New ATC and First Trip

[Taku]

Picked up the ATC Ocelot last week from Marty and Jeff. Being the cheap one of the family, I opted out of the mattress to use our T-Rests. Ohbejoyful (O told me that would definitely not work after one night. So we got a mattress from ATC - don't pass it up! Made those 12 hour nights incredibly comfortable. Camper in Owens Valley, hiking in Utah and the pup was cold. After 45 years of tenting (and many nights of no tent on bivouacs) having a pop-up camper is, as I have been telling friends, ridiculously comfortable. Continued through the Owens Valley and on to Utah. Need to finish out the camper with cabinets, but getting ready for the next trip already.

 

[ski3pin]

Congrats on your new camper and maiden voyage! Ridiculously comfortable is kinda fun, isn't it?

 

[MarkBC]

Happy new fun rig!
Yeah, when I describe my camper I tell people it's relatively spartan compared to some RVs...but I, too, spent decades tent camping and back-of-truck camping, so compared to that it's a palace!

 

[billharr]

Enjoy the new camper, and put up pictures of your cabinets as you install. The wife and I tent camped and used sleeping bags under the tondo cover on the Tundra before I got the Hawk. Pop up's are small but oh so comfortable.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

After 45 years of tenting (and many nights of no tent on bivouacs) having a pop-up camper is, as I have been telling friends, ridiculously comfortable.

My experience, exactly!

 

[rotti]

Great picture of the dog.....Weimaraner?
No furnace for that poor hound?
You know.....happy pup happy life!

 

[highz]

Cozy dog. Thanks for the pics of the first trip, and congrats! Where will the next trip be?

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Another 1st gen Tundra.Looks good.
Have fun out in your "palace".
Frank

 

[craig333]

I don't think comfort is at all ridiculous Waking up in the shell along 395 after shivering all night just to find the radiator is frozen is ridiculous.

Ever notice how pop up camper owners never go back to tenting (not counting RTT's). They may upgrade but not many go "ah, I prefer sleeping on the ground in the cold. ( sleeping outside under stars in warm bug free weather with a nice cot is a great thing, don't get me wrong).

 

[takesiteasy]

Nice looking set-up.

We love our camper too, even if it is a shell. Having a nice bed, a furnace and a place to hang out in bad weather is so great. We don't miss the tent that's for sure. Our pooch likes it too, although he sometimes gets cold like the OP's pup. We've piled the blankets on him too. Of course he usually gets up and moves around and ends up on top of them. I saw an ad for a 12 volt electric blanket a while back and considered getting it for the dog to lay on in cold weather but I suspect it would draw too much current for our little battery. I guess he will just have to learn to stay under the blankets like we do. It's toasty there.

 

[Taku]

Will build prototype counter and drawers this weekend, probably not complete though. We usually head to the SW for Thanksgiving (Bosque del Apache, Cochise, Cave Creek, etc.). The young dog in the pic is a butterscotch lab, he just has a big nose. OB does say he is a "whinemereiner" when we are heading over to the river for chasing bumpers though. Attached some more pics, the old dog (we bought a used Wave 3 that doesn't work too well, so just ordered a new one). And another obligatory sunset shot.