You can also make yourself an awning by securing a large tarp on one side and pulling it over the top. Then stake it with some tent poles. Having the shade will help the inside temp a little. We got some tent poles that "telescope" up to about 7 ft. at WalMart and some nylon tie line and stakes that drive into the ground. Not too expensive and makes a nice place to sit in the shade.

RIDE ON!

Headhunter, I live in Wa also and even though we have had great weather recently the experience i have had with the solar showers has been "luke warm" to say the least. I have however heard good things about the little coleman propane wtr heaters. We have some rodeos coming up and am thinking about picking one up.

PTA

As far as storing stuff such as a propane heater/shower buy one of those rubbermaid totes, the big ones and put it in your first stall. I have one and it holds alot of gear and fits perfect in that space.

Before I got my LQ trailer I also camped in my bumper pull in the dressing room. If you had electric available you could run an electric cord through the dressing room door and use one of those multiple plug in thingys(think computer!) to plug in a  heater or fan and a radio or for a blow dryer or even one of those plug in coolers. Otherwise invest in alot of batteries for flashlights and a radio. The horse shows I went to had electric hook-up so it was nice to have that and have either a fan or heater in there with me(not to mention the noise of a fan helps to drown out that outside noise so you can sleep!)

I slept on one of those flip out beds in a sleeping bag. It folds into a chair and was actually quite comfy and didn't take up much space when folded. I think Wally world sells them.

Sleeping in your bumper pull dressing room is doable and you can get creative as to storing stuff or things you can put in there with you, other than your tack!! I sure don't miss those days though, especially when nature called during the night and no porta potty!! I would invest in one of those too and if you have a walk-thru door, keep in the horse area.

I am loving my LQ trailer now!

Do you have a cap for your truck?  I have a friend who has an air mattress in the back of his truck cap (he is close to 80 yo).  I also have a a younger friend (50) who has a 2 horse straight with walk thru to dressing/tack room. She sweeps the shavings to one side and lays down a tarp. She has an air mattress that goes on top. She puts her cooler next to it as a table for a night lamp and clock. She uses a 5 gal white bucket with trash can liner and shavings for a porti-potti. She hangs privacy curtains with tape. You can get a milk crate for your propane tank to store in. You can use the milk crate as a step if needed.  You can purchase a large plastic storage tote from Walmart that is water proof. Carry it in the trailer or back of truck (secure lid). Store everything you need in it for overnighting and take it out and store in tackroom when not needed. I have seen the kind that ride in the back of the truck in the automotive section at Walmart.  I have a coleman shower ($19.99? at Kmart) that I use.  I heat water (propane stove and large coffee pot) and pour in a 5 gal white bucket, drop the shower end in and there you are.  I also have an electric burner I use with electric hook ups.  You can get an EZ UP at Walmart for less than $100. You can't imagine how much it cools off the inside of the trailer.  Put it up by your door if possible or at least by open windows so it can move the air inside. Get a good 5 day cooler and use chunks of ice in the bottom for food.  I freeze water in 9X13 cake pans and put it in heavy plastic bags and tie closed.  Everything doesn't get soggy. I use a 2nd cooler for drinks and have to buy bagged ice. You can get one of those battery packs (car jumper/12V power) and use a 12V fan with it.  I used mine 2 nights and only used 1/2 the charge.  We do alot of rough camping.   Any other questions ask.

When we use to camp in our our steel 2 horse slant trailer we used strong magnets to hold up curtains on the butt wall slat side.  I also used the plastic banquet table liners to cover up horse poop if some got left on the wall- not so much an issue in the fall but definitely a must during the summer.  As someone said, a tarp on the floor keeps things tidy.  Walmart also sells a magnectic towell bar- very inexpensive- which is nice to put on the wall to hang a shirt or wet face cloth on.  I liked sleeping on a cot w/ coil springs for two reasons, one- it wasn't halfway bad to sleep on and two- it allowed us a place to store clothes or things we might want with us and not locked up in the dressing room as we had no walkthrough door in that trailer.

We had the Walmart camp potty in the small dressing room.  Depending on the availablity of electricity you can go wild with wonderful things or use propane and battery powered things to carry you through.

Good luck!

When my wife and I started out, all we had was an older arrow-nose Wrangler GN with no frills. We made sure we took short trips and camped with friends whenever we could to learn as much as we could. What works extremely well for one person, might not work as well for someone else. The "cowboy shower" is a must for the ladies. We joked about being able to pay for it the first year by renting it for $1.00/15 minutes. We always used coolers for food and ice and still do. We have a fairly new slant LQ with all the frills. We've never used the micro-wave, the refridgerator got used in the beginning, but now we are back to using the coolers for everything. We haven't had a need to use the A/C yet, since we don't use the trailer too much in hot weather. The A/C gets used when the trailer is parked in the driveway and my wife needs a break from the kids to read a book, take a nap or just have some quiet time to herself. We bought our new trailer as a "show special" and it came with a lot of options we don't need right now. We might start using all the options at a later date (and the kids are gone).

My best suggestion is just look around at what others are doing at your level and make improvements and additions to your camping supplies/equipment as the budget will allow and the need arises. Happy trails.

Lots of great suggestions here.  I also have the shower that you drop in a water bucket after heating some water.  I hang a shower curtain up in the back of the trailer for privacy and keep the portapotty behind it besides showering. 

I sleep in the dressing room.  Lay down a tarp, then 2 mattresses, pillow, and sleeping bag.  I have one of those headlamps and can read at night after leaving the campfire.  Once the DR door is closed, it's like my private bedroom. 

I freeze 1/2 gallon jugs of water as the solid blocks will stay solid much longer as well as smaller thinner  bottles I take riding so I have cold water on the trail.

The key in keeping things more organized is to hang them high off the floor as much as possible.  I have multiple blanket bars for towels, 3 brush trays, and a bridle bar with 8 hooks in the DR.  I have D-rings installed in the Dr & use bungee cords to secure tables, chairs, etc while traveling. Also have a bar across the v area that I hang other stuff on, carriers to hold stuff, saddle bags, & could hang shirts, pants, etc if necessary.  I usually pack a duffle bag with my clothes & keep in the back seat of my truck.

I put hay bales in vinyl bale bags so the hay stays dry and less mess and store the hay in the truck bed while traveling (bungee it to the truck) and then move it to the trailer horse area when parked. 

    I'm thinking of buying a small fridge to use when electric is available to have in addition to the cooler and keep stuff in there that I need to get to more often. 

   I have one of the E-Z up canopies, but find I stopped bringing it and am getting an awning installed instead.  It does come in handy for other times though.

    I wrote an article on Camping with your Horse awhile back and it includes tons of ideas, food suggestions, etc.  If anyone is interested, send me your email address to my inbox and I'll be happy to send it you.  It might have some info you could use.

  Good luck and happy camping.

Your set up sounds great!  Any pictures available?

Daafy

Please forward your article on Camping w/ your horse.

Thank you

Bonnie...can you email me pictures of your dressing room?  I'm looking for ideas.

Thanks

Cindy

Cynthia.Schultz@Schreiberfoods.com