Oh no, buying an expensive trunk and then moving barns. 
I canât picture how those Phoenix West trunks are made. Is that colored piece actually the side of the trunk or something applied onto the wood? I keep seeing them listed as vinyl trunks but what is vinyl?
I love the ones my barn ordered, they turned out great and have held up well - we ordered them for the 2024 show year. I just found the email with the details:
shop@exquisite-equestrian.com
208-870-2869
Lyn Zoellick
The search feature is not really very useful but the same names are being discussed here as well, Oakcroft, Phoenix West, McGuinn, even Husky.
Theyâre vinyl panels that are affixed to the sides of the trunks. The basic trunk is wood. When you get replacement panels that you do yourself they come with the metal pieces that hold the panels in place. You can also send the whole trunk off to be repainted and re-paneled. More of an option if you live close to a factory-Phoenix West is in Irwindale, maybe 30 miles east of downtown LA. Fun factâIrwindale is also where some of the Rose Parade floats are built.
I went to either the Phoenix West factory or its precursor (the precursor burned down destroying many peopleâs Christmas gifts one year). My impression was that they made the panels by pouring heated liquid vinyl into molds. It was a fairly smelly place.
I now have a vertical trunk on wheels. Way easier to work out of, but fewer vehicles are capable of transporting them.
I have a McQuinn I got when I was 8 and just starting to do rated shows. I am 43 now and it still looks fantastic even living if front of the stall for years.
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we think we know who took it but can not prove it, after all it was âjust a halterâ but it did have a connection to a special horse.
All other halters for all of the past horses we have kept with their leads hanging in the tack room to honor their life, this one was passed from Socks to Lexie as she was his replacement who picked up just where he was at in show world.
If you want a cover for your Husky, do some measuring and check out what is out there. Smartpak used to make covers that were a close fit, and Dover has some off-the-rack models too. A nice cover, and it doesnât look any different at home or at a show than the wooden ones, and is much, much easier to move.
I got a custom cover for mine, but wouldnât recommend the company I used (Ride Every Stride), as both a friend and I had a horrible time actually getting our orders. It took several months and a lot of emails to get my cover. It is good quality for the price, but I donât like having to chase vendors down.
Agree with the advice to check with DDâs trainer re: style.
Especially if you get vinyl. The panels can be changed to match whatever current colors are, but not a cheap fix.
& With the advice to consider a nice cover for the Husky.
Many - 30+ - yrs ago DH & I bought a kit that Dover sold. It made a lovely large trunk that we customized by staining, adding a base that raised it off the ground, collapsible brass handles to the sides (Dover sent fixed ones) adding a piano hinge to the lid & dowel rods in the lid to hold wraps. IIRC, the kit was ~$300.
I had a canvas cover (quilted top) made in the barn colors & later sold that to another boarder when I quit showing.
She had the monogram changed to hers by a seamstress.
It was godawful heavy & if Iâd kept showing, would have added locking wheels under that base. Iâm sure the guys responsible for loading & unloading trunks would have appreciated that.
Like @Madison my wood trunk is now in my basement. Holding unused horse âstuffâ.
I considered using it as a coffee table, but itâs too big for my LR.
Our barn has custom trunks and covers⊠that being said, if you donât have a barn and barn colors that you align with (or even if you do), Iâd recommend buying a small or medium size trunk (the larges are just SO big and heavy), and get a nice padded cover to match barn colors. Etsy seems to have them new for a decent price: https://www.etsy.com/listing/448972668/classic-wood-tack-trunk-with-brass?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_ps-a-pet_supplies&utm_custom1=k_CjwKCAiAh6y9BhBREiwApBLHC_xF-BYmhHWR_h67BkFuoGuj9f6VH8_7d2YJN7pRJLdPu1Phsh2vihoCmK8QAvD_BwE_k&utm_content=go_21802014160_169566856518_716586688545_aud-2079782229334:pla-314535281500_c__448972668_129046885&utm_custom2=21802014160&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAh6y9BhBREiwApBLHC_xF-BYmhHWR_h67BkFuoGuj9f6VH8_7d2YJN7pRJLdPu1Phsh2vihoCmK8QAvD_BwE I highly recommend putting it on a stand, as well, to save it from getting dinked and dirty (well, more dirty, but you get it). You can probably pick up a second hand wooden one, put a beautiful oval plate on it with her name or monogram, and then keep cover on it to identify barn colors and/or logo, or your name on that, as well. If the cover fits properly, most people wonât even notice the difference. Plus, you donât have to worry about swapping out panels constantly. Similar to this style: https://hansenequestrian.ca/product/custom-padded-trunk-cover/
I have a vinyl sided small Phoenix West trunk that is 30+ years old. I adore it and itâs worn like iron, but itâs also heavy as hell. For a little tack trunk, it weighs a TON. As much as I love it, though, if I were to ever replace it I would go with a plain wood one and get a cover to match whatever barn I ride with. My trunk bears the colors of my first barn ownerâs racing silks which, while super sentimental to me now, meant it got banished to the back corner of subsequent barns and always had to be covered at horse shows.
This is the vendor I purchased my daughterâs wood trunk from! Hers is really beautifully made, especially for the price.
Here are a couple of options for the Husky covers:
