Hi I'm Digby. (well actually David GB)
My wife and I have been committed campervan users over a period of many years
We now have a sparkling VW California Ocean but we are getting a bit too cranky to cope with the lack of space, making the beds and cooking in the cramped conditions.
So we are now considering an Eriba caravan.
Well I am, but my wife HATES caravans and I have yet to convince her of the benefits. ... I'm working on it.

My question(s) for all you knowledgeable folk is what would be the most suitable Eriba for us?
Have to be 'pre-loved' - New is too expensive for our budget. Good places to look ?
Have to be small enough for parking easily on our small driveway.
Have a toilet washroom.
The possibility of leaving the beds made up during the day but still have room to cook and wash etc.
I looked at a Puck a couple of years back at one of the shows, and fell in love with it but it's probably a teensy bit too small for our needs.
But definitely don't want anything big.
In reality there is only ever the 2 of us, although when we got the VW we did have the intention of taking the grandchildren away with us on adventures - I think that idea was a bit optimistic.
When we were younger we would take our 2 children in our old VW to the Lakes in winter and had some of the most magical holidays there.
Time has moved on and we're not that fit anymore. Awful to admit it but we're old now !
We need an easier camping experience.

We would also have to get a new car to tow a caravan.
Personally thought of a VW Passat estate. Ideally we had always promised ourselves that our next car would be electric but I can't see that working out somehow.
Any tow-car favourites ?

So some pointers please ...

A triton 430 gives you a toilet, 3 ring hob, rear dinette which can be left made up as a double or 2 single beds and a front dinette for 2 people, [6th row down]
https://forumeribatouring.com/download/f...XPKnf4HufGLtKss
Dave

Thanks everyone for the advice.
And the layout schematics are very useful

To answer questions posed by you guys:
Budget ? - good question hope to come in under 15 K (but I still have to sell the idea to 'her indoors' !!
Live in Surbiton SW London.
I am 5'8" and wife is 5'4" so bed length is not likely to be a problem.

When I said I wanted a bed that could be left made up I was actually wondering if 2 singles can be left in place and double as seats at the table.
Are all the beds designed to be made up as doubles. ?

I have absolutely no experience of towing (my wife used a trailer for a while so she is ahead of me there). I suppose that's a skill I would have to acquire.🥴

Hi David and welcome to the site. There are lots of people with similar experiences of moving from a campervan or a tent to an Eriba, and we have all asked similar questions. Some of us have also successfully persuaded reluctant spouses to successfully go down the Eriba route.

We were enthusiastic tenters with many years experience who also hated caravans - but to us the Eriiba isn't a caravan, its more special than that.................!

Like you we had lots of questions that we needed to ask about which of the Touring Range would suit us best. Our solution was to book a session with Adventure Leisure (now Leisure First ) in Poole who had a full range of new and used vans. We live hundreds of miles away but stayed in a B&B for a couple of nights.

We sat in every type of van they had and then Cameron spent an hour with us giving us inside information about the models and asked us lots of though-provoking questions about what we wanted/needed in our van. We weren't pushed to buy anything and didn't purchase from them until several months later.

We eventually decided on one without a fixed bed as we wanted flexibility and we bought a Troll 540. Colin is right in that if you want to sleep on the beds in their "bench seat" position they are a bit narrow for some but you can pull out the wooden slat under the bench and make one of the benches into a much wider bed and still leave a walking space down the middle.

However Kath and I always sleep with both slats out and turn it into a king size bed and sleep across the van as Colin suggests - I am 5'11'' and fit easily. Kath & I often keep this bed up for a few days and then put it down to create a large lounge area. It takes us about 7 minutes to make the bed.- we love to have the flexibility especially when grandchildren come to visit.

Whatever model you pick they are all a bit like the Tardis inside with loads of storage space and are perfect for the two of you. I am devoted to moveable beds but other people love the fixed bed models - it depends on what you want.

Good luck with your search and ask whatever questions you want as someone on the Forum will have a useful answer....

MikeT

Hi David and . We have a Triton 420 and do as you suggested, leaving the two single beds made up and using them as seats during the day.

Hi David, some 420s have a locker clipped to a rail at the rear. This is removable so it can be left at home if you prefer. You should get a small cushion which fills the gap allowing you to make up a large rear bed. We usually leave our cupboard as it is and leave a small gap between the beds so we can get in and out easier.

Our 430 is from 1998 and was a small budget but is great. We take down the bed during the day as we like having a big dinette for dinner as well as the small one in the nose but you could leave it as a bed. Previous owners did. It's so easy and quick to convert it into a bed that it's not a bother. Back.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) Kitchen on the left, bathroom on the right.

Here's the nose.Front.JPG - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Thanks all - Some great info there.
Going to see my brother in law at Easter who has just bought a caravan, my hope is he will have some influence on his sister (my wife) and we can start to look seriously for an Eriba.
I'll let you know how it goes 😀😂

hi David

Good luck with your wife. It took me 12 months to wear Kath down - OOPS wrong expression - to persuade her of the stylish brilliance of Erribas.

She once said that an Airstream looked nice in the sun, so I concentrated on pointing out the beauty of the shiny grey Eriba GT models that looked like cute baby Airstreams. It seemed to take time but it worked.

You need a "cunning plan" like Baldrick in Blackadder...........

MikeT

It took a few years for me to ‘persuade’ Frances that an Eriba was for us.
However when I did manage to get her into a Triton at Bowers (formerly Fullers?)
she was instantly convinced!
We’re now on our sixth and final Eriba so it was worth the effort. 😊

After years of tenting (which we shall still enjoy) the restrictions and uncertainties of Covid led Debs and me to the conclusion last year that a caravan might be a way of being reasonably independent and comfortable in our travels.

A friend (who is on this forum) has had an Eriba for several years and I had always been impressed by its style and practicality - and the fact that it isn't a white freezer on wheels. When Debs got a chance to look at it, she too was impressed and so we began the search. After several months we found our 2007 Triton 420 and have never looked back. At 6'3" I really appreciate the head height and the bed length, and to be frank it is just so much more civilised than being in a tent (where I have spent years getting dressed on my knees!). We are complete newbies and learning quickly but we have taken to being Eriba owners like ducks to water. I've seen it said that Eribas are caravans for people who at heart are campers. I think that's most likely very true. Debs and I keep saying to one another, in a state of disbelief, 'I cannot believe we bought a caravan!' but we have no regrets at all and I think I would be on a hiding to nothing if I suggested we might ever sell it.

David - bear in mind that if you buy an Eriba at a sensible price and then find it is not for you (or rather, your good lady!) you would most likely not lose money if you sold it. Give it a go!