Lorry essentials - what do you keep in yours?

[Patterdale]

As some might know from my other thread I’ve bought my first lorry and I am beyond excited!! It should arrive next week but I’m already planning what I should keep in it.

What do you keep in your lorry? What do you find have been essentials/super useful?

It only has a tiny living to preserve payload, so unfortunately I can’t fill it up like a second home, but I should be able to get plenty of what I actually need in.

Thanks!

 

[tda]

I have a spare wheel, but I definitely need a first aid kit - horse and human. Emergency £20
I also keep the loading aid, it's only light, a broom with an empty feed bag attached ☺

 

[jnb]

First Aid Kit, Human in living, Horse one in tack lockers/horse area
Bandages - Vetwrap and spare stable/tail ones, used for shoring up dodgy stabling when staying away
Tie wraps, hammer, staple gun, insulating tape, (emergency repairs or anything ) scissors, marker pen & card/paper for writing phone numbers on when staying away (I eventually got so efficient I made laminated ones with horses pic on in case of escape!)
Torch (preferably a wind up one) spare batteries for things that use them
TomTom Truck
Phone charger that lives in lorry
Cig lighter power splitter (to power satnav, phone charger, CCTV etc
Spare rugs, cooler, thermatex, I keep a waterproof overrug with horses name on for standing at shows to keep tack dry /standing in ring/outside ring
Waterproof coat (human)
Spare pants, socks boots (lost count of how many people I know whose boot zip died at the crucial moment) Maybe spare jods? Hair bobbles/nets
Spare girth, numnah, stirrup leather, headcollar & rope
Water buckets/water carrier
Horse treats for bribery purposes, lunge line for loading
Baler twine
Hi Viz waistcoat (emergency use)
Head torch/hat with light on (emergency use in dark)

I'm sure there are a ton more, can you tell I have a 28ft lorry!

 

[gallopingby]

That’s super organised jnb l’ve got most of those and they don’t take up too much weight but are really handy to have. I’ve also a sewing kit/ needle and thread to sew on buttons that pop off jackets!

 

[humblepie]

Rubbish bags, rubbish bin, kitchen towels, wipes, mechanic type blue cloth, light bulbs for lorry, various tools like hammer, adjustable spanner, hand cream - I don't keep anything of significant value in it permanently but there are things like buckets, old spare headcollar, spare bits of tack as above. Mugs and tea bags vital though have to remember to take the milk (forgot once, major crisis).

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Fire extinguishers are required by law, one under the drivers seat and an optional extra one in the lorry.

My lorry hasn't arrived yet but have been reading up on what I'll need. I think JNB covered most of it.

There's a free app for satnav for lorries where you can enter vehicle dimensions and it finds a suitable route. I've already forgotten the name

 

[jnb]

I forgot - 3 in 1 or 2 in 1 coffee sachets, drinking water for humans
Painkillers ! Antihistamines, tissues
Mounting block - I have the folding RubberMaid one, had it 20+ years

 

[humblepie]

Oh yes forgot the fire extinguishers. Have two as above. Bizarre add on and not necessarily essential but one of those folding windscreen covers that you see used on camper vans - stops the sun baking the inside of the cab and ending up with a too hot to touch steering wheel. Also have warning triangles and hi viz jackets.

 

[TPO]

Fire extinguisher(s)
Pop up traffic cones
Hazard triangle
LED lights
Spare headcollars kept in car/cab.
Breakdown company details/policy
Equine first aid kit

I've not got a lorry but those are my essentials for towing because I'm a worrier?!

 

[The Xmas Furry]

All good stuff mentioned above, plus also laminated sheet to pop in cab window when you park up, if you travel alone, with contact numbers on, return address for horse and horsebox etc. Useful on the rare occasions that I hope you'll never need.
Phone number sheet in cab in case your phone gets broken or dies, you can still borrow someone's phone to call friends, vet etc etc.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

The gizmo that we got for £5 from the camping shop that means you can cook toast on the hob .
Camping shops are your friend for ingenious inventions !

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

CoPilot is the name of the free satnav app.

I haven't tried it but it is recommended on a hgv driver training website. You get a free trial then need to sign up for regular use so I'd suggest waiting to download.

 

[Glitter's fun]

she wee

 

[tda]

she wee

Surely you just climb in the back with the pony

 

[scats]

First aid kit, grooming kit, treats, headcollar and lead rope, fleece for horse, water container, bucket and sponge.
I have a mini whiteboard that I can write my number on/any other numbers, that I leave in the cab. I then pop this on the dash facing outwards when I’m off riding.

