Hi, my wife and I are thinking of stepping into a caravan from a tent and we're wandering what experiences people have of the Eriba Familia 320 and the Freedom Jetstream.
Have pretty much narrowed it down to these 2 as my driveway is limited to 5m on the dot.
I get the impression the Eriba is a quality item and will last, perhaps the Freedom not so much. Hav'nt had a chance to look at either in the flesh yet but would be grateful of people thoughts especialy if you have had issues with either.
Freedom has galvanised conventional caravan chassis, apart from that, it is a less quality product, particularly regarding interior build quality than Eriba, but like any caravan, if looked after it will last for 30yrs or more.
Eriba is galvanised chassis in central areas but the steel tube framework that makes up structure of caravan is not, it's just painted. When looking at any Eriba, you need to crawl underneath & carefully inspect the square steel tube chassis members, particularly those that run around bottom edge of body. Do not consider Eriba if there is bad rust as repairs are difficult.
Having said that, unless you find a bad one, most Eribas are rust free & you can often find 80s caravans in almost perfect condition. Prices now are stupid, imho. Look on French & German sales websites, prices are more sensible if you want to buy abroad & plenty of the Eribas on UK Ebay for stupid prices are on sale from traders who buy abroad & sell in UK on a regular basis.
If you just want a small caravan then a Freedom in good nick represents better value for money but Eriba is a bit of a cult thing with meetings in UK & abroad & Eriba owner specific websites in UK/France/Germany, google & you will find them.
What about the Trigano Silver 310 or 340? Would fit on your drive. Not cheap, but a quality caravan, and unlike our British c*** they don't leak, and they are very light and easy to tow. The Trigano has a special Alko chassis which is galvanized, and even comes with dampers on the suspension.
It appears they have won the Caravan Club award for 2016.
We have a 2006 1st class Jetstream.
Great little van, towed it with a Yaris to Switzerland but not ideal tow car! If it comes with the awning, even better as they are expensive. I don't like the pop up roofs especially over the toilet but that is preference.
Cooker hob can be a pain, keeping them lit at the beginning. Just test them all when buying.
We are upgrading to a bigger van now but a great starter from a tent and easy to tow & manoeuvre.
Hope this helps. Good luck
We have an Elddis 302 which is small look in my gallery although Elddis have stopped making them they are light and look small they are like a Tardis but for Two people they have a generous double bed when made up and according to people on the sites we have been to are cute. We have the 2011 model which is the year before the Solid construction.We have looked at them and didn't like them. Sometimes improvements are not everyones cup of tea. Well worth a look
We had a 1992 Freedom sunseeker as our first caravan after a tent. A big step up from a t4nt.
Ours was very basic with a fridge, sink/drainer with running cold water, 2 ring hob and grille and that was it. We also had the original freedom awning which for us with 3 kids was essential.
Storage was fine with loads of roof lockers and the wardrobe was shelved. The bed boxes were mostly empty as only a battery was in one.
Space inside was good. I am 6'4" tall and need good headroom. The roof is highest in the middle and drops down at front and back. As the kitchen was in the middle and there were beds at each end I could stand in the middle OK.
I looked at a new one recently, the twin sport which had a big fridge, wardrobe, washroom with cassette toilet wash basin and shower, hot and cold water etc. But... I found it really claustrophobic.
The washroom was really cramped with a low roof. The kitchen at one end had a low roof. All the bed boxes and storage was filled with equipment such as water heater, battery, blow heater etc.
The wardrobe and fridge cupboard were very deep and in dark wood which massively intruded into the space. The washroom took up even more room. The room left was just too small.
The build quality was fine. Being fibreglass I felt it would last for ever. The woodwork was well made and solid. The bed was really comfy as there were no knee rolls. The only problem was that the roof lining had a tendency to come unstuck from the fibreglass shell.
Towing was a doddle, I only had a mini metro but it coped fine.
So my feeling is that as a basic caravan it works well but when fitted with all mod cons it was too small.
We had a Freedom Sunseeker, it was a 2005, no loo, but we absolutely loved it, went all over UK & France towing it with an old Ford Focus. They are like a tardis inside. There was 3 of us, but we pretty much used it to sleep in, ate and cooked in the awning.
We brought a new awning from the dealer at Cannock. It wasn't expensive, but I know prices have gone up since, as we sold the caravan for more than we brought it for!
I spose it depends how much you want to pay? Eribas are double the price, heavier and I always hit my head on the door way!!
Just wanted to say thanks for your replies, really helpfull, have checked out the eriba, freedom and the trigano. We have decided to go with the eriba and have ordered one today, woohoo!!! Can't wait to pick it up and go.
Thanks again, see you at camp sites around the country...and may be further.
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Eriba Familia v Freedom Jetstream
