Hi everyone 👋👋👋👋

Me and my husband have been camping for years and on our camping adventures have often seen the lovely Eriba's, we both decided that when camping, sleeping on a SIM, was too much we would get an Eriba.

Well that time has come and we are looking at purchasing an Eriba, but which one!

We are from sunny Clacton and so not many dealerships around here, but I think it is prudent to make the right choice. After being a camper I know getting the right equipment is very important.

We both like the look of the Familia and also the Triton, am I right in thinking that you can keep one of the beds made up and still have seats to sit on? And also, the loo situation, as campers we are used to having a kampa loo and doing the walk of shame in the morning to empty it, I'm wondering if having an Eriba with the loo means you loose space but is it a lot?

I would love to hear your thoughts thank you😊

Hello and welcome to the forum. Great that you're getting an Eriba! There's a wide range of vans to choose from. Someone more knowledgeable than me will be along soon with answers to your questions. Whatever you choose you will get a caravan that has character and makes you smile!

We've only ever had a Triton. For me, a loo is top of the list hahaha. For many others, it isn't. We make up the bed every day....takes seconds ....for many reasons but others leave it up, only you can decide what matters for you, but I think you'll really love your little van, whichever you choose.
Ours was the first and onky one we ever saw to buy so it felt like kismet. I think she chose us

as has already been said once you decide what layout suits you ask away, we’re all happy to give our two pennorth.

hi Lorraine & welcome to the world of Eribas

We were lifelong tenters like yourselves and made a change to an Eriba four years ago and it was a great decision. It wasn't the sleeping on the SIMs that did for us but putting all the pegs in the ground. When we had finished I couldn't stand upright for days. We had an Outwell Bear Lake 4 tent and an extension which we loved but it took an age to get everything pitched and placed. That's why an Eriba was the ideal choice for us- if you don't bother with an awning you unhitch pop the top and you are in business!

Oh and of course they are so stylish....................

Aaron's suggestion of looking at all the layouts is a good one. Then you need to go to one of the big dealers like Automotive Leisure in Poole or Adventure Leisure Vehicles in Tebay to see all the different models and sit in them and get the feel and compare them to what best meets you need.

There are thankfully lots of different opinions & views on the Forum about what you need in your van but most of us agree that Eribas should be kept simple & stylish - they are not big white boxes. We love having the toilet after years of rainy walks to the toilet or using Kampa buckets and wouldn't be without it. We have a Troll 540 that has a multifunctional bed that be two long singles or a king size double or be a seating & table area. It takes us about 6 minutes to put the bed up and ready for sleeping or down. We sometimes leave it up for days as we have another seating & table area at the front. Other people love having a fixed bed up all the time.

Then there is the issue of having a boiler for hot water or not. We hummed and hahed and eventually got one but we don't use it that much but others swear by having one.

Once you get an Eriba most people love them and keep them for years so they end up as good value, even though the initial cost seems a lot.

Anyway enough of my rambling enjoy your search, get a van you love and start living a life of camping luxury and style

MikeT

Gosh Mike we are very similar we have a bear lake 4 and extension and this afternoon decided we would take a trip to Automotive Leisure and get a feel for exactly what we want... Yes the banging in the pegs won't be missed😂

Lorraine
That is a coincidence - we never saw that many others when we were tenting.

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Ours was nicknamed the big green caterpillar by some French kids on our final trip to France in it - it was far longer than our Troll. Towards the end we realised that we didn't need so much space.

If you are going to AL to look at the range of Eribas ask if you can book an appointment with Cameron (if he is still working there) as he was brilliant with us as non-caravaners and gave us some great advice.

The only problem is that there seems to be a national shortage of used vans on the market. We were fortunate in a way that sadly a family member died and left us some money that we put towards ordering a new one. After 4 years of owning our Troll it looks like we would get more back than we paid for it.

Enjoy your voyage of discovery........

MikeT

Another option from Clacton might be Dom Fox in Norfolk.

Both the Familia and the Triton have models offering two dinettes, a double at the rear and a single at the front. You can leave the double made up and still sit on the single set at the front.
In the Familia you give up the front dinette if you want a toilet, the 320 model, the 310 has no loo but has the front seating area. On the Triton you have more options. The 410 is the same as the 310 but with bigger rear bed/seating area allowing sleeping along the van as well as across. The 430 has the same rear bed as the Familia but has a loo and the front seating area and the 418 has no loo but a larger front bed/dinette along with the smaller rear bed, 4 berth at a pinch.
We started with a 310 and changed up last year to a 410 for the more versatile rear bed. As for the loo a porta potti 225 fits nicely under the front seat just inside the door of the 310 and the 410 so you can still have a flushing loo without losing the space of separate loo compartment.

Jef

Thank you I just can't wait to get one now and start our adventures 😊

Longtime campers here as well, I love camping under canvas and for years would not consider looking at a caravan, we changed from raclet quick stop trailer tent to Eriba triton 4 years ago, principally because we wanted to extend the season and have winter weekends away seeing a show, visiting friends or whatever. We looked at Eribas in passing but also considered gobur folding campers and trigano pop top caravans, we found a dealer with examples of all three for sale, went to have a look and opted for the Eriba, a triton 420. The biggest challenge we had (and still have) is the reduction in space compared to the trailer tent and my reluctance to keep putting the bed up and down. As often as possible we leave it up and sit outside under canopy or in awning
Our triton was made in 1999, it is a first class piece of kit - I love it, so much easier to pack up or down compared to the tent, the 420 has the washroom, until this year we only used this for storage but this year we started using the loo and after this going forward I would not want any of the models without the washroom, no hot water system in ours, we boil the kettle for tea etc and use the shower block on the campsite