Newbie on tent camping at Oshkosh, how do I do this properly?

[Jeremy S]

I would add bring some bug spray. One year at Scholler the mosquitoes and chiggers ate up my feet and ankles. Speaking of feet, wear very comfortable shoes and socks. I usually wear my Brooks running shoes and often walk 10 miles in a day.

+1 on some good tent stakes. I use these.

I normally camp in the North 40 but this year I will be staying for the entire week in Scholler. I'm bringing my big 6 person Marmot tent for the extra room (I normally camp in a small 2 person tent by the plane). I usually bring food to eat breakfast at camp, eat lunch at the show, and in the evening meet up with a group of friends and visit one of the local restaurants in town. I always take my shower at night after dinner, 8-9ish, and usually the shower house is mostly empty by that time.

Congrats on finally making it to Oshkosh! 2015 was my first year and I have been back every year since

[keen9]

One item I don't see in the other responses is that if you plan to use your car during your time there, bring some extra stakes and some rope or streamer to mark off your parking spot. There are not marked campsites, and while most people are polite with regard to giving some space, if it is not marked someone might think your parking space is open ground.

[dragon2knight]

Thanks for all the great advice!! I think I might change my choice of tent if the winds get that bad. Also will definitely get some better stakes, thats easy enough. Good idea on the car spot, will also add it to the list. Glad I asked about all of this, it's gonna be really helpful!!

[MRUSA]

My advice: Arrive at least two days before the official start. This will get you a better campsite closer to the flight line which will save a lot of walking every day thereafter. Also, the event is a lot of fun in the two days before. You will get to see the warplanes arrive, the mass arrivals of type clubs (Bonanzas, Mooneys, etc) which you would not see if you arrive on day one. The whole place is more relaxed on the pre-days and you will be established and comfortable by the time the major crush arrives.

[dragon2knight]

[QUOTE=MRUSA;75554]My advice: Arrive at least two days before the official start. This will get you a better campsite closer to the flight line which will save a lot of walking every day thereafter. Also, the event is a lot of fun in the two days before. You will get to see the warplanes arrive, the mass arrivals of type clubs (Bonanzas, Mooneys, etc) which you would not see if you arrive on day one. The whole place is more relaxed on the pre-days and you will be established and comfortable by the time the major crush arrives.

Sounds good, but I'm already paid from the Wednesday before so I'll be good there Better early than late for sure.

[gmatejcek]

There is a lot of really sound advice and experience in all the preceding responses. A couple ideas I'd add after 40 plus years of camping on the grounds: There is bus service within the campgrounds that will pass within a block or two of your campsite. There are trams that essentially run the length of the flight line. There is a bus to the seaplane base, which you will want to see. There is another bus to the museum and Pioneer airport, which you will also want to see. There is a narrated tram tour through the warbird area. All of these are free to use. Being close to a batch of porta pots is convenient, but if too close you will get to listen to the doors slam in the night. A little distance is good. Mobility scooters are available on the grounds. Breakfast is available in the campground at the chapter pavilion. Personally, I prefer to make a big pot of coffee at the campsite to share with cohorts and have a simple, cold breakfast for the ease of it. If your back can be an issue, some sort of small folding stool or one of those tripody folding chair / cane widgets might be nice to take with. Big hats are awesome in the sun, but I've also experienced frost. Be prepared. And yes, the usual weather pattern in that region and time of year runs a six day cycle and it's a seven day event, so plan on a cold front passing through at some point, and perhaps quite a vigorous one at that. You might wonder how I know that... I also carry a couple of the little single use, super thin, plastic disposable hooded ponchos in my backpack for wet days. Of course, if one knows which day is most likely to be wet, one can plan to spend it at the museum. An especially hot afternoon is a great time to be in an air conditioned museum, or on the lake shore at the seaplane base. The watermelon social at the seaplane base is actually a dinner and can be quite nice if you are still around come Saturday evening.
You will have a blast, want for little if anything, and find yourself surrounded by 40,000 of your closest friends. Welcome to our event!

[asport22]

Three things -

(1) if you bring an electric scooter, think about how you are going to recharge it. There are a few outlets at the shower buildings, but they are usually full with people charging phones, drying hair, etc - and you might not want to just hang around the shower while the battery is charging. Generators can be used in the campground, but in the tent areas, only between 0600 and 2000. Also, EAA has been reducing the bike/motorcycle/scooter parking area at the Theater in the Woods entrance (which is also the only bike/scooter/motorcycle parking area) to make room for vendor/VIP car parking. That plus the fact that nobody understands that angle parking of bikes would make room for three times as many compared to the parallel method everybody uses means bike/scooter parking is a mess.

(2) Last year EAA GREATLY reduced the area available for tent camping. The majority of Scholler is now "24-hour generator" and tents are not allowed. If you are getting there early, you should be able to find a spot, but do make sure you are in an area where tents are allowed so you don't have to move. (I camp in a tent too - Oshkosh is the only place I camp, and I can't justify buying an RV just to use one week a year. I'm really unhappy that EAA has seen fit to really make it obvious that tent campers are going to be squeezed out. And yes, I did make my feelings known directly to EAA leadership - got a nice reply, but no hard evidence that any positive changes are in the works.)

(3) The busses do indeed run all over the campground - but depending on where you are, you might wait for a dozen of them to go by before one has an empty seat and stops. They all run in one direction around the same route, so they fill up on the way out from the show line, and are full way before they get to the outer parts of Scholler.

Am I negative about camping in Scholler? Yeah, kind of. (And no, last year wasn't my first time. I've been there every year since '78.) In the '80s, it was crowded, showers had no hot water, and not pleasant. Then EAA started making improvements, expanded to ease the crowding, put in more showers and at least sort of warm water, and seemed to at least sort of care about making camping in Scholler bearable. About ten years ago, the emphasis switched to catering to large motor homes, putting in roomy spaces with electric/sewer hookups, and continually expanding the 24-hour generator area. I'm sure the folks with budgets/priorities that support those motorhomes and paying for a camping spot beginning the first of June have a different view than I do.

But, it's really the only option. Motels are booked for about a 50 mile radius at insane rates, traffic in and out of the car parking is terrible, and the parking lots are as far or farther from the show than the campground. And realistically, none of it is going to get better any time soon - it's pretty much a land-locked location for an event that has grown far beyond the wildest dreams anyone had when EAA moved to Oshkosh, and now they've got so much invested there that it's highly unlikely that they will ever move.

[mcdewey]

A post above talked about the transportation being free. However, I know that the bus to Seaplane base has a small fee. Bring cash.

Also, solely tent camping areas seem to be sparse and becoming more so. There are LOTS of people who make Oshkosh an RV destination; they're not really there for airplanes, but just as someplace to take the RV. They appear to come mostly for the afternoon airshows, if they go in at all. Lots and lots of kids (nothing wrong with that), the biggest issue being that they seem to be the ones driving the ATV's, mostly carelessly.

It's really only an issue when trying to find a spot, not having to listen to the generators, and making it safely back to your campsite at night.

Nonetheless, Oshkosh is awesome and all those RV people help bring income to our favorite aviation organization.

[robert l]

Just in case I missed it in another post, bring Sun Screen ! In 2016 I was in a 9 X13 tent with a separate 12 X 12 canopy and I think the only thing that kept the tent from blowing away was the fact that I had extra tie downs with good tent pegs and I was in the tent at the time ! The canopy didn't make it, it was secured plenty good but the top caved in from the rain and high winds. Good luck, and have a great time.
Bob

[FlyingRon]

And bug repellent, especially if you're going out to watch the night airshow. The mosquito is the state bird of Wisconsin.