We're looking at getting our first weekender/ LQ and are on a budget. What are some things you must have (toilet, shower, kitchen, heat, a/c, stud wall, etc)? What are some things you can easily live with out? 

Must, must have, walk through door to the horse area and stud wall.  No stove, I have never used one in any of the LQ's I had.  Microwave of course is a must and loved my trailer with the wall mounted coffee pot.  Spoiled me rotten.  Won't do the shower, toilet combo either.  I also like a portable electric heater so if I have a hookup I am using the site electric and not my propane.

I didn't mind the toilet/shower combo. It was a big space saver. Yes on the microwave. No on the stovetop. If you really want to cook, but a hot plate or take a small grill. The door to the horse compartment is handy. If you plan on much camping, an awning and big ground cover is really nice.

I have a little 6 foot short wall weekend package that is just perfect for me.  Like others mentioned, a pass through door to the horse area is helpful.  Last summer when we were horse trailer camping, it started raining really hard.  We just moved our picnic from outside to inside the in the horse part.  We also used the first stall for storage so our clothes tubs and cooler were easily accessible from the LQ part.  Mine has a separate potty but I actually would prefer a shower/potty combo to allow more storage.  I just have a bench seat but it is plenty big for two people to sit facing each other to play cards, eat, etc.  Mine has a little fridge and sink with microwave mounted above.  There is plenty of counter to use a hot plate or electric skillet if one desired but I mostly just need a coffee pot! I have some storage in the “kitchen area” and some more behind the potty.  Mine is 7 ½ wide and 7 tall.  I agree with whoever said an awning was a must have.  We stayed in the trailer for 11 days and did fine.  Of course, we didn’t spend tons of time actually IN the trailer.  Mine has duct heat and air but with the small space, a heat strip would do fine I think.       

I just bought a small weekender with a 4' shortwall.  I wanted a shower and a toilet and got one with the combo, which isn't ideal, but I didn't want to get anything too big and have issues pulling it.  The interior is really nice, but I plan to redo it in a farmhouse theme and doll it up for me.  I'd really like to take out the 2 burner stove because there's isn't any counter space.  I'd like to remove it, put in a smaller sink, and replace the counters with butcher block.  I'm getting a lot of negative feedback about removing the stove, but I had a huge lq's for years when I was married and I never used the stovetop once.  

Edited to say that my must have's were:  toilet, shower, passthru door, small fridge, escape door, stud divider (so I can use that first stall for storage), and I wanted a water tank but it didn't come with one.  It does have an electric jack, which is real sweet.

Mangers, a walk thru door and a shower were non negotiable when we started looking for another LQ. We had an 8' sw sundowner with all of those but no hay rack. It was a nice trailer. 8' wide 3 horse with a midtack but a bit to much for me to comfortably haul to local stuff and we sold it over the summer. 2 months later, we decided we would need another LQ. I was super picky about what I wanted. 4 horse with a 6' sw and NOT 8' wide. Had to have mangers, a pass thru door, rear tack and either drops or slants on the butt side. We both wanted a hay rack. He wanted an awning, on board generator and auto jack. Those were not deal breakers for me. And since it was I who will be hauling it 90% of the time, and paying for it, I had the final say. It took several months but I found an 01 Elite 4 horse with a 6' weekender in it. The couch pulls out into a bed. Has a shower and a sink. The potty can be put in the shower then moved when you get where your going. Lots of cabinette storage. The trailer has mangers, a pass thru door, hayrack and  a good sized rear tack. I need to put a microwave in there along with my small grill and a coffee pot. The only thing it doesnt have is a fridge. We didnt use the one in our old trailer much anyways. We never used the stove in our old trailer either. To me it was a waste of counter space. 

You definately want heat and air in our northern environment. I have what I consider my perfect LQ (for me), but I shopped for a REALLY long time because it was hard to find everything I wanted in a used trailer, within my price range. Mine is a 2006 Elite with a 10ft shortwall. I have a fold out couch (originally wanted a table that converts to a bed), microwave, gas range (never use it and feels its a waste of counter space), gas forced heat, air unit on the roof, a full bathroom (small but it works), toilet separate from the shower, walk through door to the stud stall. 3 horse with mangers with a solid rear tack. I have flood lights for the rear and sides of the trailer, drop down bus windows on the head side and back door, with sliders on the rear side  I originally wanted a pod on top for hay and stuff, but mine came without. I just stuff my hay and supplies up front in the stud stall when I haul by myself, since i only haul one or two at the most. 

8' wide was a MUST for me. I have no idea how you guys with mangers and not 8' wide have room for your horses lol. Few times a year I haul 14-16 hour trips and my horses are sooooooo much happier I'm an 8' wide !!! I have a 2020 Lakota with slide and 11' short wall. Huge bathroom and shower. Ducted heat and air. The stove top is a waste I agree! Lol. I wish it was recessed and had the cover for more counter space. Lakota trailers have really improved in the last 5-6 years. The early ones had lots of problems I guess. Mine is a 4 horse with stud wall and hay rack. I will probably never use the hay rack. Onboard Onan generator. Push button from inside and that's super handy !! My biggest thing though is 8' wide. Wont pull one not 8' wide. Oh, also has a ramp. Never had one before and my horses love it. 

The stalls in my CM 7' w mangers were 6" wider and almost that in length than the stalls in my 8' Elite without mangers. I'm a little disappointed. 

I think it depends on what your uses will be.  When I was on the road for shows/barrel races, I usually either had electric hook up or ran the generator so didn't care if I had a stove top or other gas facilities.  These days we are out in the boondocks more than chasing cans, so we like the extra things.  For us, we never have electric hook ups so that stove top is great - get the coffee perk ready at night & first thing the first one up does is light that stove  & get it perking!  LOL  We love the full bathroom vs the previous toilet/shower combo.  Pass through door to the horse area is great, & the stud wall since we use that front stall for storage.  Won't go back to anything narrower than the 8' - that is GREAT!  This trailer doesn't have a hay rack but getting one added.  OH - it also has the roof (as well as the sidewalls) insulated in the horse area & what a difference that makes!

I also love the big fridge w/the bigger freezer - we are gone many times for a week or more, so lots fits in that!  I don't know that we've ever used the microwave since we cook over the fire, the camp oven/stove, or the stove top in the LQ.  Awning is great as many have said & this trailer also has the ducted heat (gas or electric) & AC - that's nice, but the regular one in the old trailers were fine too.

Thanks guys! This is kinda what we were thinking too, but like to get input since this will be our first one.