Sunday, March 3, 2013

Camping on a Shoestring!




I have been endurance riding since 2005, so I'm not an 'ol timer' in the sport but I did start out camping like they did in the 'ol days.' :) 
My first trailer was a little 2 horse straight load bumper pull.  Needless to say, no shower, toilet, air-conditioning or heat! 

I moved up after a couple of season to a 3 horse stock trailer with a dressing room.  Wow!  That was living.  I actually won the AERC Limited Distance Mileage award camping in the back of that trailer.  Camping in the back of an aluminum stock trailer in October in the midwest is not recommended, but it can be done.
Okay, so you say you don't have a lot of money, and who does if you have horses and compete in endurance riding?
Here's the way I have always looked at things - until I get rich, I can either have a fancy rig and not be able to afford to go to many rides OR:  I can have a minimalistic setup that will financially allow me to go to LOTS of rides.  Option 2 always wins.
So let's talk about camping on a shoestring.  We need to figure out what we must have to go horse-camping for a weekend.

Here's my list of human needs:
Water - for washing up, showering and cooking.
Heat/Cooling sources - in the midwest you might need both on the same weekend.  I never take my portable heater out of the trailer.
Food - refrigeration/cooking appliances
Bathroom/Showering facilities

Okay, lets start working on these items.
Water -
Initially, I was pulling the 2 horse trailer with a Chevy Suburban, so had the 'luxury' of that big back end of the Suburban to haul everything I needed.  I would lay a large tarp in the back end and carry 7 - 5 gallon water tanks along.










Now:
I carry 2 - 35 gallon water tanks on the back of my pickup truck now.  That will usually take care of 2 horses for a weekend, unless 1 horse - read Elvis -
decides to amuse himself by dumping his water bucket repeatedly.

Heating/Cooling -

Initially, for heat,  I had a mummy sleeping bag rated for below 0 for camping early and late in the season.  This worked pretty well most of the time.  Tip:  No liquids after 8 pm, once you are snuggled in that bag, you don't want to get out to potty. :)
Now I have a Mr. Buddy heater with an attachment that allows me to run off a 20 lb propane cylinder mounted under the gooseneck.  If you decide to go this route, I would also recommend mounting a carbon monoxide detector in your trailer.  The Mr. Buddy heaters have a very sensitive carbon monoxide detection monitor that shuts the unit down in the event of carbon monoxide, but better safe than sorry.
These little units are very nice and work almost too well.  In my very small gooseneck trailer, I usually will get up and turn the thing off after a couple of hours - it gets very warm.

Initially for cooling - I relied on the kindness of camping neighbors with air-conditioning! :)  Then I found these camping fans.  They actually work pretty well.  I have 2 of these units mounted on either side of the sleeping area - cross ventilation.  For the really hot nights, I now have a 2000 watt generator that will allow me to run a big box fan - creates a wind tunnel in my small trailer!

Cooking/Refrigeration:  Then and Now!
I bought a Coleman cookstove when I first began horse camping and I'm still using it today.  Have to confess that I'm not a big 'cooker' while camping.  I've been known to get by on a package of Pop-tarts, a 12 pack of soda, 6 pack of beer and a jar of peanuts.  Not a recommendation mind you, but it can be done!

Refrigeration:  I have a Coleman Extreme Cooler.
It's rated to keep things cold for 5 days, I haven't found that to be true.
Here's a tip:  I freeze 5 quart ice cream pails and set them in the bottom of the cooler.  That really seems to work better than buying bagged ice.






Now to the most important item on the list - SHOWERING!!

I tried a solar shower setup similar to this -
I didn't have great luck with this minimalist shower.  Maybe it was just me or riding in the midwest, but I had too many very cold showers to make this a realistic option.
My next shower idea was the Zodi HotWater Shower
This setup actually worked quite well for several seasons.  Unfortunately it died while Nic and I were crossing Michigan during the Shore to Shore ride a couple of years ago.  That was bad timing, believe me. :)
 
I think I have finally found the ultimate camping shower for me, at least.  The Coleman Hot Water on Demand System.  I love this thing!  Not only can I have a hot shower, but also hot water for tea, coffee, soup, etc... in seconds.  I store the unit in the first stall of my trailer.  I unpack when I arrive at camp, set it up on a camp table in the stall, and voila - hot water.  More pics on my shower arrangement in a later post.

Okay, we have one more issue to cover - ahem - bathroom issues.  Again, much experimenting in this area.  Best option - camp near/but not too close to facilities at horse camp.  Or should I say - downwind? :)  
What to do in the night during a cold/windy/rainy ride weekend?  I hate going out in the cold during the night to pee.  Here's my solution - the Luggable Loo.  I also store this in my first stall.  I have an access door from the human area to the first stall, so can just slip through, do my business and be back in bed in seconds. 
If you decide to go this route, I would recommend plastic bags as liners, along with the chemical deodorizer.  I have used this setup for a weekend - no issues.  Just tie the bag up when done and dispose.  No issues/no odors.

Let me know if any of these tips helps you or you can help me with any of your low cost camping ideas!
 

3 comments:

  1. We also camp on a very tight budget, and with a small child no less!! We sleep in a tent, and I keep my buddy heater in my trailer at all times. I car pool to rides whenever possible, especially the rides more than 150 miles away. This helps to keep the costs down!

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  2. I did my first 4000 miles or so pulling a 2 horse bumper pull and often bringing our whole family of 4. Used much of the same stuff you use. I like 2 cots with good sleeping bags and insulite pads underneath in the back of the horse trailer for the two who compete (one daughter and me). Daughter who prefers to sleep in sleeps in the truck which closes up nice and quiet plus I felt she was safe alone with doors locked. Husband preferred his own private dome tent. I loved putting a tarp over top of the trailer and making a "porch kitchen" with a card table etc. on one side. Now the easy up tents would serve that purpose. High line off the back of the trailer and I'm good to go. I've done a 100 when it was just me sleeping in the front seat of the truck with a laundry basket of food & a suitcase in the back seat. Why set up a camp if you won't be there. :-)

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  3. Fantastic Blog - especially liked the water tank idea. My tank just bit the dust and 2 - 35's will work well. I have spent more on JB Weld trying to reattach my spigot - which works for a few rides then - snap - literally! Changing it up for next season :) Thanks!

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