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
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