Airstream or Eriba

[Annik]

Last weekend we were shown around an Airstream caravan who was on the pitch adjacment to us and it was love at first sight. We.are now looking to purchase one to tow behind the Cali for use by our extended family. We did also look at an Eriba touring which is also an alternative as they appear to also be of a comparable build quality and best of all, they are the only caravans that actually look 'cool'

 

[Hotel California]

@GrannyJen ......where are you....?

She has a Eriba

 

[5i1ver8ack]

Here's ours - near Beddgelert this summer, just before leaving for home.

Two daughters in the Eriba; mum and dad in the camper.

Easy to tow. Comfortable to sleep in.

It's a 320GT - about the smallest with a toilet. My only "complaint" is that the lightweight internal woodwork is more flimsy than I would like.

The portable solar panels are connected to the Eriba.

 

[Barbara]

Last weekend we were shown around an Airstream caravan who was on the pitch adjacment to us and it was love at first sight. We.are now looking to purchase one to tow behind the Cali for use by our extended family. We did also look at an Eriba touring which is also an alternative as they appear to also be of a comparable build quality and best of all, they are the only caravans that actually look 'cool'

Look at thread : Dream- team -

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/dream-team.23942/


My California tows my Eriba really well. You may need to do your research as lots of different inside layouts old and new. I find that I am often approached and told I like your van, we would like one like that. I get the same comment with the California as well. I think it may be the size which is the attraction, small but functional.

 

[GrannyJen]

I cannot comment on Airstream, only the Eirba.

As far as I'm concerned they might just as well have been made for the California. On tow it tucks right in behind it.

On a pitch the two are small enough to share. When parked nose in the side door of the California is just a step away from the door of the Eriba.

The Eriba boasts a bathroom, lovely when having dinner together. Dragging out whatever one uses in the Cali can be rather off-putting as is disappearing for 10 minutes to visit the site facilities.

In terms of holding their price, we swapped our Eriba over at 6 months. Just by chance an almost identical model became available but with a lighter interior. After I calculated in what would have been normal hotel expenses without the Eriba the savings more than compensated for the small drop in value.

It gives us both our privacy, Jo in her caravan, me in my Cali, but we have a lovely time together sharing breakfast, coffee breaks and dinner together.

Probably the best accessory I have bought for my California.

 

[ChrisandPenney52]

Last weekend we were shown around an Airstream caravan who was on the pitch adjacment to us and it was love at first sight. We.are now looking to purchase one to tow behind the Cali for use by our extended family. We did also look at an Eriba touring which is also an alternative as they appear to also be of a comparable build quality and best of all, they are the only caravans that actually look 'cool'

These would be my go-to vans too but last time I was looking and dreaming I was amazed how heavy Airstreams were. Worth checking. I’ve talked to quite a few Eriba owners and they always seem very proud of their vans



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[cpjb@btinternet.com]

Have a look at the Lunar Ariva - 2 berth end kitchen and light as a feather comparitively speaking. Not cool and trendy, but very very comfortable. The Eriba looks good, but just how much mory cosy is it than the interior of the California on a cold dark winters evening?

 

[ArunAlec]

Airstream seem to cost a fair bit more than Eriba.

 

[Jason wallace]

Not that i'm in the market as the 4 of us including 2 7yo girls still fit happily in the cali, but i did have a look at some specs and reviews a couple of days ago.

I suppose the idea of an airstream is nice but they are silly money, £70k plus for the base model which as someone else mentioned is a heavy beast i also noted that some of the reviews gave the impression that build quality can be a bit iffy.

An Eriba may be the way to go if the look is your thing and they and a lot less money than an airstream.

Personally, If i had to get something to extend the living accommodation and an extra pop up tent or awning is not enough then i'd maybe look at something like this https://www.swiftbasecamp.co.uk/ . Not as pretty as a Eriba but does come is some funky options/decals. I also think the layout is a better option especially as you can load you bikes outdoor equipment inside.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Airstreams are insane and so are the prices ...!!!
I’ve poked around a couple of TAB trailers which were also very good.

https://tab.nucamprv.com/

I got chatting to a couple in Spain last year who had one. Lightweight compared to the Airstream, but very well finished from what I saw

 

[GrannyJen]

Airstreams are insane and so are the prices ...!!!
I’ve poked around a couple of TAB trailers which were also very good.

https://tab.nucamprv.com/

I got chatting to a couple in Spain last year who had one. Lightweight compared to the Airstream, but very well finished from what I saw

Tab's are ok. I looked at a few before I bought the Eriba(s).

