# Thinking of upgrading my trailer



## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

I can be a bit spontaneous and patience is not my strong suit in a lot of cases. 

When we first moved to our acreage I bought a little three horse bumper pull trailer so that I could go trail riding and go to lessons. I was very happy with that trailer for about 4 years. 

Last year I got bitten by the horse camping/endurance riding/competitive trail bug. I realized I wanted a GN so that it would be more comfortable for me to stay overnight. LQ wasn't necessary as I really just wanted a place to sleep. So I went out and spontaneously bought a 4 horse GN. This trailer is HUGE as it has a 5' short wall as well as a large mid-tack. I really like some features of this trailer, but it is just too darned long and I realized (after freezing my butt off on a few occasions), that having a bit of a weekender/LQ set up wouldn't be a bad idea. 

So now I'm on the hunt for a different trailer. I love some features of my current trailer, but beggars can't be choosers and I do not have an astronomical budget.

I am curious, for those people who bought LQ/Weekenders, what are some features you can't live without and what are features you thought you'd love but find you don't use? I am on the fence as to whether I really need a bathroom for eg, but I would hate to go through this whole process to find I wish I'd just bought one with a toilet. I did find a Trails West that has a very odd weekender package - no furnace or anything, but has a wall mounted flat screen tv. Like, what? 

Also, any brands to steer away from? I have been seeing a few Exiss Trailers and heard they were decent quality. Another one I have seen a couple of are Silver Star - which I'd never heard of but seem to get OK online reviews. Of course, there is also the debate of steel vs. aluminum, but my truck is a 3/4 diesel, so I'm thinking at least aluminum skin as anything full steel will likely be too heavy for Miss Elliot (my truck) to haul. 

If it has any bearing, I do live in Alberta, Canada - so for eg, an Air Conditioner really won't get put to much use up here. 

Any comments, hints, suggestions very appreciated. 

Thanks!


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

When my family owned a Four Star trailer with LQ for showing over weekends and occasional camping, we never used the bathroom. If I remember right, there was a shower and a toilet. If there was porta-potties or actual bathrooms on the property we were staying, we always opted to use them. In fact, it was against my parents rules to do anything other than #1 in the trailer bathroom, for ease of emptying the tank.

We did use the heater, but there was never a reason to really use the a/c. 

Having a built-in water tank was super nice. It was easy to fill, didn't take up our space, and was very convenient for filling water buckets.

I don't really understand the need for having a tv in trailers...if you have enough energy to watch tv at the end of a horse-filled day, I don't think you did enough with your horses! The one time we ever used the tv from what I remember was when there was torrential rains and we were stuck in the trailer. 

On the horse side of things, I loved having a stud wall for the first 'stall'. We commonly only hauled two horses, so the first 'stall' was used for hay and shavings. We never used the hay storage up top, as it was pretty much impossible to get anything up there without many hands (unless my roofer stepdad did it on his lonesome!).

After having only a rear tack with no separate dressing room, I think I'd prefer a midtack over having larger LQ. Showing multiple disciplines with multiple riders with only a rear tack was a pain. Saddles were stacked on saddles, blankets were shoved wherever they fit, and it wasn't too fun. Occasionally we threw stuff in the truck bed, but it only takes one rain storm to ruin that idea.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

We're upgrading right now after having a weekender for 2 years. I got sick of not having a bathroom/using a port a potty in a stall and tracking hay/shavings into the weekender part and having to sweep all of the time. 

I will say if you get a weekender make sure you have a passthrough door so you can set up some type of potty/bucket for middle of the night use. I've stayed with a friend who doesn't have a pass through door in her weekender and it stinks having to get out and go outside to walk around to the back and open the doors of the trailer at 2:00 am when it is freezing cold. 

We have a cowboy shower in our weekender (in the first stall) which has been wonderful. After a 50 mile ride in July it is really nice to have a shower.

I thought I wanted a big fridge in our new trailer but I realized we don't even really use the little fridge in our current trailer other than for condiments because it's a pain to unload/load it all of the time when we can just pack coolers in the house and haul them back and forth. 

