Darc's Rig Gear Helps You Craft the Flashiest Overland Van; German Precision for the Win

While I typically cover entire and complete on-road living vehicles and downright machines, today's topic is only going to be about a few components you can add to your camper van to not only look the off-road and off-grid living part but also play it and with a level of gusto rarely encountered in the industry.

What I'm talking about is Darc-EXP's Rig lineup, a group of functional chassis components to throw onto your Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis. There's a carbon fiber snorkel, flares, a front guard, a redesigned roof rack, and a few others, so let's see how we can take our overlanding and off-grid rig to the next level.

For starters, it's important to take a look at the crew behind the magic. That's none other than Darc-EXP, the one and the same responsible for a vehicle known the world over, the Mono. If you don't know what I'm talking about, feel free to check out a couple of the images in the gallery, and you'll quickly understand what we're up against here.

If you like reading, all I can say about the Mono is that this German-born machine is infused with Rally-Dakar elements in order to not only provide a safe and habitable space nearly anywhere in the world but also to make it across whatever landscape life throws your way. Massive ground-to-axle clearance and a weatherproof shell are the hot-ticket items for that unit, but the real earth-shaker move is the fact that Darc uses carbon fiber to bring the shell to life, and that brings us to the camper van components before us.

Some of the Rig parts we see are built out of nothing more than good old carbon fiber, too, and this means quite a bit for future owners. The first is a camper that looks cleaner than anything else you see on the road, but do you really want a carbon fiber front bumper on a Sprinter 907 designed to smash against the occasional rock, wade through riverbeds, and get hit by sand during storms?

The front guard is designed to attach directly to your SPrinter's frame, and while carbon fiber may be a bit out of budget for some, Darc also offers an FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) version. If you're planning on really going wild in your van, go for the FRP and keep a tad of cash in your pocket. Sure, it won't look the same, but you know, tradeoffs.

Another component built out of this lightweight and "robust" material is the snorkel. Aside from just looking downright amazing, Darc also pumped some rather mean R&D into the design, yielding an element that runs along the Sprinter's A-pillar and remains out of the driver's field of view; there's nothing to obstruct your view. Furthermore, it only weighs 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs). What more could you want?

Also part of the Rig lineup are those rather sleek and incognito flares we see mounted over the rear side windows of the unit in the gallery. With these babies, Darc is helping lovers of the camper van game to shift their bedding arrangement to an East-West setup, freeing up precious space inside. Aerodynamics is also part of the game, hence the look.

The main difference between the flares and the other components I mentioned is that only FRP is used to bring these to life. They're also insulated, and all you really have to do to put them into place is add some adhesive. Flare rings are also part of Darc's lineup to accompany this piece of after-market gear.

The final piece of equipment spotted on the manufacturer's website is nothing more than that Darc roof rack. With this missing piece of the puzzle, you'll be able to load up your RV with all the goodies you'll need to bring along on trips.

Best of all, it's once again shaped around the Sprinter and looks like Mercedes-Benz themselves threw it in as standard; it's all Darc, baby! That's because the whole idea behind the Rig lineup was to create components that blend seamlessly with the Sprinter, and by the looks of things, Darc succeeded with flying colors.

Now, this isn't the end of the story because, as we can see, there are plenty of other components on the model unit before us—I'm talking about those carbon fiber fender flares, heavy-duty side skirts, and rear-door mounted cargo kit—so be sure to get in touch with Darc if your camper van plans are along the lines of what you see here. Just remember that they're a German crew, so you'll have to figure out a way to handle the shipping.

This leads us to pricing. As an idea of what to expect, note that the Rig flares are selling for a cool €1,590 ($1,700 at current exchange rates), the snorkel for €2,295 ($2,460), and the bumper—well, we don't know; Darc makes no mention of this piece's price tag, and I can understand why. Something like this has got to be well into the thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars.

Sure, these pieces of one hell of a puzzle may end up costing you a small fortune, maybe as much as some travel trailers alone, but the tradeoff is, well, in the eyes of the beholder. Happy travels out there, and here's to crafting your dream machine.