Camping with trailer

D66 said:
The danger of camping in a tent rather than a trailer is the possibility of a loose horse trampling over it. Remote I know, but the safe option is camping in the trailer. Bucket with sawdust/shavings in is useful as a loo. Put food in a cool box with a lid to exclude vermin, and ants, and other people's dogs. An LED lantern is more useful than a torch if you can hang it up with a bit of bailer twine, but with long days and short nights you probably won't need it for long.
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I hadn't thought about the danger of a loose horse trampling a tent. My own problems of similar sort have been limited to people wandering around after spending a bit too much time in the beer tent and tripping over guy lines... This year, I'll be taking a string of solar powered fairy lights to put around my tent. (It will help me find my way back to my own tent, too.)

A bucket with sawdust or shavings is a good idea. Even kicked over after use, it will be easy to sweep up.

A head torch is much better than a hand-held torch, leaving both hands free for things like carrying your toilet bag and still being able to open gates...
 
A few years ago I did my first ever trailer camp for 1 night. Didnt know anyone but come away with loads of new friends :-)
I had a cheap £9.99 fold out camp bed - worse thing ever! Luckily I managed to lose a leg when i was packing it up so i could bin it. It was so painful all night, I didnt sleep, was cold and miserable.
The next year, i had another 1 night camp, but i was prepared! This time i had picked up a porta-loo on ebay for £10. And someone was selling off a folding guest bed which is on legs for £25 (cost £80 new in Argos!). OMG what a difference these two things made! I would be in a mummy sleeping bag (cant stand them as i cant move my legs) and then inside a standard sleeping bag for extra warmth. Plus a spare duvet just in case. Although ive also used horse fleece sheets when there has been a very sudden drop in temperature!
The camp bed fits down the whole length of one side of my 510 trailer and i had the loo on the other (horse) side, with the partitions to separate the 'rooms'. When the seat is down the loo can be used to sit on. The area in front of the loo is for changing clothes etc.
In the A front of the trailer was my 'cooking' area where i had a single camping stove (£10) where i could boil a kettle and cook basics like hot dogs. Front ramp down you can watch everything outside while still sitting inside with shelter from the weather.
Last 2 years, ive progressed to 4 night camps. Same method as above but by now ive added..... a sleeping pod! instead of a sleeping bag. This pod is amazing! Ive only got the lightweight one and its held up so far in Spring and cool summer weather.
I take a double duvet just in case, which you can lie on as a mattress topper for extra comfort if not needed for warmth. Obv dont forget your pillows :-)
Eye Mask and Ear plugs for a good nights quiet sleep. Long sleeve top and leggings with fleecy socks for sleeping in. Dont forget fresh undies and changes of clothes as yours will get wet or sweaty etc.
Camping stove, spare gas, kettle. I fill a flask at bedtime incase i wake up cold then I can pour a quick hot drink for myself to warm back up and move extra bedding around. You could take a hot water bottle too but ive never needed one. I make hot dogs, pot noodles, etc for quick and easy snacks.
Head torch and a larger rechargeable one is perfect for full light at all times, inc any outside walking between yard and parking in the night etc.
Wet wipes, tissues, hand sanitizer, your own plastic cutlery and crockery, mug etc, toiletries.
Large towel is handy for blocking any ramp gaps on your trailer if the weather happens to be cold, wet, windy. Folding camp chair.
 
I camp in my 3.5t. Tarpaulin down, then I have a carpet that goes down on top to help with insulation. I have a military style campcot and a double duvet folded up on top of that for a mattress. I used to then have another duvet but I’ve just bought (half price at badminton) a bundle bed (google it) and I’m looking forward to trying that out! Bed and lighting plus fairy lights if I’m there for more than one night all in pop up tent. Tin foil and duck tape as blackout blind on windows.
 
I camped in a trailer (no tent in it) over new years at a show for 3 nights, still question why it ever seemed a good idea at that time of year, but I survived! Bring tarpaulin to put over the floor, then sleeping matts and air bed and definitely a duvet and pillow if you have room to bring one, waaaay comfier than a sleeping bag. Individually wrapped packets of croissants or similar are great as snacks as they don't go stale once you have opened the packet and left them in the cold.

Try not to feel too envious when the huge lorry next door has hot soapy water pouring out the bottom from their shower as you are rolling out your makeshift camp site and off to the loos to wash your face over the sink...

It'll be worth it though :)
 
Right guys - I'm revitalising this thread!

I have taken all of your advice! I have a pop up tent for my trailer, an air bed, a down filled topper incase I am cold and incase said airbed goes flat, an electric blanket, a mini kettle, little torch, big torch, fold up chair, cuddly toy and a wobbly man (okay, I may have lapsed into retro generation game there).

I thank you for all or your help so far... what I have failed to plan for is what I need to take for me and the horse!!!

Lesson and test riding 1 day, possibly riding on arrival day. Show day 2 so that's show kit, I'm ok with that. I am known to over pack....

What the heck do people wear in the evening?!

I know I am over thinking this 😁
 
riding clothes or jeans in the evening, depending on how grubby you are :p (I sleep in my clothes if it's too cold to get changed into PJs :oops:)
always good to have a spare set of clean clothes in case of disaster.
I take an extra haynet than I calculate I'll need just in case you get delayed/horse is extra hungry/horse breaks haynet and trashes hay etc.
Mucking out tools and water buckets. I like a poop scoop instead of a fork as it allows you to whizz in and skip out without having too much faff esp as the temp stables tend to be small (less of an issue if you're in permanent stables).
Do you have to take bedding? I tend to use big flake shavings as they fluff up well for a big bed in the short term, even if they are a bit annoying to muck out.

As well as normal tack plus a rug to suit the expected weather I also take a LW turnout rug, had a bad weekend at VV when it peed down and the temp stable I had was facing into the weather so tied up a rug over the mesh at the front to keep the worst of the rain out.

Hot water bottle is a nice comfort at night. If not, bring more wine! :p
 
@Shoei I am going to horse camp at Somerford in October and am planning to camp in my trailer for the first time. However, I have booked a hook up so I'll be taking a fan heater! As someone who feels the cold, I just wondered if you could tell me how your bed in the tent worked (I have a small folding bed with a mattress). Were you warm enough?
 
Coblover63 said:
@Shoei I am going to horse camp at Somerford in October and am planning to camp in my trailer for the first time. However, I have booked a hook up so I'll be taking a fan heater! As someone who feels the cold, I just wondered if you could tell me how your bed in the tent worked (I have a small folding bed with a mattress). Were you warm enough?
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I have camped in mine in cold and wet. I used a pop up tent inside in case of condensation drips. I think that helped with cosiness. Airbed went into that. In preference though, another time I would definitely use a fold up bed or camp bed.
 
Having just come back from a weekend away with my pony, and camping in the trailer, i can report back! I mucked out and swept the clean bedding to one side and put down the campbed, and i had my camp chair in the nose of the trailer, so you can open the jockey door and watch the world go by. It worked a treat! I loved the fact that no tent was involved, so less to pack and not so much to set up, and it is dry, out of the wind and roomy. I would, though, take something extra to go between the sleeping bag and camp bed for insulation and spare horse rugs are very handy! I came back tired, with a strong smell of horse as there were no showers, but very happy.
 
I have now done this a few times so I'll let you know what I do.
I have a floor covering in the trailer
I then put a pop up decathlon tent in with air bed.
Duvet on top of mattress and electric blanket if needed.
Electric throw (most recommended item)
Duvet on top.
This keeps me nice and toasty and I have hot water bottles if needed.

It works really well for me and it makes a nice cosy sleeping pod. I really like my set up now and I'd happily camp all year.
 
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