for a shower, I got one of the portable showers bags that you fill and heat up in the sun. I set it on the trailer roof and thread the hose through the slats (I remove the plexi in the summer for more ventilation) and stand on a bath mat I got at the dollar store. Works great! Just have to be careful moving the bag as the screws from the trailer roof can tear it.
Depending on what area you’re in some horse show facilities have showers. I know Poplar Place Farm and Pine Top in Area III do.
Looks like the majority are using bumper-pull trailers. The big advantage of a goose neck trailer is that you can use the flat area over the hitch as your bedroom - with an air mattress or other padding of course.
LOL, yes, but if we had money to buy a bigger trailer, we wouldn’t be coming up with ingenious ideas to “camp on the cheap.”
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[QUOTE=wildlifer;7219932]
LOL, yes, but if we had money to buy a bigger trailer, we wouldn’t be coming up with ingenious ideas to “camp on the cheap.”[/QUOTE]
I’ve always been happiest camping in a tent that is large enough to stand up in. You can get a decent tent like that that will last you for many, many years with a vestibule or front room for less than $300, often much less on sale at Campmor or Sierra Trading Posts. Heck, even LL Bean sometimes has really good sales, and they have a wonderful warranty.
I have a truck cap/shell that I camp out of. I put a 5 gallon bucket with some kitty litter in my horse trailer so I don’t have to use the port-A-potties. Line the bucket with a garbage bag. I purchased a seat for the bucket at Rural King. On occasion I’ve even taken a bucket of water into the horse trailer for a sponge bath. I’ve saved bunches of money this way.
[QUOTE=ccr0009;7217911]
Depending on what area you’re in some horse show facilities have showers. I know Poplar Place Farm and Pine Top in Area III do.[/QUOTE]
Pine Top has showers? Where??
I know Poplar, RH, FLHP all have showers.
I show on the cheap quite often. I have a pump for my air mattress that plugs into my truck’s cigg lighter. I have a little lamp, flashlights, and a pad to put between the mattress and the trailer to keep warm. My trailer has an a/c unit if I need to plug in at events which is almost never. It stays cool because the whole trailer is insulated.
Love these responses! And yes, if life were perfect and I got my wish list, I would have a bigger truck with a GN trailer. But that’s not the case. Hence the reason I specified “bumper pull” in my OP.
I’m actually having a hard time finding a topper for the truck within our price range. I passed one on the road tonight that I plan on going to check out tomorrow, but I may just do the “camp in the back of the trailer” option. For those of you that do that without a walk-thru tack, how do you keep the door closed at night? I think putting a mattress back there would give me more room, but I want to stay warm and dry!
Get a sheet of plywood, cut to fit OVER the wheel wells and cover with carpet, lay in over the wheel wells, hit a second hand store for a full or double mattress, or just a good piece of foam rubber, and you’re set. Not a ton of head room under the topper, but super comfy with sleeping bags. A gf and I have done this in separate bags with one more big bag opened up and spread over both of us. DH and I just use one bag under us and one or two on top. The space under the plywood is great storage and nothing has to be moved to sleep. The carpet does a great job of insulating and adds a layer of padding. Look for battery powered LED lights that either hang or have magnets for middle of the night ventures. Headlamps are your friend for porta pottie treks or checking on ponies.
A friend has one of those little boat/rv chemical potties that she sets up in the trailer or next to the truck, depending on weather.
My GN trailer is spartan but I built a wooden frame for up in the 5th wheel part, a queen mattress on top of that and same deal as above with sleeping bags. Bonus is the 6" space under the wooden frame has two rubber water bladders under it and can hold up to 100 gal. 12v lights off truck battery backed up by battery powered LED lights.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7220343]
I’ve always been happiest camping in a tent that is large enough to stand up in. [/QUOTE]
Yeah, this is why I prefer sleeping in the trailer. Once I sweep the mats and put the tarp down, I can walk all over.
Like I said, I have stock sides, so I can reach through the back door and move the latch enough to hold the door shut (step up with one big swinging door) after I latch escape door from outside. Never had any issues with bugs once I turn my headlamp off.
I do lay out the tarp so I have an extra flap on the side so on the off chance it should shower I can pull it over myself, but I’ve never had to do it. If there is a forecast of raininess, I’ll sleep in the truck cap, which does have the contoured rise in the back so it’s pretty high in the back half, or make sad faces at friends who live nearby.
