Vanmaster Darwin 450

Ideal for a couple seeking top spec in only 1420kg

Exterior

Vanmasters have a traditional, dependable look. The glass reinforced plastic roof extends downwards over the junction with the sides, giving them their characteristic appearance; the effect is to prevent any possibility of water ingress where side and roof meet.

The front gas locker arrangements are different to all other caravans. There are two doors to one single compartment that spans the width of the caravan. The doors are side-hinged and the apertures are of an ample size for lifting gas cylinders in and out – and there’s enough space for two 13kg cylinders here. The central area is perfectly proportioned to contain the Fiamma wheeled waste water tank that comes as standard. A third, small door in the centre of the front hides away the Darwin’s road lights lead – it’s a neat arrangement.

Interior

The Darwin is Vanmaster’s first caravan that competes among mid-sized, lightweight tourers in the price bracket that hovers not much above £20,000. So if you previously regarded Vanmasters as too heavy and too pricey for your car and your wallet, this is the model that might bring a Vanmaster within your reach.

It’s very much a luxury model. Under-floor heating augments the Alde system with a series of pipes that warm metal plates set into the floor. The cabinetry is real wood – ash; or you can choose an alternative if you’d like a different shade. And there are five different fabrics to choose from.

Concealed lighting illuminates the cream curtains. There’s a light in the oven and another in the wardrobe – and a floor-level light that you can leave on when you go out at night so that it will illuminate your first footstep into the caravan on your return. Spec is high everywhere in the Darwin.

There’s an extractor fan in the shower room as well as in the kitchen. It’s equipped with the AL-KO ATC anti-snaking device and receivers for Al-Ko Secure wheel locks. The Darwin is a traditional two-berth layout, with its shower room across the rear and the kitchen on the offside with a dresser opposite. Its parallel seating is not quite long enough to create single beds.

Making up the double bed doesn’t involve conventional slats within a front cabinet; instead it involves pulling out bases from each settee and sliding them towards the centre of the caravan. Bed legs swivel down at each end of each base. For daytime reclining, the ends of the settees nearest the front of the caravan can be raised, on ratchet hinges, to different angles. The dresser incorporates a concealed television cupboard with a mounting bracket and connection points in a cabinet with a bi-fold door.

Above it is perhaps the single most amazing item that marks out a Vanmaster from all other caravans. It’s a drinks cabinet with beautifully crafted wooden recesses for six glasses – and the glasses come with the package; each etched with the Vanmaster symbol.

Practicality, though, is surely more important, especially the topic of storage, on which the Darwin excels. There’s a giant cupboard, plus two drawers under the dresser; top lockers surround the lounge and the shower room contains a unit with two deep drawers and a cupboard. The wardrobe, also in the shower room, has full hanging depth plus a deep shelf above it.

Outlets for the central heating system, in the form of six small plastic grille-covered holes, ensure damp garments put in the wardrobe damp after a rainy walk will dry. Almost all the equipment you need comes as standard with the Darwin.

Only the AL-KO Secure wheel lock (around £230) is an optional extra that most caravanners will regard as essential. But there’s one item on the extras list that, while not essential, would be hard to turn down. For just £295 you can have a wi-fi unit fitted into your Darwin. The dedicated website vanmaster.net gives you wi-fi access that’s not dependent upon campsite wi-fi facilities, and there’s a booster fitted to the Darwin’s roof to ensure you receive the network.

Overall, the Darwin should impress you with its evenly distributed Alde warmth, its under-floor heating, and its felted roof lining that enhances thermal properties both in summer and winter. There’s a fine attention to detail throughout the Darwin; even the tooth mug in the shower room has the Vanmaster symbol etched into it.

At £23,950 it’s the lowest-priced Vanmaster by far. Loaded with spec and distinctively hand-built, it represents good value for the discerning caravanner