Trialing Tips: Gear for Home Base

Your first trial, if it's anything like ours, will be nerve-racking, fun, and an overall learning experience. We've bought a lot of gear over the years and I thought  I would share what worked, and what didn't turn out that well.

I'm going to turn this into a somewhat on-going series, so as not to bombard you with all the information in one disorganized post.

Let's focus on what I'll refer to as "Home Base." Home Base is your center of operations at a trial. It's where you obsess over the course maps, take a nap, seek shelter, and eat!

TENTS
We have found that there's only one way to go: Get an "Easy-Up" tent. It doesn't have to be the Easy-Up brand, but any tent where you don't have to connect polls together is a great time saver. Trust me, after spending 7+ hours each day at a trial, you want to spend the least amount of time de-constructing your tent as possible.

We got our 10x10 "Quest" brand tent for a modest $70-80 at Dicks Sporting Goods. We got this after picking up a cheap $40 Coleman shade tent at Target. I love Coleman and think it's a great brand, but there were 23 polls to put together and took at least 20 minutes to setup, with help. Our Quest tent sets up in less than 5 minutes if we're in a hurry. They also sell accessories like shade and wind side panels. These are essential if you're trialing in any kind of hot, sunny weather. Shade is not a luxury, it's a necessity to keep your dogs from overheating.

Make sure you stake your tent to the ground in case of wind. We usually leave our tent at the trial site overnight, but I always take the canopy off and store it (your dog crate makes a great storage place if you're leaving that too). Our first trial with the Quest tent we left the canopy on, and a storm destroyed the tent during the night.

EVERYTHING UNDER THE TENT
What you bring to keep under your tent is important to how comfortable you want to be. Here's what we usually bring:

• Collapsible Soft-Sided Dog Crate - duh!
• Floor mat - great to lie down on and not get dirty!
• Cooler for drinks - save your back and get the one with wheels and a handle!
• Chairs
• Ryobi Battery-powered Fan - expensive, but worth it. These push a lot of air. In hot weather, our sole fan is dedicated to our dog's crates. Humans will get the second fan :-)
• Folding camper table - unbelievably useful

Arrange your tent so you can keep watch on your stuff, mainly the dogs. Also keep in mind that a trial is a great social event, so don't try and isolate yourselves. Talk with your tent neighbors! Answer interested spectator questions!  Most importantly, volunteer to work a ring whenever possible. It's a great learning experience for beginners, it really helps the trial move quickly, and there are some perks: usually there's free food, drinks, volunteer raffles (1 ticket for each class volunteered) and possibly other prizes.

That's it for now.