Hi, hoping to pick up an Eriba 530 in July and have a couple of questions.
I did have loads more but scouring the posts here have answered many.
A friend who has a 550 keeps his spare wheel in the boot as he says it is an issue when on the van, catching on a slope. Is that usual?

I have looked endlessly at posts about awnings and have narrowed our choice down.
We had a VW California 6 years ago which was brilliant for fair weather camping for us as fair weather campers. In the end too small. The awning was only effective in the minority of situations and little use in rain which blew in from the sides.

Anyway, the awning we like best is the Unico Verona which can be a canopy or full awning. Very expensive. How easy is it to erect? Are there any similar?
The Vision canopy is our friends choice although part of me thinks it does not match the retro look of the Eriba. Has anyone got one and added sides and front?
Finally, the Kampa air looks a good option which has lost some of the early problems mentioned in threads I have read.
Sorry to add to a much discussed item which essentially boils down to personal taste and depth of pocket...although our Eriba friend’s favourite saying is “ there are no pockets in a shroud “
Phew!
One final observation. On the Vw California forum there were instances of unkindness in some posts...I have looked at 100’s of posts here and not found one

Hi Lawrie

We have a 540 previously we had a 418 both with underslung spare wheels. In the twelve years we have owned them we have not ever caught the spare on anything. A couple of years ago we moved to the Derbyshire Dales which as the name suggests have lots of hills, valleys and slopes. Our driveway has at some points a 1 in 4 slope and in order to reverse the van up the side of the house we have to ensure that the van is tail high and nose low in order to prevent the spare wheel cradle from scraping along the ground. We haven't ever had any problems of this sort whilst using any UK or European road or campsite.
By all means if you want you can carry the spare in the towcar, it would make it easier to access in the event of need, but you will have to rebalance the van to get the correct noseweight on the hitch. I know some folk do carry the spare in the car it's a matter of personal choice but the spare has been underslung on these vans for decades and as far as I know the problem referred to by your friend has not been widely reported.

Thank you for the very welcome comment about kindness on this forum, it's a pleasure to be here and we would like to imagine that kindness is as infectious as Covid 19 - here's hoping

Best wishes for your new adventures - eventually

Denise& Phil and Marmite Too

Congratulations to your 530. We have the same model -18. I have only noticed that the spare wheel catching in a slope when I roll the caravan out of it's place beside my house. There is a very slight slope and the problem was that I had the jockey wheel to high up so the caravan was high in the front. When I'm driving and camping I have never had any problems. Tip: Check the lock for the holder(?) for the wheel. On ours the keys didn't fit. The sales guy had no keys that fitted.....
We have the Kampa Pop Air Pro tent (2019 model). It is very easy to put up and we haven't had any problems with any water coming in between the roof and caravan. We don't have the Weather Protection strip.

Hi we use the Vango hex air awning. It’s vary easy to put up and super spacious on the inside.

Welcome to the Forum.

In two years we have not had the spare wheel catch on the ground. Good point from Karisman about the jockey wheel height if you are manoeuvring off the tow car.

On awnings, we have an Isabella Shadow for short stops (1 to 2 nights) which I highly recommend - dead easy to put up and acts either as a sun shield or a rain porch - and a Pop Air Pro for longer stops. Now I can’t say Mrs C is a huge fan of the Pop Air awning. She thinks it spoils the look of the van and does not think it is very easy to erect. I’ve solved part of the problem by investing in the Kampa pulley system which allows one person to put the awning up. I do that while Mrs C walks the dog, avoiding the “Divorce in a bag” problem. Essential for a longish stop though and it doubles as a kennel!

Hi again Lawrie

With our 540 I have caught the spare wheel a couple of times in 3 years. once like Karisman I caught it getting it on our drive because of how I had the jockey wheel set. Learnt a lesson from that and haven't done it since. The other was in going over a very large speed bump and I was probably going too fast. I think at my age if I had a puncture I would just have to call out the AA.

You are right with awnings in that you pay your money & take your choice. We were one of the (foolish?) first to get the Kampa Pop Air when it first came out & we had lots of difficulties with it. I objected to Kampa suggesting that we cut bits off it to improve it. However I have learned to live with it on long trips & in the wind & wet. It sounds like the new version is much better for the Troll. Like Captain C's wife Mrs T is not a great fan of how the Kampa looks from the side view. We also find it a bit heavy to hold up before it all fits in the gutter rail, although things have improved with practice.

However I have become a convert to the Isabella Shadow Sun Canopy following some recommendations from this Forum. It is so light and quick to put up & take down. there are only the two of us so that even if it is raining quite heavy we can still find a dry spot for us to sit under. I do intend following Randa's example and will design an end piece to give us extra protection.

I think its quite exciting looking at all the different awning & canopy options whereas Kath thinks I am just sad! Happy shopping

MikeT

Thanks for all the replies. The spare wheel info is logical and reassuring.
The awning details will make me look at the shadow and the vango. Not seen a sportexso will add that to the list.
We are in fact buying our Eriba from AL as our friends did. Everything I read indicates it’s a good choice.
As we know what a 550 looks like all I want to check s how the space in the drone dinette compares to the six one in the 550.
Will try to pop in to Lowdens to have a look. Once sure we will buy the van blind.
Appreciate the help everyone :-)
Lawrie

I have a slight slope on my drive and a largish camber in the road, if I approach my drive at 90 degrees it will bottom out on the spare wheel. Your van should come with a padlock on the wheel cage, top tip is to tape it upside down as this is the first thing to catch and you won't be able to unlock it when it's damaged, as I found out. I approach my drive at a slight angle with the jockey wheel as low as I can,that way I can get on the drive without catching. Awning wise I have a Kampa pro pop air and an Isabella Shadow. I have bought Eribas from A/L and Lowdhams, no issues with either firms. Lowdhams you can take out a service plan which works out a lot cheaper than an annual one. A/L delivered my Familia
to my house in Bury Lancashire for a £1 a mile back in 2012.

The spare wheel on my Puck bottomed out while driving over an undulating field. I didn't notice when driving forwards but when reversing I did notice as it dug into the ground. Luckily not causing too much damage. Something to be aware of .

Steve

If you search for a spare wheel carrier you wont get one for a Puck. Mine used to have one, but it's not there now. I find it easier too put the spare wheel just inside the door. Much easier to get to if needed.

Hi lawrie
Apologies for a belated reply
Our 2002 Triton, bought last year came with a Unico Verona awning. We think it looks fab and really complements the van. Relatively easy to put up even though it didn't have any instructions ( we did find a video on you tube in Dutch, I think) and can it be done by one person as long as you are not a short @*** like me. We were so impressed that we have just ordered the "voorscherm deluxe" (front wall to you and me) from Bax in the Netherlands. I contacted them by email on June 23rd they sent me a paylink on the 25th and the "voorscherm" arrived on Monday!
As you say they are expensive and I don't know if we would have stumped up the full cost of the awning and the front wall. Looking forward to our first outing of the season next week.
Cheers, Ian and Christine

Hi Lawrie,
Regarding awnings, we have used the Isabella Capri North on our Troll 540 for the last 2 1/2 years, usually left on the van from early March to October, apart from the odd week on tour, and it has coped admirably with the varied weather of north Yorkshire and Devon no probs.
We use a cheapie canopy from the caravan canopy shop for shorter stays.
Hope this is useful
Happy touring !