Furnace is a must for me which our weekender has. It runs off propane so at the really cold rides the people who have the a/c heat combo are unable to use theirs (we rarely have electric hookups) and we are.

We're going with an 8 ft wide with mangers this time for the extra storage. I'm tired of carting buckets/feed pans/etc in the weekender part and having to unload them all when we get there.


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## lb27312 (Aug 25, 2018)

I'll give my two cents. Just remember I only camp and sometimes camp 1 - 2 weeks at a time. I started with a 2 horse bumper pull it was okay until I discovered camping! It only took a few times of getting to camp after work and setting up a tent in the dark that I went looking for a weekender. 

Then I got a Silver Star weekender, I loved that trailer. It didn't have anything in it so I installed cabinets and a fridge. I like a fridge as coolers got in the way. I used 1 cooler for water and in the fridge went cold cuts, milk and what not as we always cook at camp. I had it 10 years and camped with it a lot. I don't show so I like the more storage in the LQ. I had never had a TV until I moved up here... instead of sitting around a fire after a day of riding everyone went into their trailers to chill and watch TV so had one installed. Again as I got older the no bathroom was getting to me. I didn't like using the porta john though there are people think it's okay. So I started searching!

So now I have a full 8' shortwall LQ and really like it!! As I said I sometimes stay a week but even a long weekend I like having the bathroom.... the shower is kind of small but does well in a pinch and I don't have to take a hike to the bathroom.... during the day I will usually go use the facilities bathroom if there's one available but late night/early morning I use the trailer. As said above I like having a stud wall in the first stall as I can jam that front stall full of stuff! And although the hay rack I really didn't want it, I've had the trailer 4 years and have used it 3 times. Mostly shavings and feed. But it came with it so it's there. I had wanted a big fridge but the small fridge works good. 

I don't have a an 8' wide but I still have mangers and I LOVE the storage under the mangers!! Not super huge being it's not 8' wide but big enough to hold chairs, table and dog bed/food. 

As for brands it's a toss up I think so many have good and bad reviews... And as not really needing? The hay storage on top, the stove and microwave I have used less often than anything else. I do like the propane furnace and here I need air conditioning.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I say if you want to end your trailer shopping days then go for broke and get more than you think you want right now. I started with a 2horse bumper pull and slide in camper for my truck. Then when I got married we had his 3 horse slant load with a weekender package. Trouble was our horses turned it into a cramped 2 horse slant load so we bought an 7.6' wide 4 horse slant load with a dressing room that we remodeled into a weekender package. That was fine for a while but dangit I wanted a bathroom so I kept my eyes and ears open until we found a reasonably priced trailer with full living quarters. Musts were 8' wide and a walk through from bathroom into the horse section. I use every little thing that trailer has to offer. If we still went as much as we used to I'd be looking for another upgrade. On my must have list would be a slide out, big fridge (current one is small), couch and dinette (currently a couch with little slip of a table you can set up in front of it, hardly wide enough to set a plate on), oven, some counter space and stairs leading up to the bed in the gooseneck and more closet space. This would be in additional to the normal things you think of like air, heat, stove, etc...

I have found that very trailer in a Lakota but can't justify getting one just to sit in the barn lot for the majority of the time.

Oh and how could I forget! Preferably a hydraulic jack, would make do with an electric, but no more hand crank! 

Here is kinda what I want. It's been a couple of years since we went window shopping and of course the exact one is no longer in their inventory but this one is pretty close. For some reason either they've done away with closets or the pics just aren't showing them.

https://www.maintrailersales.com/de...e=lakota trailers&s=Year&d=D&fr=xAllInventory


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

QueenofFrance08 said:


> I will say if you get a weekender make sure you have a passthrough door so you can set up some type of potty/bucket for middle of the night use. I've stayed with a friend who doesn't have a pass through door in her weekender and it stinks having to get out and go outside to walk around to the back and open the doors of the trailer at 2:00 am when it is freezing cold.


