I went through exactly the same analysis before I bought my LQ trailer.  I think you have covered the major pros and cons, but I think you would recoup your cost of a LQ trailer much sooner.  I sold my one year old 3H slant w/ a 4' SW dressing room and was able to buy a one year old 3H slant w/ 9' LQ and mid tack for a little over $10k difference.  I was on the road 50+ days last year for shows and will probably be slightly less this year, but figured that I would break even in cost difference in about 2 show seasons.  I plan on showing for many more years to come so for me the cost difference was a big plus.   The other big plus was being on the show grounds for the reasons you mentioned, and also to have a place to go during downtimes, a warm place during cold days and a cool place during hot days.  The biggest negative for me is the short showers, I too at home typically spend 20 minutes in the shower LOL!   But for me, all the pros greatly outweighed the cons.

I don't think its all that much different pulling a longer LQ trailer than a shorter LQ or non-LQ trailer.  Some insight an experienced gooseneck puller shared with me when I bought my first gooseneck trailer was to remember the trailer will always track further to the inside in turns than the truck, so I practice on our winding curvy 4 mile road to our house keeping the truck to the outside of the curve and watching in the mirror to see where the trailer wheels tracked.  A tip for making 90 degree turns, is to not start the turn with the truck until the trailer wheels are where you want them to track after the turn.  This helps to not run over curbs or lane barriers, etc.  

As far as maintenance, if you buy a newer trailer there won't be alot of maintenance.  Both LQ and non LQ trailers need to have their bearings repacked and brakes inspected annually, the appliances in a LQ shouldn't need any maintenance on a regular basis, just be sure to drain the water tanks, hot water heater, and water lines in the winter and winterize if you are in a cold area.  I don't, but it rarely gets below 20-25 degrees here.  I keep my trailer plugged in year round and keep a ceramic heater on low to keep moisture out.  At the end of the show season I take all food out of the trailer and then restock at the beginning of the next season.  Hubby keeps the fridge running and stocked with beer (his own personal beer fridge) all winter. 

Last but not least, my barnmates laugh at me because I love my trailer.  When I first got back into showing and got the non-LQ trailer, I said I would NEVER want to stay in a LQ trailer and camp.  I'm not the camping type.  But when I was missing out on all the fun during downtimes at the show because I was at the hotel, or when I had to be at the show early in the day and then never made it back to the hotel because it was too far, etc, and when my hotel bill was $400-500 per month several months in a row, the LQ trailer started to look pretty good.  Hope that helps.  Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.   

 If you have pulled a GN 6' SW trailer, moving up to a slightly longer trailer is not difficult.

The very reason we bought our trailers was to have the bathrooms. Most of our usage is at shows, where the condition of the rest rooms is notorious. Having the convenience, privacy and sanitation of our own facilities is very rewarding.

Having a bed to take a quick nap during a long show is a plus. Cold drinks, a cool respite, or dry environment are only some of the benefits a LQ offers.

We initially had a longer LQ and kept our shorter stock trailer for local shows because of its maneuverability. We replaced the stock trailer with a weekender LQ of the same length and now have our perfect combination.

Look at the pricing of used LQs. Used trailers are the best way to go, financially speaking. There are many trailers available in every brand, length and equipment.

BOL  Gard

retento,  are you sure about that??    :)

(for one thing: have you ever stayed in a LQs with a teenaged daughter?  i am not sure they make them big enough!)

A gentleman on the Horse Talk forum has FIVE daughters. I bet he spends a lot of time outside the trailer sipping coffee and pouring aspirin down his throat. When a mother and daughter take up all the available space, what is left?

Gard

Say it with me: Get the LQ trailer, get the LQ trailer, get the LQ trailer. Especially with young daughters that will want to hang out at the show grounds with their friends. You will be so glad to have some where to go and relax until they decide to call it a night. I got my LQ for many of the reasons that have already been mentioned, but one of the biggest was it was becoming harder to find a decent hotel that would take dogs. I also understand you concern about hook ups and getting a generator. I highly recommend adding the generator with a remote start and gas gauge in the main coach. Just push prime, then push start and everything will be humming a long nicely. Get the LQ trailer!

Have you ever seen the floor space in a 10' LQ? It's TINY! All the comforts of home are squeezed into your portable palace leaving you a mere 12 square inches to stand on to get dressed while you try not to smash and elbow on an upper cabinet.  Then add in the rest of the family all doing the same. That was the reason why I bought the LQ shell instead -- buy used, it's way cheaper.  My Kiefer was 3 years old when I bought it, and until the salesman pointed out that it was used, I didn't even know.

Anyway, for me, I needed space! Space in particular for my husband and son who frequently travel with my daughter and I, even though they don't show.  If my son didn't have a place to hang out and be undisturbed, he would make us all crazy.  One rainy weekend with a family of 4 in a trailer was enough to convince me that space was the most important thing for us.  My short wall is 8', and the trailer is 7' wide, so there's a bit of room right now.  I'm going to put in a 5' stretch of cabinets, upper and lower on the long wall, and a tall closet on the opposite wall, plus some storage up around the bed (after it's insulated and wired...) The shower will be a portable unit in the extra stall (bought a 4 horse just for that reason), maybe I'll add a port-a-potti too. My water tank will be an upright in the corner. I'll install a propane furnace and a refer, and add lights for both AC and DC, and maybe even toss a solar panel on the roof.  We'll roll out the awning and set up the barbeque outside.  Inside I'm putting two stacked foam chairs for movable furniture that flips out to beds for each of the kids.

Something else to consider: A friend bought a finished LQ from Bison. They loved the trailer, but were noticing that the ground clearance due to tanks and lines was really low, and found they had to be careful where they drove to avoid busting off the septic dump line (not all rodeo parking lots are without potholes).

Staying at the grounds is much better than a hotel. Way too convenient for those 8 am halter classes, and great for late night checks at the barn. I always worry about something happening to my horses - what if they got loose and no one could find me?

Driving gets easier. Buy some good trailer mirrors for your truck, you'll feel so much better when you can glance in the mirror and see EXACTLY where your trailer tires are, and you'll learn faster how much space you need to turn a corner.  I can get to gas pumps in the most inconvenient places now, and I never thought that would be possible with a 26' trailer. If you happen to be truck shopping, a dually makes lane changing on the highway very nice cause it's soooo stable.

I know what's going through your head right now, I was in the same spot last year - LQ or not? Maybe we should just buy an RV? How many more years until my daughter moves away and I don't need this rig anymore?  Whatever you buy, it's worth it! This is family time/mother-daughter time and that's HUGE! You're making memories and keeping your kids too busy to get into trouble.

Get the LQ!  Get an onboard generator with remote start.  Have a walk thru door to the first stall............

say it again, and again and again and again.....get the LQ!!

You can rent a lot of hotel rooms for the difference between a LQ and non-LQ trailer...especially if at least on of your kids suddenly discover other interests...(boys, driving, et cetera)...YMMV...

The other possibility is renting an LQ for certain shows...as was stated an increasing posssibilty in another thread