Colorful beads keep out flies? I never knew that and wondered why they ever were used/popular! You learn something new every day. Here’s another fly repellent idea: A mom-and-pop drivein restaurant near us hangs ziplock bags full of water over the doors that lead into their ordering windows. They SWEAR that those bags of water repel flies. I am not sure I believe it because can’t figure out WHY it should work, but I have to admit, there are very few to no flies in their ordering area. If this idea really does work, it’s certainly adaptable to trailers.
MuleLady, the foam DOES keep you warm. Seriously, I can’t feel that I’m on an air mattress at all. Our old one, yes, but this new one has great support, and the foam thing is about 1" thick, with a cross-cut pattern in the foam, hard to describe, but it’s not 'egg crate-ish in looks. I topped that with a nice quality mattress pad. Done. It’s truly very comfortable.
Thanks Katarine…you probably just saved me a lot of money! I already have two air mattresses and solving the “stay warm” thing with those foam toppers and a mattress pad is going to be a lot cheaper/easier than buying/dealing with a regular foam or traditional mattress.
Hey, you’re welcome. That foam makes all the difference! I know what you mean about the freezing cold air in an air mattress;) even if it’s 100 outside, that mattress could double as a cooler 
My other essentials?
lanterns
head lamps to wear around dark camps
awning (I’m SPOILED)
lots of hooks
clear stackable drawers- I have four in the rear tack- 2 for first aid, 2 for horses.
ceramic heater, I don’t like the heat strip in the ceiling
battery charger for AA batteries- I have reading lights that run on batteries so this helps
Plug in cooler with DC plug
tools
trailer-aid for changing tires
camp chairs
cooler of sweet, sweet beer. :yes:
When using an air mattress, put a sheet of plywood under it, covered by carpeting. A padded mattress cover and flannel sheets, and voila! not bad at all. The added benefit of the carpeting is that when using an air mattress in the gooseneck area, stuff doesn’t slide all around.
The grippy cabinet liner stuff is good in various places too.
3-horse slant screens
What a fantastic thread! Well worth the price of admission—lol Kidding aside, this is great. I am resolved to take my mare camping this year, in preparation for the 250 mile Michigan Shore-to-Shore that we WILL do next year. OK. I have a 3-horse slant. LOTS of room back there and mats on the floor. But I need a way to curtain off the side slats so the mosquitoes con’t carry me away. Any thoughts?
I am currently living in my trailer (darn divorce!) while some work is being done on a remodeling project and am sleeping much more on my air mattress than I had intended to. (Going on month two! :eek: )
It does get cold, so I have a featherbed topper instead of the foam (though I haven’t tried the foam – sounds like that works great too!) , and that has stopped the body heat drain feature of the air mattress.
BUT, what I am having a problem with is that the darn thing is way too tall. I keep whacking my head on the roof of the gooseneck when I sit up. Anyone know of an air mattress that is thinner? They all seem to be on the “ooh, look at our super thick, cushy air mattress” trend and not only is it tough to fit sheets over the mattress plus topper, but also it is just too tall.
Thanks!
libby
Bensmom, I’m guessing 7 years ago I looked at camp mattresses and after lying on a lot of them, a friend highly recommended ThermaRest LE (stands for “luxury edition”). Self inflating. At the time they were selling at $120 but I found that I didn’t “bottom out” on it on point of shoulder and point of hip if lying on my side. That was my complaint about all others. I bought one and let it self-inflate, then I THINK I added just a couple of breath blows more. I slept on the thing outside on my deck for a good month before the mosquitos drove me inside again. I thought it was extremely comfortable! Like… I was starting to prefer it to my own mattress which is a good solid “9.” Last time I used it I over-inflated it and it was harder than I like, but that’s pilot error and fixable with unscrewing a valve cap. Totally adjustable to your taste, and their “cell” technology is impressive.
I re-visited their website about 4 months ago and they have way more choices than they did when I bought mine. But they’re well-explained in features. I’d strongly recommend you take a look through what they’re offering, then dig up a retailer who carries them. At the store, tell them you want to inflate several top choices and lie down on them.
Here’s their home page with 3 categories, lurk through all three and see if something looks good to you. I sure do love mine. Oh, also, I did NOT find them to be cold like I understand air mattresses are.
the power of window screening
Regular fiberglass window screening (comes in rolls at your local hardware store) and magnets if your trailer sides/roof are metal. Sticky-back velcro works, too, in place of magnets.
HaH! Very good! Thanks! Yes, my trailer is steel, thankyouverymuch. Magnets will work perfectly.
I just said no to the air mattress and got a Futon mattress. It takes up a big more room, but is hella comfy (especially with the foam topper). I put two hooks in the head of the goose, and ran them under the mattress, and just cinch it up into the back in a roll when i’m not using it.
Now that i’ve camped in it off and on for a year, here is my new list:
Water tank with sprayer
shelves/cabinets and lots of them!
hydraulic lift for the hitch (ouch my back!)
Overhead vent/fan in the roof
DVD player in the roof
I’d also like to add some type of fold away table outside, as well as an awning, but that will wait for a while 
Awnings - good and bad
I really, really, REALLY wanted an awning for my trailer. I loved the convenience factor, but…the true horror stories from prior owners of awnings being blown over the trailer, twisted about in the wind, and catching and holding rainwater just turned me off. I could just imagine myself having to winch one in on a stormy night. :eek: I heard some automatically roll in at the first sign of wind. Imagine you are sitting under one, a blast of wind and rain comes past, and your awning suddenly decides “hey, I’m outta here!” leaving you to the elements. I mean – what good is that?? The price was a heart stopper, too. It wasn’t until I got to experience the problems first hand that I settled for a quick-up canopy that I could transport and use anywhere.
Still, everytime I see someone sitting under their awning … I long for one. 
There are tricks to awnings, just like there are to hi-lines. I’ve never camped with a horse, but I have a LOT of time (six months at one stretch) in an RV. First, a pro HAS to mount the awning. You DON’T want it pulling loose from your trailer. Second, when you put it out you want to tie it down to the ground. They sell anchors–look like dog run tie-outs, which are cheaper–to twist into the ground on both corners. Straps tie the awning to them to hold it down. We spent the aforementioned 6 months in Albuquerque where there’s two seasons–summer and windy. Our 40’ awning did fine in 40+ mph winds. When the BIG ones were forecast, however, we pulled 'er in.
You can learn the tricks of the trade. Find some old guy at a trailer store that knows what he’s talking about, and pay attention. For example, rain is handled by dropping ONE corner of the awning down a couple of feet. The rain won’t have anywhere to puddle. Just remember that every single thing you add to your trailer is one thing more to put up and take down. Don’t collect so much “stuff” that camping becomes more trouble than it’s worth.
It might have been mentioned earlier in this long thread (which is GREAT by the way and I’m glad so many new ideas are being shared), but someone on ebay was selling some kind of hardware that fit into a C-channel on the side of a trailer and could be used with any tarp to set up a canopy. A clever search would probably find his listings if he’s still offering the product.
I’ve seen the situation where a freak windstorm ripped a canopy right off a horse trailer with LQ. My rig was right next to that one and I was VERY concerned about getting struck with flying debris as I rushed to get my own EZUP tent down before the wind ruined it too (it was tied down but in the tornado like conditions, I was concerned it would be torqued beyond use). I have NEVER gotten that tent down and stuff tossed into the trailer so fast! Fortunately for my pals in the neighboring trailer, the only damage to their canopy was a $70 piece for one of the struts.
I have to tell you, my new trailer’s tack room is now so stuffed with gear that I’m wishing I had gotten a 10’ tack room, LOL! Of course, at a camp site most of it would just pull out and be used outside, but the challenge is trying to leave it in there (to avoid packing for camping trips) and still be able to get to the stuff I need for local day rides.
So much of the good advice on this thread has helped me figure out how to keep “must-have’s” to a minimum, though! Y’all are great.
Mule, I’m just starting out on horse camping (haven’t done it yet, spent the winter getting stuff for it). Mine won’t be days in the wilderness, but I’m already seeing the wisdom of “less is more.”
I’m planning on using 30-gallon square rubbermaid storage boxes (with lids) for the “must haves” and that/those would be for no-brainers that I’d need for just an overnight.