This is something I have in my current trailer and I love being able to walk through to the horse area without having to go outside!! 

Thanks for the input guys - I was really on the fence about needing/wanting a toilet, but I think after everyone's comments I will look for one with a toilet. I usually just use whatever facilities are there, but yes, in the middle of the night would likely use the trailer. Plus, we will camp on crown land where there are no facilities....I am not a princess and have no problem going in the bushes. But having a toilet would be nice. 

There is one used trailer I am inquiring on - it is a Silver Star - but it is steel with a fiberglass roof. Not sure how I feel about that. 

Another Silver Star that a dealer sent me a listing on appears to be fully loaded (has microwave, stove, fridge, etc). Which I likely wouldn't need any of that stuff.....but I suppose could help re-sale. 
@JCnGrace, if I could afford it I would definitely get one with a slide!! What a difference that would make on space in the trailer. 

I suppose I could also think of our holiday trailer - and the things I NEVER use in that trailer. It would likely be the same in a horse trailer (IE: A/C, microwave, tv......). 

The hay rack on the roof always seems like a good idea, but I often wonder how one would load bales up there by themselves!


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

cbar said:


> I suppose I could also think of our holiday trailer - and the things I NEVER use in that trailer. It would likely be the same in a horse trailer (IE: A/C, microwave, tv......).
> 
> The hay rack on the roof always seems like a good idea, but I often wonder how one would load bales up there by themselves!



Now if you made this the last trailer you were to buy...all those amenities would be greatly appreciated if you retire and travel with or without the horses in tow.
I see the roof racks on many trailers not sporting hay but rectangular tubs lashed closed with ??? not sure what.
The hay is stored inside or purchased at locations where the horses will stay for a bit...feed is kept to a minimum dragging bags of it by purchasing brands widely distributed in your country or neighboring that recipe is same.
Depending upon where you start from and where your destination location is you might need a change of clothing weight too...upstairs storage, out of the way but on-hand sounds good to me.

I would go for "the loaded" trailer and have it at your fingertips for when you do need it.
Slide-out would be on the list for sure, or a few of them! :smile:
If you ever become a snow-bird and relocate to a warm climate several months of the year you will regret limiting yourself...as needs change in type of use done. :|
:runninghorse2:...


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

Oh, and one thing I was curious on.....my current GN is a manual jack and is a major pain to use (even with regular greasing). 

If you go for a power jack, if it craps out on you, is there a manual option?? I know on our holiday trailer (it is a BP), it is a power jack. We've had issues with fuses blowing, etc and the power doesn't work, but we still can use it manually. 

I really would like to go to a dealer and walk around and ask questions, however not really an option right now considering how crazy our world is!


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

@cbar, every trailer we've looked at had the option to also go manual when they had electric or hydraulic jacks. 

Maybe if I was young the hay storage on the roof wouldn't bother me but now it'd be oh heck no! We've always gone with an extra stall in order to haul hay and feed.


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## Joel Reiter (Feb 9, 2015)

cbar said:


> I did find a Trails West that has a very odd weekender package - no furnace or anything, but has a wall mounted flat screen tv. Like, what?


It is a little silly, but manufacturers think a TV makes the accommodations seem more civilized, and they can put a TV in for $150. 




cbar said:


> If it has any bearing, I do live in Alberta, Canada - so for eg, an Air Conditioner really won't get put to much use up here.


Funny thing, half a century ago our high school band marched in the parade for the Calgary Stampede, and it was around 100 degrees. I could have used some air conditioning that day.


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## cbar (Nov 27, 2015)

@Joel Reiter - yes, there is an occasional day when it can be really hot here. But I could honestly count on one hand the number of times I would have used A/C in any given summer. I have had my current truck for over 2 years and have never turned the A/C on in it! Last summer it was so cool & wet I doubt I even wore shorts more than a handful of times. 

I did end up putting my current trailer on FB and Kijiji. I've had a few people comment on it...figure if it sells then I'll have the money for a new one. My only concern is finding a new trailer that checks all my boxes and which I can afford!!


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