Being new to our Eriba Troll we wanted to try it in really cold weather and so we booked three nights on the York Caravan Park (a good site incidentally) and prepared for some sub-zero temperatures which we got!

We noticed a bit of condensation on the bottom rim of the pop-top when we camped in the Autumn and just went round with a paper towel and wiped it off in the morning, no problem. However on the last night the temp really fell and we left a small oil-filled radiator on all night to keep a bit of heat in the van. We have the 540 and make it up into a king sized bed. My wife tucks into the front end and is as snug as a bug. I sleep under the edge of the pop-top which has been great so far, as I like a bit of air.

However at about 5 in the morning I was woken by a very large ice cold drop of water landing on my head. About 5 minutes later another one dropped on the same spot. I got up and put the light on to find that the rim above me was covered in condensation. I dried it off and went back to sleep in a different position.

Being new to Eribas is this something that is normal in such cold weather or was I doing something wrong? If others have suffered this what action have they taken? In extreme cold do people close the pop-top down?

Or is it just that Eribas are really only three season vans?

Be interested in other EribaFolks experience of winter camping.

No experience of winter Eriba use personally but I am a involved in condensation, corrosion and chemistry for a living. Your problem is warm and damp air from the heating and your own carbon dioxide and unspent oxygen/nitrogen output which is hot and wet. The alloy rail that runs around the roof aperture is always going to be colder than the surrounding air if it is cold outside as its potential to exchange temperature and thus conduct heat or cold is far superior to that of the atmosphere that surrounds it. It's very simple, if that rail is colder than the air hitting it, water that is airborne will condense on it. If the rail is warmer, it won't.
Dry air heating is the best as per your radiator, a fan heater that circulates the air as well as drying it is far better.
Forget use of your gas hob in winter, it can chuck literally litres of water into your eriba every time you use it when it's really cold.
Best thing is a fan heater and thick pyjamas .
Opening the windows a crack will also help a lot, ventilation is king where condensation is an issue.
Al

We use our Eriba during the winter and get condensation on the upper aluminium trim. We now make sure that we have ventilation at night by leaving the triangular vents partly open which lessens the condensation. A quick wipe round with kitchen roll mops it up in the morning.

Thanks this has given me some things to think about. We did have the vents open a bit for the first two nights but zipped them up on the very cold one.If the gas cooker is a problem re water getting airborne do you think that the gas heater might have a similar effect?

Thanks for the suggestion about the fan heater circulating dryer air - will try that one.

On the same line if we shut down the pop-up top, in theory, that would make the condensation problem worse?

Thanks Frantone, perhaps we did not have enough ventilation on that night.

Well, I know French peeps use their Eribas for skiing so they are good for the cold. If it's cold, we've shut the pop top at night, left the oil-filled heater on and opened a couple ofwindows on "vent". A good airing in the morning and Bob's your uncle!

The gas heater will not produce any extra water vapour in the van interior because it is completely sealed unlike the hob. Warmth from the gas heater is through the heat exchanger not directly from the combustion.

Once when it was really cold we did have some small condensation. Since then we shut the pop top and no more condensation, in fact we keep the roof down most nights because I find it's much quieter and keeps the morning light down. Paul.

Interesting that both Islay & Paauloswald both talk about sleeping with the pop-top down in very cold weather to prevent /reduce condensation. Do other people do this as well?

Are there any problems or dsiadvantages to sleeping with the roof down, other than the obvious one of banging their head?

In anything but ideal conditions we always drop the lid. The van both retains the warmth and things are quieter. There are enough natural vents to prevent headaches occurring as a result of breathing recirculated air in my opinion.

I'm over 6ft and I know this sounds daft but I bang my head more when the roof is up but not when it's down. Our Troll is in the garden and often in & out of it potterin about and of course the roof is down and it doesn't cross my mind about it. But soon as we are on site the first thing i do is pop the roof and bang me head. . Paul.

Quote: Soulbluesman wrote in post #10

---

Interesting that both Islay & Paauloswald both talk about sleeping with the pop-top down in very cold weather to prevent /reduce condensation. Do other people do this as well?
Are there any problems or dsiadvantages to sleeping with the roof down, other than the obvious one of banging their head?

---

I can't see the difference, why should you not sleep with the roof down but is okay to sleep in a ordainary caravan ? Paul

Quote: Pauloswald wrote in post #14

---

I can't see the difference, why should you not sleep with the roof down but is okay to sleep in a ordainary caravan ? Paul

---