After an absence of 4 or 5 years I've been sculling around the the Eriba world on the internet recently, poking in a few odd corners etc.

Firstly, I'm impressed by the Troll 535, though 540 length beds still reign as we don't want to make up a double every night and a fixed double uses too much dog floorspace. As to the 542, I really just don't get it.

I notice that Trolls can now be upgraded to 1400kg which does seem a tad OTT.

I also notice that despite lots of adverse comments for years and despite a mass of other improvements Hymer still insist on putting an electric socket on the front face of the kitchen.

Then there's the oddity that they go to great detail about the value saving of their GT package but unlike the other options listed they fail to say how much it weighs and therefore how much payload is used if it's fitted.

Then you have long winded descriptions of some items where a simpler explanation would make life easier for the reader. Presumably it's a literal German translation. For instance 'Anti-sway coupling with 4 friction linings and one handed operation: suppresses roll and pitch movement' or as we'd normally say 'AlKo Stabiliser'. Or 'Anti-skid system: by gently braking the caravan pulls itself back on track' or as we'd say AlKo ATC Trailer Control System. And I'm not so sure describing it as anti-skid is entirely accurate as it's really anti-sway, which is a different thing, though it might result in a skid. Anyway, skipping past the motor mover that's obviously made from solid gold at £2,420 I see you can specify awnings which would be interesting to see, presumably we're talking Fiamma or Thule wind-out or pull-out sun shades?

Another intriguing standard addition appears to be the 'dresser with laundry hamper and height adjustable bottom', leaving aside obvious ribald comments I'm left wondering what it is and where on earth does it fit? There's some odd words such as 'transversal' which given the current media furores presumably has something to do with the customer's sexuality The terminology and descriptions of beds/benches/windows etc has always left me dazed and confused, perhaps because we don't get involved with the intricacies of fixed beds. Then, almost at the end we come across the toilet and well, you're probably like me and couldn't do without your 'private washing tank' which I can only assume means the flush water cistern/tank.

Having read my way through it I was left wondering why there was no mention of what was euphemistically called the 'multi-purpose bed' option where you got a central rear chest and side benches that could be pulled out to make wider singles or a full double. Then I spotted 'Opposite seating group (single bed seating)', which on first view has absolutely nothing to do with what I was looking for. However looking at footnote '4' we get 'With foldable nightstand board' (is this the central chest? Followed by 'and removable freestanding table' sounds promising, 'as well as supplementary upholstery parts for conversion into a round seating group.' which is even more promising, leaving aside the thought of a circular sofa in the middle of a van. Then we have 'Extendable bed base/back seat with Velcro (divided) to enlarge the sleeping area.' which pretty much nails it that it's what I've been looking for and as a final flourish we get 'Removable nightstand' which was definitely the case when we had Famille Frantone's ex 540 back in the day.

It does make you wonder how a novice can navigate through such descriptions and judging by some of the new stock van descriptions at the newer dealerships they have no idea what some of it means either.

I had problems navigating through your posting of the description and was struck by " removable freestanding table ". It takes at least two people to remove it and must weigh almost as much as the van. Who's idea was that?

Apart from that, are we to understand that you are thinking of returning to the fold?


Alan

Our last Troll (initially Frantone's) had had the big table butchered by the owner that Frantone sold to and I purchased from. They'd made a pigs ear of cutting the end off to fit a bracket that would allow them to use the table with one lightweight folding leg. In doing so they exposed the internal core of the table and ruined the wooden edge strip. Not only that, but that model year the folded table was stored under the offside lounge bench and because it had been shortened it allowed the table to move about in its guides. When in motion the table slid sideways towards the exterior locker door's lock and ground the table edge against it, gouging a rough gash in the wooden edge trim. In addition he'd thrown the original table legs away. Oh and in doing the alterations he'd made three dents in the actual table surface.

So from having a heavy free standing table you could use anywhere, including the garden, you'd got a really messed up object that could only be used attached to the van's exterior bracket.

We bought a lightweight folding table instead and the Eriba object spent its life in the garage. When we sold the Troll I showed the table to the buyers and they said 'throw it away'. It was that bad.

According to the 2018 price list, opting for the multi-purpose bed option with pull-out slats, central chest and big free standing table costs £460 but only takes 5kg of payload which seems very little given the table weight and the central chest.

Now then SDA do you "wear it well" or are you just a "little old fashioned"?

I'm still looking for Maggie as I'm told she may.

Am I right in thinking that the downloadable 2018MY Touring price list is a tad short on info?

IIRC previous lists showed a GT Pack but also showed the price and weight of each individual item in the pack, inferring they could be ordered independently. This year there's no mention of the silver sides option separately, or any of the other items in the GT Pack, except the exterior locker doors.

Taken literally if you order a white van you can't have stone protectors or door flyscreen or sink cover etc etc. Surely That's not the case?

The download is the one I'm referring to Colin, it's for the 2018 Model Year, issued in July 2017.

The 2019MY Price List will presumably appear in July this year.

You'll see it features the GT Pack and its contents but doesn't list any of the contents individually, except the locker doors. I even had to look at the French price list to find the weight of the GT Pack because even that isn't shown on the UK list. I'm sure that previous price lists showed all the items individually with their weights and prices.

As I say, if you take the list literally and decide not to have the GT Pack then you can only have a white van without any of the items in the GT Pack, but with any of the individually listed bits in the rest of the price list. I presume you can order a white van with stone deflectors, chopping board, alloys and flyscreen etc but the list infers you can't as there are no prices or weights for them.

Your spec. is exactly as you'd expect to be able to order Colin, but looking at the 2018 price list you'd be forgiven for thinking it wasn't possible.

The stoneguard, flyscreen, alloys and sink cover don't get a mention as being available unless you order the full GT Pack and the higher cushions don't get a mention at all, except in the separate 60 Edition list.

So is the downloadable price list the real price list or do dealers have a more comprehensive one and if they have, why don't Hymer publish it?

I mean, you would have no idea what those options cost, or weighed if you wanted to order your van this year.