Quote: steamdrivenandy wrote in post #13

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I bet they've had to opt for compressor because part of the tubular steel frame means they can't have the external fridge vents that an absorption fridge needs there. Solar panel needed or a big battery or two.

I shouldn't think a Truma Combi needs a mains element as an extra, the clue is in the name they're a combi gas and electric water and space heater. Certainly I've never heard of a gas only version being installed anywhere else.

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Sorry to hijack the thread but back on subject. I can't see the point of fixed beds in a 3 berth. You can leave a convertible double up if you so desire (which i would) for a couple only but why loose the choice, presumably for the storage offered, steamdrivenandy/colin - interesting exposure of contradictions between gas/electricity. I don't have enough experience to know when I would need gas/hookup but my gut feelings are if you want luxury of heating/fridge/hot water you would be on hookup and probably would choose not to have gas at all.

Thinking about it, not having an electric boiler/space heater is rather counter intuitive in a van with and electric only fridge. If I was designing a van with a compressor fridge that would surely mean it would normally be on hook up, in which case why bother with gas heating or gas cooking. Make it all electric with no gas cylinders and a solar panel to help matters along.

Conversely, if you want fuel multiplicity to allow for non-EHU pitches then make all the appliances dual fuel.

Any 'middle way', including the standard spec 'normal' Eribas and the 535 is a sort of cop out.

In the 'normal' standard spec Tourings you get gas hob, gas space heating and dual fuel fridge, and you can spend more to get dual fuel heating and an electric or dual fuel boiler boiler. In the 535 you get gas hob, gas heating and boiler and electric fridge and you can get dual fuel heater/boiler if you cough up extra.
Surely all electric would work and all dual fuel too but I'm not so sure about all gas as I've not heard of a gas only fridge.

The one benefit I see for having the 542 fixed bed, as opposed to the transverse fixed bed, is the ability to get out of bed easily in middle of night for a loo visit without climbing over your partner or disturbing them - provided you sleep head to the window. However, the position of the reading lamps suggest they intend you sleep feet to the window.

The standard combi boiler in the 535 is, as Andy says, gas only and it's a combination heating and hot water 'combi'. We had to pay a £500 upgrade sum to have the electric elements in the x model. The heater can be used on electric only but in cold weather it needs the combination of gas and electric. You can set it to favour electric and there are two wattage settings for when you are in France! We've never used the fridge on gas in our Triton, so we aren't fussed about the 535's electric only fridge. We always stay on sites and want to keep gas consumption as low as possible, as we tour europe in summer for 3/4 months at a time and don't want the faff of changing gas bottles.

We've never used water at all in the van for the 4 years we've had it. We keep bottled water for drinking, fill kettle, saucepans, dog bowl etc as we need from site taps and use site facilities for personal use. So it remains to be seen if we even use the on board water tank in the 535, let alone hot water to justify the upgrade, but we had no choice in the gas boiler, the 535 comes with it as standard (well, in the AL spec it does).

And what is that 'quintessential' reason M'Lud?

Rallying? Where the hook up pitches get reserved first and folk complain if there's no hook up available?

'Wild camping' often espoused by the campervan cohorts but rarely satisfactorily achieved and not often attempted by caravanners, even Eriba Touring caravanners.

CL's/CS's where very, very few are without hook up these days.

'Autonomy' is great as a marketing man's concept but something that's very rarely practiced.

I assume Hymer could have fitted the Combi 6 unit, rather than the 4 and that would have provided enough heat without going electric, but as Lesley wants to avoid using gas then it makes sense to go for the upgrade. A shame for her sake that Truma don't make an electric only Combi.

I'm trying to remember the spec of the Bailey Evo van that they marketed half a dozen years ago. IIRC they removed all gas equipment and substituted mains electric but didn't fit a battery. The rallyists complained about it bitterly, but it was never aimed at them. There were also complaints that a mover couldn't be fitted due to lack of a battery. I know few dealers ordered any and our local Leisure Sales took two years to sell one of them. It seems that even if people always use sites with mains hook up they like to have the thought that there's gas around, just in case. Given the weight, additional complexity and cost that may be an illogical 'thought' for many.

Quote: Pepé Le Pew wrote in post #22

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Quote: steamdrivenandy wrote in post #21

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And what is that 'quintessential' reason M'Lud?

Rallying? Where the hook up pitches get reserved first and folk complain if there's no hook up available?

'Wild camping' often espoused by the campervan cohorts but rarely satisfactorily achieved and not often attempted by caravanners, even Eriba Touring caravanners.

CL's/CS's where very, very few are without hook up these days.

'Autonomy' is great as a marketing man's concept but something that's very rarely practiced.

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You're editorialising. I said one of the quintessential reasons, not the quintessential reason.

And I suspect your jaundiced view of people camping off-grid (or without mains power, at least) is not one shared by quite a few on here.

Chacun à son goût.

.

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I think most people like both options to give flexibility but favour one. We don't want to find we can't get suitable gas bottles in europe but want to be able to be warm if there is a power cut, so we take a gas bottle but use electric where we can to conserve it. We cook on a halogen hob and/or the cadac outside most of the time but again, if I dropped it/it just failed to work/there was a power cut/it was raining with no awning up, then we couldn't cook if we didn't have gas. In our Triton we only have the gas fire so we use a little electric portable most of the time.

The fridge in the 535 is electric only but we tend to buy local food daily or every other day as you can't get much in the fridges (with the beer and wine ). So if we had a power cut, it wouldn't be a big deal.

We try not to tour in high season but if you do so in europe, often you'll only get a non electric pitch if you rock up without booking. So, I'd prefer to be able to stop than drive longer than we should do.

Quote: steamdrivenandy wrote in post #24

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'Wild camping' often espoused by the campervan cohorts but rarely satisfactorily achieved and not often attempted by caravanners, even Eriba Touring caravanners.

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For clarity, by 'wild camping' I don't mean using a site whether with, or without hook up but pitching somewhere that isn't a designated site.