What is your budget for truck caps? They certainly aren’t cheap. I just put a new one on my work truck (so not me paying for it) and we just go with basic aluminum with a canoe rack on top in white (so no paying for painting, I don’t give a crap if things are matchy) and it was $1000 from Leonard. The only reason my personal vehicle has a fancy one is that it came with it.
I also just saw this awesome idea for making an outdoor room for your BP. You bolt it on so it becomes SuperAwning and if I had $600 I would totally buy it!
http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-cabana-awning-for-pop-ups-11/42487
(If this works, shows it on a horse trailer, says it works super well and doesn’t get ripped off by wind and things)
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=630463230317406&set=oa.690024464358371&type=3&theater
We used the shower at Pine Top years at Young Rider’s camp in the barn behind their ‘main/home’ barn. (To the farthest right) I want to say through a dark office.
River Glen in TN does as well. It’s also a bit hidden.
Yeah, a mattress is NOT something I will ever buy use. YUCK!
I’m not looking for a camper shell, just a topper. DH said no more than $150, so it was a long shot, but doable. If I don’t find one before Galway I’ll just camp in the trailer and rig up a way to keep the door shut. I think the problem at Coconino is we just swept the shavings into a corner instead of cleaning it completely out. Won’t make that mistake again!
You will not be able to stand that kind of topper for very long. IMO, you’d just be wasting money and reducing the carrying ability of your truck. Those things do not come on or off easily, and every time you put it on the truck, you’re going to have to buy sealant tape for where it hits the rails. You’ll hit your head every time you have to crawl out in the middle of the night to use the toilet.
Just invest in a darned tent.
Topic edited, see OP please! Camping in the trailer it is!! Now, what type of air bed?
Aerobed. With a foam underlayer. They are very comfortable and won’t let you down in the middle of the night as often as most of the others. There is nothing more upsetting than finding your self flat on the floor. They use regular sheets, and have built in pump, some with rechargeable pumps or twelve volt pumps. AND, they are very good for aching backs and muscles when they are not inflated to the max.
http://www.amazon.com/Aero-Sport-All-Terrain-Queen-Brown/dp/B0007XHMAG/ref=sr_1_16/190-9853594-0227966?ie=UTF8&qid=1382163829&sr=8-16&keywords=aerobed
http://www.aerobed.com/Extra-High-Adventure-Air-Bed-Queen-P1951.aspx
The most comfortable and durable one you can afford 
I was lucky and picked up a fairly decent one at the end of the season (late August) that stayed inflated for the week and was pretty comfortable to boot. I like a higher mattress so that you’re further up off the cold ground, more air=more insulation!
I think we would only see this thread on “Eventing” - “Hunter/Jumper” not so much. Personally, I used to want to be on site, near my horse night and day, rather than go off to the motel.
[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;7225613]
I think we would only see this thread on “Eventing” - “Hunter/Jumper” not so much. Personally, I used to want to be on site, near my horse night and day, rather than go off to the motel.[/QUOTE]
Haha yeah. I’ve worked at a few H/J shows and I definitely have a hard time seeing anyone other than grooms camping out in their trailers or trucks at those shows.
I’d suggest a thick Thermarest (or something similar). I have several thermarests for different situations, one for backpacking, one for tent camping, and one for “car” camping (which is when I can park the car next to the tent). The car camping one is a double mattress, I just fold it over, fully inflate the bottom mattress & partially inflate the top one. It’s very comfortable, the foam core insulates from cold and the air makes it nice and squishy. I found air mattresses to be too cold, too unsupportive and noisy when you turn over; love the thermarests.
[QUOTE=vineyridge;7223261]
You will not be able to stand that kind of topper for very long. [/QUOTE]
Now that one is totally personal preference. While I don’t like that my cap makes my truck look less “trucky” it has wayyyyy more room than my tent and is super comfy when I put my airbed in. I maybe take it on/off once every couple of years. But even that is not hard, I borrow a friend for a few minutes and I built a simple frame for it to sit on (or I’ve used cinder blocks). The tape is cheap and scrapes off easily (I have spray on bed and rail liner). Open the screen windows for airflow and it is insulated too.
Now the one on my work truck is plain aluminum and good for nothing except carrying our work gear!
