If you haven’t noticed yet, dear reader, we here at MotorBiscuit are a bit camper crazy. We look for reasons to cover anything RV, camper, overlanding, van conversion, and 5th wheel camper. As conversion vans have gotten more popular over the last year, we have seen a massive rise in people trying to take advantage of the boom. Still, this Dakar-inspired overland camper called “The Darc Mono” is not following any trend or anything else for that matter. It simply barrels into the wilderness like a storm. 

The Darc Mono is one badass overland camper 

This thing looks more like a mail truck to deliver postage to some not so distant apocalyptic futuristic settlement than it does a weekend getaway machine. Although it may not look like it, this is top of the heap, for sure. According to MotorTrend, this 4×4 RV is a carbon-fiber clad camper that can take you wherever you want to go about as comfortably as you’d like to be along the way, too. 

The Darc Mono was built using an Iveco Daily 4×4 van as the base. The once regular van was transformed by setting it up on top of 37-inch Hankook Dynapro all-terrain tires wrapped around 17-inch wheels and an adaptive suspension system sourced from KW Automotive, according to MotorTrend. Other stand-out features include a carbon-fiber intake snorkel and a front-mounted bull bar that serves as a mounting point for an LED light bar and a winch with 22,000 pounds of pullin’ power. 

The Darc Mono isn’t just tough; its got a soft side, too

It’s clear to see that the Mono can go wherever the hell it wants to. But what might be less clear from seeing it from the outside is how sophisticated and fancy this thing is on the inside. The rear living quarters are light and airy, severing as a direct contradiction to the agro exterior design. The living quarters are 86 square feet, giving you plenty of room to stretch out. Although the rear looks huge, it was all made from carbon fiber, making the added weight only 1,320 pounds. That is a key part of why the Darc Mono can be so commanding off-road. 

This overlanding RV is covered in high-lux appointments like tons of windows, a full bathroom, a drop-down queen-size bed, and a beautiful and airy kitchen. As noted by MotorTrend, when the bed is pulled up into its ceiling storage spot, the cabin is set up to be a full dining room. If you think this thing is getting a bit too froofy, don’t worry, it’s designed to hold enough water and power to keep two passengers happy and cozy on the trail for up to two weeks. 

Let’s get back to what makes this camper so good as an overlander 

Because the Darc Mono sports a carbon-fiber hull, it can still use its original 3.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine that makes 180 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. The little van diesel still runs to its same eight-speed automatic gearbox. Like most great off-roaders, this thing aint gonna be running any quarter-mile burners, but it’ll still climb like a goat. 

As you probably figured by now, the Darc Mono ain’t cheap. As reported by MotorTrend, the overlander starts at $355,000 at current exchange rates. Don’t worry if you need to spend more cash; they got just the thing for ya. There is something called the “adventure” package that comes with a whole mess of fun odds and ends like the adaptive suspension, front bull bar, winch, and carbon-fiber snorkel, as well as carbon-fiber headlight protectors, an exterior grill, and a more powerful battery. All those bits will run the price up an extra $25k. 

These monster campers are actually going to be available here, which might come as a surprise to some since we don’t typically see the base van it’s built on here. Shipments will start in late summer of 2021.