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Trailcraft are extending their leisure craft portfolio – to include vans as well as boats Words by Simone Costi Trailcraft have been in the boat game for over 20 years now. However, they’ve also recently started building caravans. I checked out their van factory in Fremantle and was impressed with the efficient manufacturing process. They’re currently making four vans a week, but before long, they expect to double their efforts. After seeing how the vans were made, I went one-on-one with their largest on-road model, the 640 Panorama. The first thing that struck me about the 640 was how neat and functional it is. There is a place for everything and everything is in its place. It’s a good van with some interesting innovations and with a little tweaking in places would be even better. On The Outside I’ve said it before – I much prefer the sleek, smooth van exterior than the boring old ripple cladding. I liked the appearance of the Trailcraft van immediately. The splash of colour on the decals is nice and available in a few different shades, but a completely coloured exterior would’ve notched the score up a bit here. All of Trailcraft’s vans have composite hybrid foam sandwich sides, where the closed cell foam is pressed between two sheets of aluminium to form a sturdy and lightweight exterior. I checked out the process in their factory and it is all pretty smick. The outside is also coated with a UV protected marine gel-coat. The top, nose and rear are made out of fibreglass. The 640 Panorama is a dual axle, on-road van, built on a 3mm-thick steel, fully galvanized chassis. Trailcraft, who build trailers for their boats, didn’t find the jump into chassis construction all that difficult. In fact, they claim that no other caravan chassis has as many cross beams as theirs. Suspension is via heavy-duty rocker leaf springs. One innovation that I quite liked was the battery hatch. Unlock the door and you have easy access to the batteries on a strong, sliding platform. Another nice element was the cover for the twin 9kg gas bottles on the A-frame. It maintained the sleek look of the van. You can lock it by slotting in a padlock on the latch. There is no handle on it, so to open it, you’ve got to pull it by hanging onto the little latch. It would be much easier with a handle. I also noticed that the cover hits the jockey wheel if you’ve still got that in place. But overall, the outside of the van is great. In The Kitchen The kitchen runs down the wall on the driver’s side. I reckon cooking would be a breeze in this reasonably sized kitchen. At the far right is the massive 150L Dometic fridge, which is definitely more than enough fridge for two people! Above it is the spiffy Tiffany microwave and below it is a generous pots and pan drawer. In the middle is the bench, sink and stove. The sink and draining area is the same size as the one in an average household kitchen. Next to that is the three-burner Smev gas stove and oven with a glass lid. The lid provides some much needed bench space. It wouldn’t hurt for the sink to have a cover too, for more food prep area. Behind the sink is a large window with venetian blinds. Under the bench are four great drawers, on smooth rollers, making them very easy to open and close. The top drawer is fitted with a cutlery rack. There is also good cupboard space here. Overhead, there are some more cupboards, and they are positioned perfectly! You don’t bump your head on them while cooking or washing up. To the left are two huge cupboards. They are the largest I have seen in a van and you would have no problems at all storing your groceries here. All of the drawers and cupboards operate with push-buttons. The kitchen is clean and crisp, with everything within reach and well thought out. The only let down is the lack of bench space, however, this is being rectified in future 640 models. At The Dinette The dinette sits opposite the kitchen, along the passenger side of the van. The 2m long table certainly makes up for the absent bench space in the kitchen. The table is supported by Springfield extendable legs, which Trailcraft use in their boats and have found to be extremely successful. Indeed, the legs are good, as there was no amount of wiggle in the table at all! The lounge is an L-shape and is lovely and firm with very supportive high backs and cushioning. Both the base and back cushions are attached to the seat frame, so don’t slide around, but you can’t remove them for cleaning. This also means you can’t lift up the seats to get to the storage underneath, however, two huge drawers provide access to this area. The dinette seats four adults easily. Overhead, there is an enormous skylight and hatch. It has a blind that you can slide over it if it gets a little too bright. Also up top is an Air Command air-conditioner. A large window runs across the long side of the dinette and it too is fitted with venetians. There are three cupboards up above, as well as two corner lamps and a speaker for the CD player and radio. It took me a while to find the power points in the van. Trailcraft have installed them out of the way in cupboards. Then a plug with a sliding cover is fixed into the side of the cupboard so you can feed the cords through there. It’s a pretty neat little system and keeps loose cords out of the way. The dinette is roomy, comfortable, extremely well lit and ventilated. In The Bedroom There are a couple of different layouts available for the 640, but in the one reviewed here, is the queen bed standard design. The bed positioned in the front of the van and has an innerspring mattress. It lifts up on gas struts to reveal loads of storage underneath. Either side of the bed is a bedside table with two good-sized drawers for your bits and pieces. Above that is a wardrobe with adequate hanging room and space for shoes at the bottom. There’s a shelf above the hanging rack for small items. There are no mirrors on the wardrobes, but there is one in the bathroom. It isn’t full length though, and I would like to see at least one longer mirror somewhere in the van, whether inside the wardrobes or in the bathroom. There are no cupboards above the bed, but there is a neat little shelf that is ideal for books. There are two small lights in each corner and a fluoro on the roof. There is definitely no shortage of natural light in the bedroom, with a massive window behind the bed, one either side, and a hatch above of it. All the windows have venetians with a nifty dial to open and close them. Over the blinds are light curtains, which allow the breeze in, while providing privacy. At the foot of the bed, in each corner is a bench and a mini cupboard. It is quite tall and skinny and I think they would function better if shelves were installed. The bedroom is quite roomy and easy to walk through. You don’t have to shuffle sideways, nor do you catch yourself on any edges. Keeping Clean The bathroom sits across the back end of the van. It has a separate shower and toilet and a vanity in the middle. Above both facilities, there is a light, fan and a hatch. The shower cubicle is a good size, and it separates the rest of the bathroom with just a curtain, so you’d have to put down a bath mat. The base of the cubicle has raised bubbles to help prevent slipping. I found these a little uncomfy to stand on for after a few minutes, but you could always lay a rubber, non-slip mat over the top of it. The height of the shower head can be adjusted and it is on a hose, so can be removed to help wash those hard to reach places. The vanity sink has a good size and there’s a large mirror above it. Below it is adequate storage space. A nice looking toilet paper holder is fixed to the wall next to the loo, as is a hand towel rail. I would like to see the inclusion of racks or hooks for bath towels too. Worth Buying? I am not one for frills and clutter. I like smooth, clean and modern lines. I like functional, neat and tidy things. And they are some of the reasons the 640 Panorama impressed me. On the flip side, because of its no fuss, all functionality, it lacked a sense of homeliness. But once you add your personal touch, throw your doona over the bed and that sort of thing I believe travelling in this van would be comfortable and pleasant. This van has all of the essentials, no unnecessary extras and some great innovations that make it a practical tourer. SPECIFICATIONS THANKS CONTACTS
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