Hi - sorry just seen this - can you advise if it has hot and cold running water? - Will be new to Eriba and understand that everything on them is an extra at purchase (if my friend was right) - Thanks, Jenny

Not quite everything but as standard they all have a fridge, gas space heating and foam rubber upholstery. Almost everything else is a cost option. Check out the details on the Hymer Eriba website if you're thinking of buying a new or recent van.

Hello Nora,

You sound like us a couple of years ago. Our friends had a Pontus and we were so impressed we decided to change from our folding Esterelles of 40 years to look for one. Hen's teeth! After all the same helpful conversations on this forum that you have had, we found one in Spain at £18,000 but not in particularly good condition and we couldn't arrange suitable ferry (it was January) to go and look/buy so didn't. We asked at leading Eriba stockist why it was no longer made as lots of people want an island bed, to be told "there was no call for them"! I gather they were told by head office that the vans are too narrow to allow sufficient space either side of the bed to get out safely. As small people (as are our friends), this wasn't a problem for us. After a lot more chats on this forum, we decided to try a Troll 540 because it seemed the only model that you can sleep longitudinally and there fore not have to climb over ones other half to get out. Scrambling off the end isn't too bad. So, again after much help from this forum we found a cheap 3rd or 4th hand Troll 540 near Blackpool and set off on a cold February morning to collect it. After a lot of work - mould on the canvas etc and doing an interior paint job, upgrading plumbing and electrics, we are now very comfortable in it and after only one long trip away to France in September 2019,(and it providing useful accommodation during our moving house during lock down,) we may well start looking for a newer version or maybe Eriba will make another island bed model. We did look at the Troll 542 which had a shaped end to the fixed bed but that seemed the worst of all worlds. We can make the 540 into a double sitting area if we ever need to - but never have.

So good luck. You will need patience and luck to find a Pontus but there are other solutions.
Bevill

Hi - many thanks for the reply - I think we will wait it out for the 540 GT as that has the best of both worlds - failing that and my patience levels we'll probably go back to a Knaus although that said finding a UK spec on is just as difficult - regards, Jenny

Tastes in caravans change almost with the weather. Go back just 6 or 7 years and there were no sideways double island bed models offered by the main UK brands. Then they became all the rage. For the last 3 o 4 years it's been the end island bed, like the Pontos, that's swung into fashion. Whether Hymer will react to that is anyone's guess at present.

Given the layout lasted only one model year 13 years ago, when built in a French, rather than German factory there may be different attitudes. However for a layout to be dropped after 12 months either me and it sold badly or their was not enough profit in it.

I may be wrong but something at the back of my mind says that the Pontos was longer than a Troll and as wide as the then widebeam 55x series vans, which became the standard Troll width when German production commenced.

Roughly speaking, in UK money, a Troll is 6ft 6ins wide inside. If you plonk a 4ft 6ins standard double bed in the middle you have 12ins either side, not counting any overlapping bedding. And the walls taper inwards slightly towards the roof and floor, so I wouldn't be surprised if the floor space on either side was nearer 10ins. No matter how small you are that might be considered a health and safety issue as far as a manufacturer is concerned. Added to that you have to have clearance on each front corner between end of bed and kitchen/wardrobe. Think of a made up double on a 540 with a foot or more gap between the bed corners and the furniture. Then you have all the front stuff to fit in. That's why I think the Pontos was longer. And if it's longer it doesn't fit with the policy of having just three basic size vans Familia, Triton and Troll).

Your quite right Andy the Pontos is longer than a Troll but the same width as the newer Trolls at 2.1m. The island bed has adequate room at the corners which are rounded at either side to get accesss to the bed for making up and also the bedside cabinets and the wardrobes either side. Although the standard cupboards around the sides of the bed are missing the other cupboards make up for the missing ones. The space below the bed is enormous and can be accessed from inside the caravan , the side or rear externally of course the front dinette is the same as the 540g but as you pointed out in an earlier post this is a 3 bed van with only seating for two. Being only 5’6” we don’t really have issues with the curve and had more Eriba kisses from the 540 when the bed wasn’t made up but fortunately it always was.

Funnily enough I very rarely got 'kissed' by the roof edge at the back of our 540's but the entrance door frame and the forrard edge above the dinette were my downfall.

Just looked up the Pontos vitals.

They are nearly 10ins longer than a Troll and main bed is 6ft 4.5ins long and 4ft 3ins wide.

As they're about 6ft 6ins wide (at the mid rail) that means there's about 13 or 14ins each side between mattress edge and the side of the van. So probably about a foot of floor width at each side of the bed. That's enough space for my espadrilles side by side lengthways but a bit tight across ways and certainly not enough space for Colin's crocs!!!