 

[humblepie]

We have Aldi nav . Friend is Aldi lorry driver and has driven artics for years so we check best routes with him. Mind you leaving Burghley one year (sounds impressive but RoR showing not three day eventing) the event had route directions in place which then stopped. Ended up doing very tight several point turn just before a very narrow bridge

 

[Sprig]

Light up, flashing warning triangle, high viz, head torch and spare headcollar and lead rope. First aid kits.

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

All great suggestions. Only thing I can dd is an Airtag, incase it gets stolen. Probably more relevant for a trailer

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

It's been suggested I get some electric fence posts and wires. The camps I'll be going on will usually not have stabling available and instead space to corral with electric fence. I'll need some which will live in the lorry.

 

[Fieldlife]

First Aid Kit, Human in living, Horse one in tack lockers/horse area
Bandages - Vetwrap and spare stable/tail ones, used for shoring up dodgy stabling when staying away
Tie wraps, hammer, staple gun, insulating tape, (emergency repairs or anything ) scissors, marker pen & card/paper for writing phone numbers on when staying away (I eventually got so efficient I made laminated ones with horses pic on in case of escape!)
Torch (preferably a wind up one) spare batteries for things that use them
TomTom Truck
Phone charger that lives in lorry
Cig lighter power splitter (to power satnav, phone charger, CCTV etc
Spare rugs, cooler, thermatex, I keep a waterproof overrug with horses name on for standing at shows to keep tack dry /standing in ring/outside ring
Waterproof coat (human)
Spare pants, socks boots (lost count of how many people I know whose boot zip died at the crucial moment) Maybe spare jods? Hair bobbles/nets
Spare girth, numnah, stirrup leather, headcollar & rope
Water buckets/water carrier
Horse treats for bribery purposes, lunge line for loading
Baler twine
Hi Viz waistcoat (emergency use)
Head torch/hat with light on (emergency use in dark)

I'm sure there are a ton more, can you tell I have a 28ft lorry!

spare hat, emergency triangle, traffic cone, petrol can, sterile saline for washing wound, stored food and drink that keeps

 

[Ceifer]

The emergency chocolate tin. Keep well stocked at all times.

 

[blitznbobs]

Plastic champagne glasses … a lunge line … spare head collar and a roll of gamgee and some sporks

 

[humblepie]

Love the sporks. Early outing with mine I had to borrow a saucepan for my pasta . On my own wandering round county show show ground looking for a pan in the dark.

 

[Patterdale]

Thank you so much, loads of ideas!

Currently weighing up whether I need matching Lemieux tack bags due to having no tack lockers…..I could use sacks and bin liners, but bridles, grooming kit and saddlecloths all in lovely sturdy purpose made bags would be nice! But I’m supposed to be saving now

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Glass champagne or wine glasses (wrapped in kitchen roll in a Tupperware tub that can be used for tipping nibbles into, to accompany) … a lunge line … spare head collar and a roll of gamgee and some sporks

Corrected for you

 

[Quigleyandme]

Nothing to do with your post OP but I bought a pretty luxurious 7.5t with an inheritance. Our first outing was a pleasure ride on Woodbury Common. We rolled majestically into the car park all gleaming paint, limousine windows and chrome wheels and these pretty girls came running up to my partner and asked if that was his lorry to which he proudly replied it was. “Fantastic! Can we use the toilet?“ they chorused. Pride comes before a fall. Always.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

I don’t tend to leave too much in my lorry partly because of weight but also because it gets damp and mouldy especially over winter or can be damaged by mice.

I have spare headcollar and lead rope after a day when my brand new leather headcollar was trashed in a temper tantrum and I had to drive home with an untied horse. Fortunately a short journey.

I have:
a folding camp chair,
a set of plastic steps to mount from,
Small skip, poop scoop and rake
Spare headcollar and leadrope
Lunge line
Dressage whip
Spare gloves and thin socks for show boots
My bridle numbers

A plastic box with snacks and drinks (human)
Plastic box with horse treats
A small Portapotti (a godsend as I’m often alone and can nip in - very handy at camp as loos were not that close to the tents)
Loo roll and wipes and toilet fluid
Plastic folding water container
Bucket for drinking and empty treat tub for washing, sponge
Basic first aid kit bearing in mind things like hibiscrub go out of date.
Hammer and a pair of pliers plus a knife and some baling twine.

In the cab I keep Super magnetic flashing lights to place on lorry if I break down plus a flashing warning triangle. I keep here so I’m not rummaging around in the back if I’m in a precarious location.
Horse Passport in a plastic wallet
Dog poo bags, dog seatbelt, spare sunglasses, de-icer, cloths to wipe condensation from windows.

Other than that I have pretty much ready packed bags (often use cheap laundry bags) with various items if showing or dressage etc.

When I had my bigger lorry I had a kitchenette but it didn’t get much use. Mostly I either didn’t hang around long enough to need anything to eat ior it was just as easy to buy drinks and food on site.