What’s also handy, a friend sent me her list which she put in table format in Word. Three columns - one for the item, one for “need” and one for “packed.” She just checks things off.
I took her format and tailored it to me. One page is a checklist for things I want to always keep in the truck and the trailer, just to double check to be sure they haven’t been “borrowed” for another use and not returned. Then take it from there, depending on the trip’s type and length. I think that will make it MUCH easier. Keeping the basics (the no brainer stuff) in one place, ready to go, also seems like it’s worth doing.
Mule, I think I know of the ebayer you mentioned. I tried to ask him some questions about the C channel but I think his invention is something he doesn’t want to explain much. He does say on his listings though that it works on trailers that are set up for awnings. I don’t know what that means. Check his feedback, one guy refers to that. If his setup works though, hey, price is right. 
But do read the last sentence of his listing, in one way you could take it that his setup would work if you simply welded a c-channel to your trailer, in another way you could take it that the trailer has to be set up for an awning beyond that.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8794203358&ssPageName=MERC_VIC_ReBay_Pr4_PcY_BIN_Stores_IT
That three column list is a GREAT idea!
I’m a big fan of Rubbermaid totes. The Sterlite ones are cheaper but they seem to break easier. The Rubbermaids seem indestructible. I’m getting things organized into totes…one for “Camp Kitchen” one for “Horse Stuff” etc. My plan is to be able to easily “customize” the load for the activity without having to think too much about individual items.
Re shade: Haven’t tried this yet, but have thought about setting up the portable corral such that my mule can go into the trailer if she wants to, to get out of the sun. Then no canopy is needed at all. The new trailer is big enough to make this feasible, and all the partitions can be easily removed so that there is quite a big stall. Emma isn’t destructive, so this would likely work with her; I plan to try it out soon.
STORAGE: I have a big green STOUT rubbermaid to pack lanterns and boots in. Once we’re set up at camp it’s a good half-ass place to set stuff down, like a beer.
HORSE STUFF STORAGE: Four smallish sterilite stackable drawers - one for grooming tools, one for people crap like snack bars, sunglasses, etc, and two for equine first aid. Stacked 2X2 they fill that spot under the bottom saddle rack perfectly, and I still have room height-wise to stack the western saddle pads there. Perfect. Supplements, salt, etc, go in ziplock bags, labeled in marker. Much less space consuming than the bottles, etc that they came in.
BRIDLE RACKS- the tack door has about 8 hooks, and I got one of those black metal bars that hook onto them, and it has 6 hooks on it- doubled my hanging options, so Old Macs, extra halters, etc have a home.
TABLES:I got a collapsable aluminum table (like an end-table in size) that I love. It folds FLAT. Love it. I also have a eating table that’s a plastic topped table with metal chairs. Will seat 4-6 easily. Folded flat, it slides under the air mattress when not in use.
CHAIRS: I hate bag chairs. I bought two aluminum directors chairs. They were 25.00 each but worth every penny.
POTTY: Porta potty that I really like that lives in the first stall. Easy to clean and flush waste at the end of a trip.
FLY CONTROL: sprinkle golden malarin upon arrival, and premise-spray entire horse box. I am going to mount a small fan OVER the people door into the LQ, pointing down and out- that should help blow flies away that want to come in (saw this at a cafeteria this weekend. Smart) we can’t rig a screen door, so I’m going to give this a try.
AWNING: Love mine. I drop one arm from the trailer, the one by the LQ door, and anchor it with a tent stake. I lower that end, too, to drain the dew/rain water off. If a storm is truly horrid enough, that’s what insurance is for.
Mule, I don’t know how to PM on this forum, if you can tell me how to do that and send me your email address, I’ll be glad to send you the file with my list. You can tailor it to yourself. I spent HOURS with it, lol. Still have some revisions to make (stuff to add, stuff to take off), but I think I thought of it all. It works really well in not forgetting stuff, and it’s set up so you can pretty much just check whatever boxes, wham, wham, wham, presto, done deal.
On mine, I separated riding and other clothes and stuff I have to gather from the upstairs vs. downstairs because I HATE having to make a zillion trips upstairs for stuff I forget. I’m trying to get this down to a pretty fast science so I dont end up spending more time packing and unpacking than I do being there.
