Wow, thanks! It was a fun trip--definitely worth going on each year!

it really is one to remember! Thanks for joining us on the adventure :)

Isn’t it amazing? Every minute of it is awesome to experience!

Hi Jerry! Thanks for watching and your encouraging words! Always a blessing :)

Thank you Juan! It really was a great week! :) And fun to enjoy with my little ones!

You are very welcome! I'm glad you could come along for the ride! :)

lol I'm so glad that it got in your soul :) Thanks for watching and making my evening with your comment!

So glad you enjoyed it! :)

I’m so glad you enjoyed our adventure!

That really would be cool to add! We couldn't have fires with how dry it was so that does change the dynamics of that. Maybe next year! If you ever have a chance to go on one--do! It's a great experience!

So glad you liked it!

Some type of Bowtop Caravan or Shepherd's wagon would work and have the advantage of being designed for a single horse. Hills are an issue, steep hills are a serious problem. However brakes can help on the downhill. For going up hill, it's needful to learn how to back your Caravan into the curb in order to rest your horse. Of course, if you have a locking brake pedal, that would help too. Just remember to release it afterwards. Depending on the condition of your animal, a rest every five to ten miles is a good idea. Like people, horses and mules take a while to get into sufficient condition for this kind of thing. Being individuals, each takes their own time in conditioning. However, it shouldn't take more than a year to get one ready. You can check the condition of your equine at that time. Personally I would run with a pair, but a single can do the trip provided they have adequate rest stops. Particularly with a mule. Generally a horse will be able to comfortably handle their own weight in a vehicle. I would say the same for a mule. However mules are tougher than horses so you might be able to go a bit heavier. In this case, that would mean a fairly basic design. Another idea would be to minimize hills. Your working conditions will also affect how far you can go. Sand is a real trial for driving horses. Modern Balloon tires will make sand a bit easier. Carriage wheels are too thin and sink in. Wooden Wagon Wheels aren't much better. Personally, I would avoid sandy areas. They just aren't worth it. I would suggest minimalist thinking for your Caravan. After all, you need to bring supplies for your horse as well. Of course, you could cheat and have a helper meet you at the camping places with your truck, trailer, and some supplies. I have no problem with cheating in this case. One video I would recommend for some inspiration is Gerard Paagman's Caravan. I do wish he would do another.

@@ronaldsmith6829 thanks for taking the time to reply. I wonder if I modified the wheels to where the were wider it would help with sand. Thank you for helping think more outside the box. Steep hills no good for any horse or mule, and even small hills can be a struggle. Keeping weight down as much as possible is a plus. I wonder if carbon fiber would be to brittle. Wood seems to be way more flexible. I wonder about suspension and how or if it can decrease pull force for the draft mule. 🤔 Another interesting point you made was cheating (meeting with set up stopping points for feeding). I see horses in the wild with no modern feed at all when traveling. Some I have read died because of lack of water. This is me thinking out loud. How can I ensure the horse or mule can get what it needs to eat? How can I identify the foods it needs according to trail I choose to take? Should the trail be more catered to the horses or mules needs (I think answer is yes)? I obviously have a huge amount to learn. My end goal is to have a 4 season light weight wagon that I can live in and travel with on a yearly basis. 4 wheel wagon vs 2. I do not want the mule or mustangs to be harmed. The diets of horse or mules. Domesticated horse vs wild mustang? Lots to think about. Very helpful! It may take me 3 years before this will happen for me. Still I think it maybe worth while and a more enjoyable camping experience.

@@nobodyisprfct Pioneer makes a wagon chassis that would work for your project very well. It has automotive wheels on it and consequently would do better with sand. They have a variety of wagon gears available. I would love to build a Bowtop on the 3800 gear with the automotive wheels. they're not cheap, but well built and well worth the money. Many of the wagons with car tires one sees on these 'Wagon Trains' are on Pioneer chassis. If it was me, I'd pass on the "Mustangs" for this project and get two or possibly three mules. A good quality mule will always out-work a horse. I would build the Caravan much like a Travel trailer whilst keeping the traditional look on the outside as much as possible. Weight is your enemy. Hence, keep the framing as light as possible. The floor must be stout, the rest really doesn't need to be. Particularly if you go with torsion axles and the suspension smooths out more of the vibration and jolts. The Pneumatic tires will help considerably as well. Sheet aluminum, though expensive, would also be a good substitute for the canvas on the roof as well. It would certainly out last the canvas. Also makes it easier to put a window or two on the sides. One mule = minimal cute Caravan with very basic accomodations. Nice for a weekend campout Two mules = a larger Caravan with a few ammenities. You can also carry more personal items and maybe a small tent cabana for personal hygiene. Three mules = maybe a trailer behind the Caravan (also in the bow-top style) with a potty and shower! #:-D) You'll be the star of the Wagon Train!

