Maintenance & Restoration

Jack Walter · 02-05-2020, 12:55 PM

I sold my 17' Escape this week to a very nice couple from Social Circle who want to use it to explore the country. They have a 34' fifth wheel at an RV resort in North Georgia but wanted something (much) smaller to travel in.
The Escape was a great trailer but it just wasn't right for us - too big and heavy for the smaller of my two Land Rovers to tow and that's the one I use for all of my solo weekend outings.

So I'm going back to my favorite trailer - I found another Eriba Puck that I'm in the process of buying so I'll be really downsizing. This one I plan on keeping regardless of whether or not I buy another camper so I'll always have this one for my solo trips. I really do like the new Armadillo Backpack campers so that may be the next one I buy.

k0wtz · 02-05-2020, 01:00 PM

wow that is a nice cute looking trailer.

bob

Jack Walter · 02-05-2020, 03:38 PM

It's basically a hard sided tent on wheels but they are exceptional little trailers. It has aluminum sides but a fiberglass roof. It's called the German Airstream and they can easily last for decades.

It's just over 13 feet long, weighs around 900 lbs and has a queen sized bed. There is a small kitchen in the nose of the trailer. This will be the third Eriba I've owned. You can tow it with a Volkswagen Beetle - or a 4 cylinder diesel powered Land Rover.

Cathy P. · 02-05-2020, 05:12 PM

Very nice. It reminds me of the "Meerkat": https://littleguytrailers.com/trailers/meerkat/ Seems like everything you "need" and not much more.

Justus C · 02-05-2020, 06:55 PM

Nice looking little trailer. I follow the Eriba Facebook page and those folks are fanatics about their caravans!

Thor, which purchased Erwin Hymer Group (Eriba parent company), recently announced a new North American subsidiary: https://www.erwinhymergroup.com/en/n...titel~p~106745. I think they could do well with the Eriba line here and hope they produce some US versions.

Jack Walter · 02-05-2020, 08:06 PM

I took a good look at those Canadian built Hymers and was severely disappointed in the quality and manufacturing shortcuts that were evident in their construction. Nothing at all like the two German built Eribas I've owned.

alan H · 02-05-2020, 08:59 PM

Love those euriba pucks.... I’ve looked for yrs to find one

Martin.P · 02-06-2020, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

I sold my 17' Escape this week to a very nice couple from Social Circle who want to use it to explore the country. They have a 34' fifth wheel at an RV resort in North Georgia but wanted something (much) smaller to travel in.
The Escape was a great trailer but it just wasn't right for us - too big and heavy for the smaller of my two Land Rovers to tow and that's the one I use for all of my solo weekend outings.

So I'm going back to my favorite trailer - I found another Eriba Puck that I'm in the process of buying so I'll be really downsizing. This one I plan on keeping regardless of whether or not I buy another camper so I'll always have this one for my solo trips. I really do like the new Armadillo Backpack campers so that may be the next one I buy.

The Armadillo is an amazing trailer.
You would have a bit of a drive to pick it up though!

k0wtz · 02-06-2020, 01:10 PM

Jack I was at McDonalds I saw a 13f Scamp peaking out on the lot so I went to take a look. I almost went into shock a guy was tugging his 13footer with a 98 Volkswagon Beetle tdi.

I have a Beetle TDI and there is no way I would attempt this! He stated he had been to my favorite repair guy for work I haven't been in there lately to ask what they thought.

But a TDI is not a tugging motor is all I can say! It was fun to look at though just past amazing!

bob

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

It's basically a hard sided tent on wheels but they are exceptional little trailers. It has aluminum sides but a fiberglass roof. It's called the German Airstream and they can easily last for decades.

It's just over 13 feet long, weighs around 900 lbs and has a queen sized bed. There is a small kitchen in the nose of the trailer. This will be the third Eriba I've owned. You can tow it with a Volkswagen Beetle - or a 4 cylinder diesel powered Land Rover.

Jack Walter · 02-06-2020, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin.P

The Armadillo is an amazing trailer.
You would have a bit of a drive to pick it up though!

But that would be the fun part! One of my wife's best friends lives in Washington state just a couple of hundred miles due south of the Armadillo manufacturing facility. We could drive there, leave the wife and dog at Jane's while I drove up to fetch the trailer.

