Camp Scholler Tent Camping

[orvie6]

Yes, I have heard the reports of the fence cutting and 'intruding', but I have camped there, am an EAA member and since I am a retired Commercial Truck driver, I head down to the truck stop on the highway and shower there, plus get a meal and supplies for camp.. Not everone that uses that campground is a 'bad guy/gal'.. but we all know what a couple of bad apples does to the barrel!! Anyway, I was just offering another choice to that mentioned. I guess it is about the same as those people that sit on the hillsides at a NASCAR race while others have to pay big money to sit inside!!! Wayne

[malexander]

We have the same problem at Sleepy Hollow. Seems the folks to the west feel they have the right to use the showers & facilities that we're paying for. Jeff & his family have worked harder each year for us to have nicer facilities the next year, that we paid for. I know, some people think they have the right to other people's stuff. Yeah, these are the moochers, leaches, & parasites!

[RobW]

All,
The main reason for starting this thread was to get an idea of where I might end up in Scholler if I arrived the Saturday evening before Airventure, of which I received one answer. More input about where one could grab a site Saturday night would be great.
As Bob Leffler pointed out, you can get a site a whole month earlier. However, not only do you have to pay for it, but you (or some EAA member representing you) must physically be there. Not possible for most of us Californians, at least my budget won't sustain (37 days x $25 + Airfare + rental car + 1 night Hotel) that just to stake out a good site in addition to what ever costs I incurr while there.
Until recently, I guess some RV rental places would go and get a Scholler site for you and even set up the trailer. Can still do that if you choose something like Sleepy hollow, or if you peronally meet them at the gates of Camp Scholler. Still a bit pricey for me to do, plus I got started a bit too late for RV rentals in the area (My Summer work schedule was not that concrete until recently). Let me be clear, I am not bitching about how it works, it just the way it is right now. It does sort of favor people who are closer or bit richer than I.
Camping with out showers is ok if it doesn't get too hot, or there is some lake or stream to jump in once in awhile. I camp in Yosemite's high Sierra's for a week at time with no showers, but that is not hot and muggy Wisconsin. So campsites with out showers are out for me as a tent camper. So Scholler, Sleepy Hollow or Dorms will work, but not any of the other nearby sites with out showers ( I am too much of a rule follower to mooch showers in Scholler, nor would I teach my kids that when they arrive). Right now leaning toward Scholler just to be a part of the scene.
Buying a bike at Goodwill sounds like a nice idea. I have a folding bike, but it is a pretty nice bike, and I get the feeling that the bike corrals are more like dumping grounds. I also worry about theft, though Airventure in general seems like a safe place. Yet, bikes in general seem to be something people 'borrow' with out asking.
Overall I am looking forward to coming. I hoping it will help me get motivated in progressing with my BK Flier build, so eventually I can fly it in!
Best Regards
Rob

[scuba72]

Rob,
I usually try and get there early afternoon on Saturday and 4 out of the last 5 years I have found a camp site between Shaick and Lindbergh and between 10th and Stitts. That area I like because its close to the west store and the showers. The only year I didn't get that area was 2011. I ended up and 10th and Elm. Even though it wasn't as close to the store, it was still close enough and I have no complaints. Last year I didn't get there till after dark due to some mechanical issues on the trip, but still found my preferred area.

The shuttle bus system works well and I use it exclusively to get around. Sometimes you end up with a long ride and sometimes a long wait because the buses get bunched up. When that happens, I just relax and enjoy the wait. You'll meet some darn nice folks while doing that and I have developed long lasting friendships from it. The Goodwill bike tip is great, but I still don't find a need for one yet. Someday I might regret it, but not yet. The bike corrals are not dumping grounds that I have seen and I have not seen theft as a problem. I doubt anyone could get near the grounds with a bolt cutter to cut bike locks.

If your willing to break camp and move you will find people coming and going all week. Last year I was in my preferred area, but noticed one morning that a site opened up much closer to the store. I was headed back to move, but when I got back to my camp there was a couple of guys on motorcycles setting up camp next to where I was. To make a long story short, I didn't move because they were great guys and we helped each other the rest of the time.

There are more veteran Scholler campers than me but what I have learned is its not so much as where you end up in Scholler as it is what you make of it. You might end up in the perfect site with a neighbor who parties all night (But I doubt it) or you might end up in a bad (Far away) site with the greatest neighbors. Its all about the people, the airplanes and the show. I hope this is more the kind of feedback your looking for.

Dave in Missouri

[klavdivs]

Ditto with scuba72 on the location. There is also always room out by the emergency runway out by Cottonwood Avenue (don't camp on the emergency runway, somebody tries every year) and the newest shower room is out there if I remember right. It is far enough from both the 24-hour generator RVs and the highway to sleep. In fact, the best marker is the stream that runs through the campground-- keep it between you and the Interstate and you will be fine. BTW: another trick people pull is to rent a camper in Madison and drive it up there for the week. There are a number of willing vendors. Oh yes, also be careful of getting too close to the stream because it has flooded on rainy years like Sploshkosh (2010). If you are landing at the show, of course, you can camp right under or next to your plane.

[FlyingRon]

I have never camped in a tent in my life other than at Airventure for the past 20 years. I've done it first in the North 40, then in Vintage, and one year when my plane was down, I camped in Scholler. My EAA chapter goes up reasonably early and sets up a compound for those of us who are going and want to camp there. I got a spot big enough for my truck and my tent but shared in the common dining fly they set up.

The other option is to find a friend with an aircraft in Vintage and camp next to his plane. You'll be a lot closer to the action

[dclaxon]

I've been going on Friday ever since opening day was fixed on Monday, and I've always been either on or very near Doolittle. The past three years I've been right outside the entrance to the Fly-In Theater, and since the main gate was moved west, and the diagonal walkway to the forum area, I find that location convenient enough that the only time I've even bothered with the bike was to ride around the grounds looking for friends' campsites. Twice I've come on Thursday to get a better campsite, but one of those years was Sploshkosh, and the area I was hoping for was underwater when I got there. (And it was also where they had just put in the new electric campsites.)

Dave

[wyoranch]

Please let me know if this should be a new thread and I will move it. Can you drive in to your campsite or do you have to park and carry everything in? I wont be arriving till Tuesday afternoon.
Thanks to all of you
Rick

[martymayes]

In Scholler you park right at your campsite. I can park my camper, truck, and all other gear within the specified campsite dimensions.

[RC Gregg]

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.9748.../data=!3m1!1e3 wyoranch: Here's a link where you can get a good look at camp scholler during airventure on google maps. switch to satellite view.