@@ronaldsmith6829 - Wow didn't realize others were having similar thoughts as me. At the moment it is just me. In the future i hope a wife will be involved. 2 mules? That sounds like a better route when i read your explanation. Just for the fact that i make be married in the future. To old to have children unless we adopt. Hmmm! I don't see myself as a gypsy but sure do see the value in moving around every so often. To bad there wasn't an open trail that ran north to south and one that ran east to west that didn't involve highways. Something about the pioneer lifestyle I find to be so valuable and interesting. Ya the weight is a big concern for the wagon. I have been thinking about this adaptive wheel technology. I have also been watching a guy who teaches others to cook. He uses a chuck wagon for his demonstrations. I have thought about staying in one place for 4 months to grown and can food. Well still think about the food rotation and possibilities. Who is this person who does the wheels and gears? What about aluminum grating floor panels instead of the steel ones used in the military? I wonder if it would be lighter? I currently Favor the Hamilton Forge caravans. It is expensive but looks to be well built. What if there was a type of 5th wheel attachment? At any rate i had lots of ideas and when I was driving a semi-truck OTR. I watched the 5th wheel taxi's move around and wondered what it would look like if horses or Mules were the taxis instead. For optional steering ideas. Like you mentioned, keeping weight down is key. Much like backpacking. Less weight less energy consumed. Thanks for your replies i greatly appreciate them.

@@nobodyisprfct Metal would work well in the framework and possibly the roof covering of the Bowtop. However, the floor would be far more comfortable for you with plywood over metal. Think of it, wood doesn't get so cold as metal. Metal will transfer cold into the coach where wood won't. Metal will also radiate heat out where wood will act somewhat as an insulator. If you can weld, I would build all of the framing of the coach's body out of aluminum. Then bolt that down to a plywood floor. Then put your roofing material, aluminum or canvas (of some sort), over the bows. You can order a complete roof for your coach from Hemet Valley RV. How you do the short walls and the end walls is up to you. Personally, I would try to make it look as traditional as possible. In that way, your coach will have a better value for sale and will be more pleasing to the eye. Just remember, it can't be wider than 102" at any point, including the roof. If you are using the smaller Pioneer chassis, that won't be a problem. Actually, any of theirs won't be a problem. Pioneer manufactures several sizes of Wagon Chassis. The smallest is a 3800 which basically a half-ton. Then there's the 4700 which is roughly one-ton. Finally the 9600 which is around ton-and-a-half to two-ton. With each gradient, your need for 'horse power' goes up exponentially. ie: the 3800 would work well with a single mule. The 9600 would likely require four with helpers (or Cock-Horses, as they are called) for hills. pioneerfarmequipment.com/product-category/wagon-gears-wagons/ This is a project I have always wanted to try and never got around to. Another way of approaching this is to get a Fore-Cart and just put a trailer hitch on it. Then you could attach a small trailer and go. You would likely have to stick to something small like a "Canned Ham" or a Shasta. Do a search on, "One Horse Shasta". Any number of Amish rigs will then come up. I wouldn't tow it with a four-wheeled buggy or Carriage because of the problems with the whole arrangement. The fore-cart will work better. Three mules will work better than two. This is because you can use the spare to give the others a break. They can be rotated continually and you will have to make long rest stops far less often. There are several fellows who have tried this over the past few decades. They have crossed the whole country several times. One is still going, as far as I know. Two of them even had web sites. Both of these fellows had horrific accidents (largely rear-ended by trucks) that nearly killed them. This kind of thing would work well in a limited rural area however going cross-country doesn't seem to be a good idea due to inattentive motorists who are dangerous under normal circumstances. You can do a search with, "travelling across the USA with a horse and wagon". It will get you started. I haven't found anything more recent than 2017. The volatile environment of the country may have brought an end to this kind of thing. I Can't imagine driving into any of the protests and riots with a rig like this. Being that two summers ago they were firebombing occupied horse trailers... Makes me shudder what they would do to one of these.