After much waiting, we took delivery of our Triton GT from Jandi in August, our first foray into caravanning.
We’d decided on a new van rather than 2nd hand and commit to keeping it long term to justify the cost. We duly went off in it for 10 days with our wee Bruce (a Cockapoo) which went well but during this 1st trip we agreed to have a new puppy from an accidental litter. We managed another couple of weekends away before it got put away for winter with both dogs which highlighted how compact the van is. Basically it went unsaid but I knew then it was too small.

We were invited along to see the new Rockabilly Models last weekend, not to to my taste, but they also had a new 60th Troll 530. (We’d wanted a 60th edition when 1st looking but couldn’t have double dining so had to go for a GT.) however now the DD is available.
We were surprised how much bigger the Troll was and I much prefer the lighter interior colour scheme too. It also had an awning (which we have been considering adding to ours to give us more space).

So, perhaps inevitably, we got into discussing trading in the months old Triton. The cost to change is pretty much £8k with us taking an almost £5k hit on the Triton. (Jandi were very fair as they are offering us the price we paid less vat). Do you think this is madness? Should we just persevere with the Triton? Or at least just fit an awning and get on with it. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I understand your dilemma, sort of! I tour in a 320GT on my own with 2 spaniels, having 'upgraded' from a Puck about a year ago. Up until recently, I fancied the idea of a Triton. I quite like the idea of a long seat to stretch out on for the mandatory afternoon nap.

However, my brother recently bought a Puck and I'm resisting the urge to go 'downsize' to a Puck again! Deep down I know it makes no sense, but if I see a good 230GT or a very late 120, I wouldn't be surprised if I went for it. Absolutely bonkers on the face of it, as the 320GT is a great van.

At the end of the day, you make whatever you have fit what you're doing.

I think, for a couple with 2 dogs a Troll 540 makes sense. 2 nice long benches which make either a luxurious double or 2 good singles and are perfect afternoon recliners. The small front dinette is great for a pair of dogs to be out of the way but feel secure in their own space.
Maybe a ‘preloved’ Eriba would soften the financial blow?

Basically it comes down to, do you "really" want? , can you afford it without having to cut corners elsewhere?, if the answer to both of those is yes then I would go for it.
Dave

I have a 420 and two of us and 4 medium sized dogs have great time in it and I have wondered about a Troll but to be honest, the Triton does all it's supposed to for me and in the summer months if away for more than 3 - 5 days then use an awning with it.

I wouldn't worry about whether anyone thinks you are mad or not. If the additional cost isn't a problem, go for it otherwise your holidays will always have an element of dis-satisfaction.
Whatever happens I hope it works out well for you.

Steve

Thanks for the input, we are still in a quandary but I suspect we will do it once we convince ourselves it’s only money!

“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.”
― Oscar Wilde

“Money may not buy happiness, but I'd rather cry in a Jaguar than on a bus.”
― Françoise Sagan
(……………. but I'd rather cry in a Troll than a Triton)

"never let the lack of money stop you from buying something you REALLY want"
- anon

Money spent on yourself is never wasted

I would consider hanging on for another season and see how you get on with your Triton, after all you really haven't been out in it that much. Yes it is compact but in reality all Eribas are compact, its part of their charm.You may just find that the Troll is also too compact having spent another 8K.Ouch. It's part of the human condition that the grass often seems greener on the other side. Actually most of the time its not just a different shade depending on where the sun is shinning. Relax and look forward to the new season .

We are similar to you in having ordered a new 420GT without having before experienced caravanning, and we have a small dog(Tibetan). We had rented in 2018 a 6m campervan and then a VW California. Managed both with the dog but the VW seemed cramped. The 420 felt spacious to us compared to the campervans. As we can get the 420 in the garage ( Troll too big) and we plan to tour extensively in Scotland (highlands and islands) seemed the sensible way to go. We will find out soon enough as it’s due for delivery in next couple of months!

We only ever notice the limited space in our Triton when we end up in the 'corridor' at the same time eg. one person is standing over the kitchen sink whilst the other is trying to get out of the washroom. In reality this is rare, as we tend to be at one end or the other. I think we'd have the same issues in a much bigger/longer caravan. The awning makes a huge difference, but that's only used on longer trips and in 'the season'. I would not think a small or medium sized dog would be an issue in a Triton.

We did exactly what you are contemplating. We went from a brand new (in May 2014) Triton 420GT to a brand new (in May 2018) Troll 535GT (the new layout Troll). When we bought the Triton we were dogless and went up from touring in a VWT5 campervan, so it felt quite luxurious at the time, with a proper sprung mattress bed and a toilet, headroom etc. We pulled the Triton with the T5, so we had quite a lot of extra storage space, an extra fridge etc. The one thing we regretted early on was not having considered the front dinette, but I'm not sure that would have been enough on its own to persuade us to change. We then became owners of a big and boisterous golden retriever but again, that in itself didn't seem reason enough to change the Eriba, and we've spent months at a time with him touring Europe in the 420. When we decided to return to driving a car, we considered again whether we needed a bigger Eriba, but we toured 10 countries for 3 months during the first summer with the new car and the dog without any problems. We decided to bite the bullet late 2017 and ordered a Troll. We were pleasantly suprised just how much we got trading it in - although this may have been partly due to them pushing the new model 535. Basically it was a collection of reasons that made us change but no one thing would likely have been enough to do it. Here are our reasons:

1) We are wanting to do more short touring in the UK out of the main season, so we wanted heating and hotwater and a bit more room inside for dark evenings and inclement weather.
2) The front cupboards in the Triton are terrible to access (to me anyway, at over 6 feet tall), requiring kneeling on the floor in a confined space to get anything out. Same with the fridge. This is completely solved with the 535 layout with a fridge off of the ground and large pan drawers that make all the contents accessible. It also has a large open shelf area above the fridge that makes the van feel a lot more open and spacious.
3) The slightly wider Troll means we don't have to have the long beds of the Triton420/Troll 540. I am 6 feet 1 and I sleep across the van in the Troll, which I couldn't do in the 420. I think we wrongly assumed at the beginning that sleeping across the van would be tight in all models.
4) The front dinette means if one doesn't want to get up, the other can use the front seating area. It also means you don't have to always put the main bed away, as you have an alternative seating area.We looked at the 540 but the front dinette was too small for us.
5) There is more room for our dog but he really doesn't come in the Eriba most of the time. He likes to sleep in the car and sit outside watching the world go by. He comes in if it's really cold/wet or stormy but he did that in the Triton and would lie by the door. If he's wet and/or muddy, and we don't have the awning up, it's still difficult with him in the Eriba. We now use a doggie dressing gown, which is really useful and takes away his urge to shake!

I'd advise carefully looking at your intended use. If you do a lot in this country when its cold and/or wet with dark evenings, then you'll have much to gain from an awning and a bigger van, for both you and the dogs. Restricting its use just to sunny warm weather because that's all you can cope with wont get a good return on your existing investment. If the bigger van will mean you use it two or three times as much, then it's worth spending the extra to upgrade. If you only plan occassional breaks in your Eriba, then get a decent awning and stick with what you have for a while. We bought a Unico Verona for our Triton, which fits our new Troll, so if you choose similarly, your purchase can be used on a new Troll if you do upgrade. I don't know your circumstances but consider future use - are you for example retiring in the next few years? when occassional use now might turn into months at a time. We spent about 16 months over 4 seasons in total touring in our Triton, 2 seasons with a large dog. For us it was lots of things, not just the dog.

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