Hi I have yet to buy my Eriba. We are festival goers and love a camping trip. We have only camped in tents and want to make our lives easier, especially now the kids are older (and not cool enough for us ) we only need a 2 berth. 2 years ago I started looking at what is out there. I came across Eriba caravans and anything else just doesn't compare. i am struggling to find one with a water heater to have hot water feed to bathroom sink and kitchen tap. I cant even work out which models have bathrooms and if its worth bothering with a shower or just a washroom. There are so many models. should I buy from trade? Is it expensive to add a water heater? All this with an inadequate budget does anyone have any advice for me. thank you

unless you're particularly tall....... we found a 1998 Triton 430 in 2015 for 7000E. There is a water heater, the bathrooms are tiny but people do manage to have a shower. She's wonderful. You don't need an enormous budget.

Thank you 🙏 We are 5’3 and 5’9 so I think that won’t be an issue. 😂

Welcome to the site Rachel

We took your journey from lifelong tenters to Eriba owners at the end of 2014 when our two children had moved to pastures new.. We booked a visit to one of the main Eriba dealers in Poole and sat in every model we could find, to see what felt right.

We eventually decided on a Troll 540 with a hot water boiler. After not being able to find a used one we eventually ordered a new one. It came in 2016 and we were instantly hooked and in love. The passion continues to this day...............

Our advice would be to take your time, sit inside them and get the feel before you buy. Also listen to Colin (Eribamotters) and think through what he says as he talks a lot of sense........

Happy hunting.

MikeT

thank you that is amazing info. much appreciated

Hi again Rachel.

Guess the other thing to give some thought to is the type of bed you decide to go for.- people prefer different things. Some people swear by the fixed bed which is a little higher and has storage underneath. Others prefer the two single beds that act as seating during the day (usually with a table in the middle)then at night can be slept on as singles or can be made up as a double. Some people then sleep on the double lenghways or across the van. Given your heights you could do either. On some Trolls you can get multi-function beds where the wardrobe is smaller and the beds a bit longer. These can be used a two singles, or three quarter singles or as a king size double, As tenters we were used to not taking lots of clothes so didn't mind a slightly smaller wardrobe.

It's all about choice I guess. We have the multifunction and some days we leave it up like a fixed bed but on other days we put it down and this gives us a large lounge area, with two "settee like" benches if we fancy a doze in the afternoon.

Would probably be helpful for you to see different bed types and ask to see how the singles turn into a double.

We remember being a bit bemused by all the choices...............good luck

MikeT

Thinking of fixed beds.... we make ours up every evening. It takes about 2 minutes. We love having the big dining area for our evening meal. Really comfortable and spacious. Others are happy with the small dining area in the nose. Is an expansive dinner important for you?
Also, friends can come and eat with us.

Hi Islay

We could have written that comment..................we love lounging around the big lounge table with the grandchildren when we are not outside. When they are not with us we use it for cards and dominoes. You are quicker than us we take about 6 minutes to make the bed up.

We always have breakfast on the little table in the front.. We also use the little table outside for eating when the weather is warm. When it is cold or wet we put the big table in the awning to eat at night.

This works for us Rachel but you need to work out what will work best for you.................................

MikeT

The bed-making is so quick since we got the tip from Roger and Amanda. To put the bed away, just remove the pillows and roll the whole lot up towards the end of the van. The pillows go in to cases and are day cushions. Then, you just push the bed base across, unroll and voilà!!!

Thank you. Good to hear from someone who has the same experience