My needs are for something narrower than the norm, because of where I store it, and something that as well as being cosy for two adults to share space also enough room for a couple of dogs, so a three berth suited me. TAB when I was looking came in a couple of flavours, small without that third person space, and fixed bed which sort of negated our needs for somewhere to sit and eat together with a respectable loo.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Jen

Just out of interest, did you get to a point where you were comparing prices of the Eriba and Tab...?

 

[GrannyJen]

Jen

Just out of interest, did you get to a point where you were comparing prices of the Eriba and Tab...?

Yes and it all came out pretty even. What swung it for me was that the Eriba had that extra space and the lower profile if a little narrower. The narrow dimensions I like, especially after today towing in torrential rain, with very poor visibility it was quite comforting to know that if the Cali could get through then so could the caravan on the back.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Yes and it all came out pretty even. What swung it for me was that the Eriba had that extra space and the lower profile if a little narrower. The narrow dimensions I like, especially after today towing in torrential rain, with very poor visibility it was quite comforting to know that if the Cali could get through then so could the caravan on the back.

The Eriba does tuck in nicely behind the cali.
As in your other post, it’s a nice size.

 

[Martin]

The new Troll 550 looks very nice, especially if you have a 2 tone Cali

https://www.eriba.com/en/models/caravans/eriba-touring/eriba-touring-rockabilly-oceandrive.html

 

[GrannyJen]

The troll is nice but it's 0.2m wider. Bad news for me as as I only have a 2.1m space to squeeze it into.

The Eriba seats are quite narrow because of it's width, as the bed is also short, but Jo and I have lived in the Eriba through some quite foul weather, from 60mph beast from the east freezer zones last February through to the monsoons of last night and it is a lovely cosy little space to be in when the weather's howling.

The pop-top can be a little irritating, I still keep bumping my head, but in practice reduces the Erica to not much more the height of the Cali and does provide superb ventilation without the back of the neck being frozen stiff by an open widow.

Lack of an oven is no more of an inconvenience than it is in the California, we just use my little mobile one and with the end dinette plenty of space to put it on.I think that was the attraction to me. With minimum kit inside it can be tailored to individual use. It is almost a caravan equivalent of the Cali. I have a Triton, external length just 0.35m longer than the Cali, a couple of inches taller and all but an inch or so the same width.

It also packs a big payload. Anything you can't get in the Cali can be carried in the Caravan with relative comfort that you are not exceeding the MTPLM if you are sensible.

On the road it tows beautifully, but then 3 ton pulling one ton should not present too many problems anyway.

As mentioned above, there are alternatives. The Lunar aria is nice, I've had a couple of Lunar's in the past and been very happy with them, but so many British caravans are sold on the basis of the Bling you can see rather than the inbuilt strength that you cannot see, and the payload on the Lunar is fairly small. The Swift basecamp is intriguing but as with the Cali, I don't want to be fussing with awnings if I can help it.

As the end of the day, as with the Cali, it is such an individual choice if size and bling are not the first requirements. One has only to see how many 20, 30, 40 year old Eriba's there are and the price that they fetch to attest to the resale values if it's not quite what you want. As I said earlier, we had one for about six months, didn't quite like the dark interior, swapped it over for another and barely a hit on the wallet.

 

[Verity]

Check out Go Pods. I nearly bought one before we got the Cali. Super light and small. If they're just for occasional guests, they are top notch!

 

[cbdubs]

Eriba all the way!

 

[DavidofHook]

Before falling in love with the Cali we had an Erica Eribelle. Lovely little thing, different shape to the usual ones great quality inside. We changed it only because we were spending three months in winter on a campsite inSpain and it was not hugely co fortable watching television on these long nights. But I constantly eye the Eribas with envy...... should I make the jump?.. itdoes have a toilet..... luxury. Oh dear.

 

[GrannyJen]

It could all change now the Eriba owners, EHG, have been bought by Airstream owners, Thor group.

 

[5i1ver8ack]

I sincerely hope Thor Eriba continue to make small caravans!!