Hi,
I have been considering getting a caravan to use at the weekends when away with my dogs at agility competitions, which would then be used for annual holidays also. Being a VW fan and having considered a VW Camper when in a previous relationship, I was aware of Eribas and their reputation and I am learning more about them and caravaning in general. I showed my partner pictures and she really liked them and so visited AL on the way home from a walking day out on the Jurassic coast. We were both impressed with them, and so a 320 or 420 are now a serious consideration as the boss insists on a toilet! We have also looked at "normal" caravans at Highbridge to see what the alternatives are, and whilst we saw some that fitted the bill, are heart is with Eriba
As the weekends away will normally be without EHU, gas hot water would be nice so we could wash/rinse after the days activities and any tips to help with this would be great, as would any off grid advice.
Tips from dog owners would also be good. We have four, three of which are large so will probably get an awning to add space. Do any members have any experience of the Khyam motordome on an Eriba?

Hopefully Andy will reply

Hi Jasond, We too are new to Eribas and have to say we just love them. We have done one trip away and another is booked for 2 weeks time. The thing we love is it is so easy to pull and we don't even need side mirrors to see behind. We also open the curtains when travelling which gives us a great view through to the rear!. So far only done EHU so hopefully someone else on this site will help with your enquiries. All the best and hope to see you on this site proudly showing off pics of your Eriba!

from us two to

Thank you all for your welcoming posts.
Randa, we will be towing with VW Caddy Maxi Kombi 2L TDi, so very similar to yours. We really like the front kitchen layout and more compact size for storing and manoeuvring and whist they hold their prices, the initial layout is more so, the bigger ones are out for now. We would be buying pre-owned, but are not in a hurry. Dogs, grandchildren, Familia and motordome sounds like fun; or the title of a cult movie!

Hello and welcome. We have a familia 310,a khyam motordome classic awning and 2 large dogs. We find the awning superb and have used our present one for the last 4 years. Next year we will be replacing it with the latest classic which has a couple of improvements. We could not manage with the dogs without it, our gsd sleeps in it and our Dalmatian curls up in our Eriba, mainly because she doesn't actually think she's a dog and like me feels the cold. Hubby loves the ease of putting the awning up and is usually done by the time I have unpacked and made a cuppa. If I can be of any more help please don't hesitate to ask. Ellen.

Helo there from an ex Westfalia T2 Bay owner. You will get all the help you need in here.

Hi,

Like Ellen we bought a motordome classic for our two large dogs to sleep in. They were both crated at night but even with the crates there was enough room for a couple of chairs and a table. After some very soggy trips away we bought the Khyam annexe to use as a wet dog drying area and entrance and this has enabled us to keep in main awning interior dry and mud free. Alas we had to have our GSD Dexter put to sleep last week so our remaining big mutt will have lots of room this summer - until we get a pup later this year. The current issue of the Khyam looks to be very nice in the grey colour (ours is dark blue) and if we could get ours to wear out we'd certainly buy another one. Ours is now in it's seventh season and still faultless so although initially expensive they are good value in the longer term. Hope this helps and a word of advice don't go camping with Ellen she's a rain god - it's well known on this forum

Denise & Phil

I'm sure I don't know what you mean . I really do think that our luck is changing tho as the weather was good at the Eriba meet in July and we are not long back from having our grandkids with us on a trip to Wales and it was hot, hot, hot!!!! So sorry to hear that you have lost your gsd, so sad when they go to doggie heaven. Ellen.

Annexe is interesting didn't know about that, thanks. Sorry to hear about your GSD, I dread the day.
Have already read of Ellen's rain attracting properties!!

Ellen is right in saying that the latest incarnation of the motordome has some improvements especially in the window department. I spent a very happy few hours over one winter a few years ago to modify ours by replacing the mesh 'window' with a plastic one complete with integral curtain,it did involve a fair bit of careful demounting of the fabric from the frame but we managed to re-assemble it correctly and the extra light has made all the difference.

Denise

Oh and as regard tips for caravanning with big dogs, have you heard of or got Easi-dri towels? We use our van year round and in the damper seasons of the year , or when out and about with Ellen, the mountain of soggy dog towels stinking the place out was offputting. I bought a couple of these towels off Amazon, the medium size is perfect, they are used damp, you wring them out and keep them in the plastic tube they come packaged in and just rinse them through to clean them. They get rid of mud too and if you want you can machine wash them. They are about £15 each but I would guess that over the 3 years we've had ours I must have saved that in electricity, soap powder and wear and tear on the old washing machine. They feel a bit like a synthetic shammy but we wouldn't be without them

Denise & Phil

Blimey that was brave! We have a Khyam tailgate tent for the rear of our VW Caddy to add room when at dog agility competitions, and people can't believe how quick they are to set up.