Tuff Guy 62
Senior Member
Well, Ms. Tuff Chick & myself sat down with Jeff & Marty yesterday and signed the paperwork for a new custom ATC Panther shell. We were on the fence between a Panther or Ocelot, pro & cons for each. Ultimately we opted for the Panther. For us, the extra 6-inches of width in such a small space to begin with made the difference for practical comfort, especially when we are chased indoors by the weather.
The guys at ATC are great and really listened to what we wanted in our build. Jeff & Marty really got into it and made some great suggestions for improvements to our design concept. They took a lot of time with us and they were both there working on a Saturday!
Being that Tuff Chick & myself have been in a tent or the back of a pickup, dry camping throughout the southwest for the last 30 years, we pretty much have all the gear we need. Therefore we did not see the need for a sink, stove or frig in our new rig.
Our new custom Panther will include:
Fantastic Fan over the bed
Auxiliary battery
Small rear window
Clear slider for screen door
Cold weather pack
12 volt accessory plug
LED flood lights
Pre-wire for solar (just in case we change our minds on a refrigerator in the future)
Roof lifting gas struts
12,000 BTU furnace
28" extended bed slide out
2-inch taller roof panels
Counter top on drivers side (with room to stow two large Action Packers below)
28-inch wide shelf on passenger side (serves as inside seating and a place to sleep when in stealth mode)
Lower shelf storage on drivers side
Utensil drawer at top of furnace tower
Extra solar plug on drivers side
Ocelot rear door (narrower than std. Panther door)
Thermostat relocated to drivers side at top of bed extension
AT can holder on drivers side back wall
After spending about two hours with the guys we pretty much had things wrapped thing up. But it was the next thing that they told us that really blew our minds. They said our new camper would be ready the first week of October!!!
Five to six weeks to complete a custom build?? Say whaaat?
I looked at Jeff & Marty and asked them if I heard them correctly. They confirmed, and said that our new camper will be ready the first week of October. This is sweet since I already have a trip planned for the southern Mother Lode and Yosemite on October 16-20. Can't wait to show off the new rig to my friends.
I'll make sure to pass on pics as the build progresses.
The guys at ATC are great and really listened to what we wanted in our build. Jeff & Marty really got into it and made some great suggestions for improvements to our design concept. They took a lot of time with us and they were both there working on a Saturday!
Being that Tuff Chick & myself have been in a tent or the back of a pickup, dry camping throughout the southwest for the last 30 years, we pretty much have all the gear we need. Therefore we did not see the need for a sink, stove or frig in our new rig.
Our new custom Panther will include:
Fantastic Fan over the bed
Auxiliary battery
Small rear window
Clear slider for screen door
Cold weather pack
12 volt accessory plug
LED flood lights
Pre-wire for solar (just in case we change our minds on a refrigerator in the future)
Roof lifting gas struts
12,000 BTU furnace
28" extended bed slide out
2-inch taller roof panels
Counter top on drivers side (with room to stow two large Action Packers below)
28-inch wide shelf on passenger side (serves as inside seating and a place to sleep when in stealth mode)
Lower shelf storage on drivers side
Utensil drawer at top of furnace tower
Extra solar plug on drivers side
Ocelot rear door (narrower than std. Panther door)
Thermostat relocated to drivers side at top of bed extension
AT can holder on drivers side back wall
After spending about two hours with the guys we pretty much had things wrapped thing up. But it was the next thing that they told us that really blew our minds. They said our new camper would be ready the first week of October!!!
Five to six weeks to complete a custom build?? Say whaaat?
I looked at Jeff & Marty and asked them if I heard them correctly. They confirmed, and said that our new camper will be ready the first week of October. This is sweet since I already have a trip planned for the southern Mother Lode and Yosemite on October 16-20. Can't wait to show off the new rig to my friends.
I'll make sure to pass on pics as the build progresses.
