Ride Camp; Otherwise Known as "What a MESS You've Made!"

Here's the problem;

So many ideas and thoughts, only so much time to devote.

For example:

Ride camp.  Specifically, maximizing storage and space of my campsite while at ride camp.

I have a 2H trailer with a large tack room on the front.  I sleep in it on a cot and it's really not too bad.  Can be cold on those very few COLD weather rides I attend.  Push come to shove, I can grab a long electric cord and run it from an inverter from the truck to the trailer to keep it warm in there.  Or at least warm it up while getting dressed, though I've never done so.  I took a box fan with me at Last Hoorah and would run it sporadically that way due to the heat.  I have battery operated fans which usually do the job just fine in the heat. 

Anyway, because much of what I need at a ride is crammed into the nose of my trailer, it means I need to pull pretty much ALL of it out when I get to base camp so I can set it up inside for me to live for a few days.  Which means OUTSIDE of my trailer generally looks like a hot mess.

I have a rolling "tack trunk" (it's actually a Stanley tool box thing, but is GREAT for my blankets, and infrequently used cinches and halters and other miscellany).  My saddle stand.  My broom and muck rake.  A small rolling clear container I have tossed various bits of vet wrap, pads, my syringes [for electrolytes] and other "things" into.  My bales of hay usually live in my trailer.  A full bale lives free.  Busted in to bales live in a rolling Christmas tree bag.  I love this idea so much that I bought another rolling Christmas tree bag for my bale of alfalfa.  So, I'll soon have those 2 bags.

I have 3 or 4 of the Home Depot orange buckets.  Each filled with something.  1 with alfalfa cubes.  1 with grain (or 2 with grain depending on how many horses I'm taking).  1 with beet pulp. Another with Rice Bran (for their water).

2 camp chairs.  My cot and a pad to go on top of my cot. 

My "camp tote" which has cheap washcloths/rags, paper towels, toilet paper, batteries of various types.  Flashlights.  Human medication (asprin/ibuprofein, cranberry pills, pads and tampons, band-aids, chapsticks, etc).  Crackers.  Trash bags of various sizes.  Zip lock bags.  Really just odds and ends of things that a human might need while camping.  I think I also have a long grill lighter in there too.  I also pack my battery operated fans in there too.

Buckets.  And then MORE buckets.  And then a few more buckets on top of that.  Grain pans.

Then a multitude of things that hang in there but aren't in my way.

I NEED to replace my EasyUp awning, but I'm kicking around a few different ideas for shade that would attach to the trailer itself.  The EasyUp isn't tall enough to go ABOVE the door on my trailer, hence my desire to have something that attaches to the trailer itself.  Thinking about something that goes on the off-side then runs over the top of the trailer, then would attach to some tall poles.  Or even a bag awning like a pop-up camper has. 

I would like to get a folding table.  I just stumbled across the Coleman 2 burner stove my dad gave me when they finally sold their 5th Wheel.  And along with it, my 2 or 3 Coleman propane lanterns, which will now be accompanying me.

I used to carry Joe's Cabela's grill, but the Coleman folds flatter, so I just need a pot and a pan, and I think I'll be good.

I also carry 1 or 2 empty totes.  I never know what I might need them for.  I usually use them to soak hay during the drive.  I toss hay into a tote, pour water over it and let it soak it in well so that I only need to unload the horse(s), and I can tie them to the trailer, toss some of the soaked hay in front of them, hang a water bucket on the back of the trailer for fresh water and let them get to eating while I set up their containment for the weekend.

I do need to work out a system to carrying my step-in posts.  Some kind of large canvas bag would be great, just not sure where to get one.  And I don't believe they make totes long enough to contain them.

Anyway, suffice to say, when I get to ride camp, I have to pull out a saddle stand, multiple totes and buckets and various "things" so I can have a place to sleep.

I do so wish I had a way to better contain the "mess" that is my camp.  I usually end up scattered around.  This is especially true on ride day as I get in a bit of a rush and grab what I need and willy-nilly toss it back when I'm done. 

I need to be better about laying things out that I may need and make sure they're easily accessible.  And to be in less of a "panic".

As you can see, this is what my thought process does.  I WAS planning on writing out some of my various ideas for posts (I do still have a Dakini post in the works).  And instead, I ended up with this.  A fully-formed, stand alone post, but not the list of ideas so I could remind myself in the future when I'm running out of ideas.  Sheesh.

So, when you go to ride camp, how do YOU keep it organized and together?  Especially if you don't have an LQ trailer?