have spent a lot of time reading and learning. My build would be very different without that!

Solar
I will be getting the Yakima tracks so that our solar panel can anchor there. Also any future changes to the panel will be done without drilling through the roof. I think a 160 watt panel will be fine for our uses.
Battery
I am still leaning towards one battery. We don't store meat in the fridge and usually camp where it is cool at night. In the past we often turned off our fridge at night to sleep in silence. They are pretty well insulated and held things cold just fine until morning. In the cold the fans won't be used much and in the heat the heater wont be used. I think we may be able to get by with 160 watts of solar and one battery at first. We can always add another later.
Water
We wont have built in water storage in our build. I plan on getting a 10 gallon tank that will sit in the rear footwell of the access cab. There is a unit that fits over the transmission tunnel that is designed for Four runners and should fit well. Plan is to fill from there and keep a couple of gallons in the camper as needed. I like that this will keep the substantial weight of water storage low and forward.
Bed slide out
I appreciate everyone's thoughts and think that the bed length will perhaps be fine for us. ATC will be building about a 16 inch wide shelf that will go under the large window on the drivers side. It will extend out to where the floor starts creating a storage area underneath with a sliding drawer. There will be a long cushion on top of this. One idea I've had is to create a short 16 inch slide out matching the length of this cushion. When slid out the shelf cushion could sit right in this space. I'd still need a smaller cushion to fill the remaining length but I like not having to store as many extra slide out cushions! Might that work?

Thanks again for all your thoughts and feedback and the space to dream. It keeps me from calling Marty every other day:)
 
Hi azcamper
I think that what you are doing is great! You seem to be doing research and asking questions so you have a camper that fits your needs. The water storage sounds cool. Am I reading it correctly that you will sleep N-S and let you feet rest on the shelf with the drawer. Clever idea if that's it.
Wife wanted a h/w heater so ATC framed one for us. Now wife says let's wait and use the camper before we install it.
Your camper will be great and you'll love it. We have the Yakima rails front to back. Solar mounted towards front but secured to roof between rails. High point on camper is the fan cover.
Russ
 
Thanks Cougar.
We will still be sleeping E-W. After feedback from others I think the 76" E-W will accommodate us. The width(N-S) of 48" could be a little more though. So we'd be adding a very small slider that would take the width out to around 64". A little more space to spread out and welcome a future dog friend. I think that most people add a slider so that they can sleep N-S so not sure if anyone has added this small of a slider before. The reason is that we will already have a long 16" wide cushion that will sit on a shelf on the drivers side of our camper. It could serve the dual purpose of fitting right into the slider. We'd end up needing a small cushion to fill the gap that could be used as a back rest below.I like not having to store extra cushions. I should really have diagrams or pictures to illustrate!
 
azcamper

We took delivery of an Ocelot one year ago for our 2001 Tundra. Unless ATC has changed the price specs on the Ocelot the slide out bed comes standard with no extra charge. Ours is wired for shore power. We go to sites with 110 available a lot and while plugged in the camper battery is being charged. ATC also installed solar plug on roof and also on drivers side of camper. Gives us option of portable panel plugged into side or roof panel mounted permanently. We also sure like the roof assists when pushing it up. Not getting any younger. I don't know what your plans are for suspension upgrades but we just did one add a leaf and it rides great and level. The Ocelot only weighs 1000 lb empty so the Tundra handles it well. Good luck with your Ocelot and happy travels.
 
Not quite all figured out. Lots of ideas that need to be tested.
We camped in our Panther shell for the first time last night:) Three things I noticed.

This camper doesn't have a stove so we cooked outside and it would be very nice to have an awning light. I think I may add that.

Moving around in the camper it has a bit more sway than I expected. I have only the airbags on the truck right now so I'm thinking of adding a leaf to the suspension. I think that this may firm things up a bit. Gary515 I'd be grateful if you could send me a link to what you used. I also called Deaver Spring and they said they could install a custom leaf pack for me for around $575. Thinking of that too.

Last thing I noticed was a grin on my face and a happy feeling in my heart. Darn nice to have a camper!
 
I'm getting ready to setup my 2017 Tundra for a Panther that is due in June. On my last setup (2000 Tundra/2000 FWC Ranger) I just had the airbags and didn't notice any issues with side to side movement. But the Ranger didn't overhang the bed rails at all.

I'm thinking of adding air bags and a rear sway bar for the new setup.
 
We were in Sacramento about 2 weeks ago and were able to stop into ATC. Always great to be there! We also made some tweaks to our build plan.

We decided to go ahead with the 16" bed extension.

Also decided to go with a fixed front window instead of the slider. Our Tundra is the Limited model with a power slider in the cab and I'm not sure I'd be able to access things from the camper easily. Mainly this will take away any possible issues of leakage from the slider. I'm curious if the smaller fixed window that will be installed will interfere with vision from the rear view mirror?

Fantastic fans. We will still have two fans but I am interested in having one be the newer exhaust fans that can be run during rain. I searched the forums and was surprised to find very little mention of it.

http://www.fantasticvent.com/fan-tastic-vent-s-retail-ez-breeze-fan.html

We will occasionally be carrying instruments in the camper and I'd like to be able to keep a fan running without worrying about rain. I'm aware that models come equipped with rain sensors but this model will run in the rain. The thought is to have this fan over the kitchen so that it could be run with the top down and have a regular fantastic fan over the bed. Thoughts or experience with this model?

Super excited about October delivery but meanwhile have been putting our Panther to good use.

Thanks for any thoughts or input!
 
"I'm curious if the smaller fixed window that will be installed will interfere with vision from the rear view mirror?"

No problem with our smaller window.
 
I just traded in my 2006 tundra doublecab for a Ford 1 ton diesel. Got horses now so need more truck. Prior to this truck, I had a 2005 Toyota tundra access cab. Both Toyotas were for hauling around our original All Terrain Camper Ocelot. Which, sadly, is also going to be up for sale soon. A little too small for horses.

I added airbags and a hellwig rear swaybar to both trucks. Can't say that it reduced much sway when camping or not. But made a huge diggerence in the way the truck handled. With our lightweight campers, these half tons are just about maxed out for payload. On curvy roads or flyovers, it made a night and day difference in the way the truck handled. With the airbags and the rear sway bar I could hardly tell the camper was on the back. The motor sure noticed it was back there, but I was never nervous about being able to envade potholes or other obstacles.

I liked the Hellwig sway bar so much, that I put one on the front of the 06. Not necessary, but it did improve the handling some more over the factory one. I would advise anybody with a camper on a half ton truck to install a swaybar for safety, as well as more comfort when driving. Surprisingly, it also made the truck less tippy offroad as well.

Good luck

Stephen
 
I would also reccomend the slider window. Never had any water come in ours as it is far from the sides of the camper and has a 4 foot overhang covering it. It is most usefull when storing the camper and allowing it to air out while not allowing critters in like the turnbuckle openings would. Crack your roof vents and you have passive air circulation.
 
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