Camper Experience Part 2: ① Cabcon Amity

Compact cabcon Amity (AMITY)

I was influenced by a story from a person who used to travel with a camper as a family, so I rented a camper and went out around the beginning of this year.

The person who told me the story was in the form of pulling the trailer of Heimer in Porsche Cayenne, but since it is better to have an integrated type in my home style, first of all, the type called cabcon I was traveling in a camper van.

This is what I bought. ↓

Below is a look at our first campervan trip experience at this time:

First camper experience Related article:
① First Camper Experience: Family Trip at Cabcon
② Camper experience 2: Ise Jingu, ferry, Hamamatsu
③ Camper experience 3: First sunrise at Mt. Fuji, meat bun making, Itako
④ Camper experience 4: Footbath tour at Gero Onsen, Gassho Village
⑤ (Extra edition) Let's go to the Volkswagen Group Japan Headquarters in Toyohashi (Mikawa Port)

This is the second record of my home camper experience ^^

* This is a record of when I went to the spring break in 2021, and it is not an action within the period when an emergency declaration is issued.

Bongo truck-based cabcon

The car I rented last time was a model called "Watercress", a cabcon based on Toyota Cam Road.

Although it took some getting used to driving, my three children also liked this car so much that I decided to rent the same car again for this second camper trip. Was there.

But!

It wasn't the watercress that I actually used, but the model called the compact cabcon "Amity" that was based on the Bongo truck.

This is what I bought. ↓

At first glance, people who aren't interested in campers may think "Isn't it the same?", But it's considerably more compact than watercress. Small.

We're a family of five, and despite the fact that "I like the last watercress", why did this small size Amity ... do you know why? It's amazing if you hit it.

e? Wasn't it because the rental fee was cheap? Well, the correct answer!

I wish it was ... ^^

Camper breakdown

The reality was different. The reservation was made at Watercress.

However, I picked up the car on the rental start date when I left for the trip, and suddenly a transmission error occurred in the watercress on the way to my home from the rental car company (warning lights).

From there, the moment the engine speed is off the accelerator, it suddenly drops to the limit of engine stall (about idling), and the driving becomes jerky.

I managed to make a U-turn and return to the rental car company, but I can not go on a long-distance trip with a camper that has such a transmission error lit and the movement is suspicious and has stopped working properly. ..

No, I don't like it even at short distances (laughs).

At this point, I thought it was "finished" and decided that this trip would be canceled suddenly.

However, at this time, I was able to rent this car instead, saying, "It's a little small, but Amity has it!"

It was good ~.

The car is a little smaller, but it's better than canceling all the trips abruptly. The children were also looking forward to it.

However, I was a little dissatisfied with the fact that there was a problem that a transmission error occurred on the day of rental, but the rental car company does not seem to be responsible at all (contractually), so if a substitute car can be issued. However, if it cannot be issued, it will be refunded.

With that in mind, if it had broken since I started running for hundreds of kilometers, I would have been at a loss in a distant land, so I'm fortunate that it broke before my trip departed.

There are many things that I don't understand about the response, but I can't help but complain, so I changed my mind early and thought, "This time it's a good experience to ride a different model again," and started with Amity. I decided to do it.

Inside the Amity car

I couldn't take a picture of the inside of the car properly because I was fluttering due to various sudden car changes this time, but here is the bunk bed part at the back of the car.

Obviously narrower than watercress. There is no storage space (compared to watercress). ↓

The driver's seat area is also quite compact. But is it because the car is small? I felt that it was less affected by crosswinds than watercress, so I think it was a little easier to drive.

No, I drove with watercress last time, so maybe I just got used to driving a cabcon (laughs)?

For those who do not need so much space or who have a small number of people, I think that there is no problem with this Amity.

In fact, our children initially said that it was "narrower than before", but once you get used to it, this narrowness is closer to each other than the previous watercress, making it easier to get back and forth in the car. It seems that I liked it after all ^ ^

I was happy that the passenger seat area, where I would sit for a long distance, was a little wider, but of course it was large enough for me to spend normally, so it was quite a lot.

The steering angle was the same as that of watercress, so when I was driving, I felt like a bus or truck driver.

Oh yeah, I didn't use these TVs and refrigerators this time, but one of the reasons was that I couldn't check the remaining charge.

At the time of watercress, the remaining charge of the sub-battery was displayed, so I was able to check how much it was decreasing, but I still do not know when I can charge it next time, so I got used to it. I was worried because I didn't use it, so I didn't use the refrigerator last time.

It was that I couldn't even check the charge level of the sub-battery this time, so it became more anxious and I didn't feel like using anything that consumes power.

Regarding this area, it may be necessary to make sure that the place where you sleep is an RV park with a charging facility, or to actually use it several times and get used to knowing how much the sub-battery capacity is decreasing.

I wrote it for a long time, but this time it will be a camper trip experience with Mr. Amity.

It doesn't matter whether it's a Porsche or a supercar, but if you're interested, I'd appreciate it if you could get along with me ^^

Since it is a travel report, I also include what I ate and what I experienced.

* This is a record of when I went to the spring break in 2021, and it is not an action within the period when an emergency declaration is issued.

Continue:Camper experience part 2: ② Touring limestone caves in Iwate Prefecture

Second camper experience Related article:
① Camper Experience Part 2: ① Cabcon Amity
② Camper experience part 2: ② Touring limestone caves in Iwate Prefecture
③ Camper experience part 2: ③ Strawberries and dumplings in Tochigi prefecture

First camper experience Related article:
① First Camper Experience: Family Trip at Cabcon
② Camper experience 2: Ise Jingu, ferry, Hamamatsu
③ Camper experience 3: First sunrise at Mt. Fuji, meat bun making, Itako
④ Camper experience 4: Footbath tour at Gero Onsen, Gassho Village
⑤ (Extra edition) Let's go to the Volkswagen Group Japan Headquarters in Toyohashi (Mikawa Port)