I've got a new Land Rover Defender 110 4 cylinder on order, which is another reason for downsizing. The TDv6 diesel Discovery 5 hardly knew the Escape was back there, my old 4 cylinder diesel Defender didn't like that big a trailer.

Martin.P · 02-06-2020, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

But that would be the fun part! One of my wife's best friends lives in Washington state just a couple of hundred miles due south of the Armadillo manufacturing facility. We could drive there, leave the wife and dog at Jane's while I drove up to fetch the trailer.

I've got a new Land Rover Defender 110 4 cylinder on order, which is another reason for downsizing. The TDv6 diesel Discovery 5 hardly knew the Escape was back there, my old 4 cylinder diesel Defender didn't like that big a trailer.

Then you will have to drop in.
I live about 6 miles from their facilty.

Judith Neville · 02-12-2020, 03:02 PM

I owned a ' 75 Eriba Puck for about 6 years. I loved it. Towed it behind my '66 VW bus. Gave me a two room suite. Only sold it because the storage lot kept upping their monthly fees.I

FYI... The Meerkat looks like the Puck. Not the other way around.

Jack Walter · 02-12-2020, 03:42 PM

I've seen a Meerkat, not nearly as well built as a Puck. It's a copy of a sixties Puck, the later Pucks are very much improved. Supposed the Pucks from 1990-2000 are really good trailers. I found a 1995 in northern England that is supposed to be on a boat headed for the east coast today. I had to find one that was 25 years old to meet DOT rules, saw a couple of newer ones that I would have liked to own but they were to new to import.

k0wtz · 02-12-2020, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

I sold my 17' Escape this week to a very nice couple from Social Circle who want to use it to explore the country. They have a 34' fifth wheel at an RV resort in North Georgia but wanted something (much) smaller to travel in.
The Escape was a great trailer but it just wasn't right for us - too big and heavy for the smaller of my two Land Rovers to tow and that's the one I use for all of my solo weekend outings.

So I'm going back to my favorite trailer - I found another Eriba Puck that I'm in the process of buying so I'll be really downsizing. This one I plan on keeping regardless of whether or not I buy another camper so I'll always have this one for my solo trips. I really do like the new Armadillo Backpack campers so that may be the next one I buy.

how the heck did you find that?

bob

Jack Walter · 02-12-2020, 10:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k0wtz

how the heck did you find that?

bob

There are a couple of vendors in Great Britain that specialize in Eriba caravans. I found this on one of my periodic looks at their inventory.

https://www.eribacaravansales.co.uk/

https://www.automotiveleisure.co.uk/shop/

Keep in mind you have to find a nice 1995 or older model to get by the DOT requirements. Shipping from Southampton to the southeast coast is around $1200-$1500 plus some import and Customs broker fees.

k0wtz · 02-13-2020, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Walter

There are a couple of vendors in Great Britain that specialize in Eriba caravans. I found this on one of my periodic looks at their inventory.

https://www.eribacaravansales.co.uk/

https://www.automotiveleisure.co.uk/shop/

Keep in mind you have to find a nice 1995 or older model to get by the DOT requirements. Shipping from Southampton to the southeast coast is around $1200-$1500 plus some import and Customs broker fees.

howdy I have tented all over Europe. have you noticed how they park their rigs? Sideways.. They use power thingees on the toungu to swing them around.

most tugs are Mercedes or the high dollar rigs. Crazy! I loved it..

bob

k0wtz · 02-13-2020, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by k0wtz

howdy I have tented all over Europe. have you noticed how they park their rigs? Sideways.. They use power thingees on the toungu to swing them around.

most tugs are Mercedes or the high dollar rigs. Crazy! I loved it..

bob

matter of fact I love everything about Europe not one place did I not marvel at something where ever we were!

amazing place

bob

Jack Walter · 03-10-2020, 03:59 PM

The new (1995) Eriba Puck is successfully home and is in even better condition than I thought it was. I'm very pleased with it and have already ordered some stuff from Etrailer to start the conversion from 240V to 120V.

I took it for a test drag around the neighborhood and my little diesel Defender (112 HP) is a whole lot happier towing a 900 lb travel trailer. It's so light its easier to release the parking brake, grab one of the handles on the front of the trailer and drag it over to the tow vehicle.

For those that are unfamiliar with these they have a fiberglass roof and an aluminum skin over a tubular steel frame. They are extremely durable and its not unusual to see Pucks from the 1960's still in regular use.