Tell me about your Oshkosh camping set-up

Sam D

Sam D

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Sam D
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Petaluma (o69)
Looking for some ideas to change things up in the North 40...

Tent: After year one when I brought the Taj-Ma-Tent, I realized that bigger is not necessarily better when the storms blow through. As a result, I've gone a bit to the other extreme with a small two-man tent that just doesn't seem to ventilate that well

Pad/Cot: I'm using a basic thermarest pad. I tried one of those lightweight cots one year but found it too narrow.

Other items: I have just a couple of camping bag chairs and a cooler. Tried to bring a shade structure one year that made a great sail but didn't provide much shade.

What are your go to items?

P.S. I'm flying a Lance with one other passenger -- so weight is not really an issue -- but lack of high-wing shade is!
 
We started bringing a foldable wagon which made supply runs easier. We also found that a folding table is nice to have.
 
For the tent, are you looking for more headroom, better performance in the wind, better rain protection, or all three?

One of the best investments I ever made for tents and portable structures was moving to MSR Groundhog and later Cyclone tent stakes.

For portable shade, it should only be out/up when you’re using it and stowed when not.

For sleeping pads, I use a Bug Agnes Air Core insulated pad and a thermarest pillow. I’m a side sleeper, so most cots don’t work out for me but the pad on the ground works really well.
 
Sam D said:
Looking for some ideas to change things up in the North 40...

Tent: After year one when I brought the Taj-Ma-Tent, I realized that bigger is not necessarily better when the storms blow through. As a result, I've gone a bit to the other extreme with a small two-man tent that just doesn't seem to ventilate that well

Pad/Cot: I'm using a basic thermarest pad. I tried one of those lightweight cots one year but found it too narrow.

Other items: I have just a couple of camping bag chairs and a cooler. Tried to bring a shade structure one year that made a great sail but didn't provide much shade.

What are your go to items?

P.S. I'm flying a Lance with one other passenger -- so weight is not really an issue -- but lack of high-wing shade is!
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Want to borrow my 172? lol
Sorry I am no help as we take our RV, the kind you drive. My wife would not go if we did the tent thing. She did do a tent with me at Rough River but it was for one night. It was rough and hard ground that night.
 
Another sleeping option is to use the sleeping bag and sleeping pad as a mattress and sleep on top of the bag not in it using a regular sheet and blanket (yes a blanket-- I live in Florida and during the night I get cold at some point).
 
Well, I do have a high-wing, so can't help there!

Bigger is better for us. With Leslie and I being there a week, we've found an 8-person tent is perfect. We can setup our air mattress, have room for all of our stuff. I get up around 4AM to start taking photos, so by 11AM or so, I want a nap. I tell everyone about my Coleman darkroom tent. It makes it tolerable if you have a small fan. This is my third one and it handles weather well too.

Our latest air mattress seems pretty good. I've only used it once, but it has a built in foot pump, which we love.

My favorite Oshkosh camping tip is a water jug! I now have two of these RTIC 1 gallon jugs, and it cost me $4.99 to add my logo. It allows us to get cold water all day without opening the cooler again and again, which keeps the beer colder.

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I also use a small, mountaineering tent at AirVenture. When the inevitable storms come through I sleep like a baby and marvel at the amount of twisted aluminum from Taj Mahal tents in the dumpsters the next morning. I really like having a small, solar charging system. I prop it up to charge battery bricks while I wander the grounds during the day. I use the battery bricks to recharge my phone, tablet and other small electronics at night. That works well. I also have several LED lanterns for visibility in the tent at night. One of the lanterns has both batteries and a hand crank connected to super capacitors, so I'm never without juice. I'm a bit of a coffee snob, so I carry an infusion coffee maker from Aeropress with my kitchen gear. I also have a battery powered frother for making milk foam for my morning latte. A small, efficient cooler lets me go a couple of days before having to buy ice again. I have a professional grade Stanley cooler, but there are lots of good brands out there. I also like to clip a space blanket to my tent poles with the reflective side facing out. That reflects a LOT of heat away from the tent and makes it a cooler place to return to in the afternoon if I want to take a break. I do use a cot, so my sleeping position is completely flat and guaranteed to be above the water if I'm parked in a low spot during a hard rain. Finally, I have a pee bottle so I don't have to walk all the way to a bathroom building in the middle of the night. For the airshows, I get a stiff neck trying to watch them from a camp chair. I carry one of those goofy inflatable loungers that let me watch the airshows from a reclined position. The good thing is that anything you decide you are missing is likely available in town if you feel you can't live without it part way through the week.

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I find a three-person mountaineering dome tent (mine is from Eureka, but the specific model has long been discontinued) to be great for surviving wind and rain, and a perfect size for one person. Two people is workable, don't even think about putting three people in a three-person tent.

After years of not being particularly comfortable on a (fairly narrow and short) 1" thermarest pad, I upgraded to a 4" thermarest clone I found on Amazon. It's bulky, even when compressed, but much more comfortable!
 
I don't camp for more than 1 night anymore. The back won't let me.

The Appleton Quality Inn cancelled my booking a week before the show because it discovered I booked the previous August at the low (normal) rate and tried to force me to pay the $400/night. They were not happy when I filed complaints with the Appleton Visitors Bureau, Wisconsin Travel Bureau, Wisconsin Consumer whatever, the parent corp and every other city/state dept I could find. I discovered Cobblestone hotels - yes, expensive during the show but nothing like most of the others. Real eggs for breakfast, too.

I've stayed in the dorms - but with the new no-refund, I can't guarantee I will be there 8 months in advance.
 
My big tent does great, so maybe it's just finding the right tent! We actually enjoy sitting in our chairs, inside of the tent, and watching everyone running around when it starts to storm.
 
If you can spare the room and weight, a folding cot with a sleep pad and sleeping bag on top worked well for me. Off the ground, and the sleeping pad, to me, is better than an air mattress (which everyone hates).
 
Haven’t put it up at Oshkosh, but I strongly recommend a single pole “teepee” tent. I have one I bought cheap from Walmart.com that has stood up to 70mph straight line winds, folds up into a duffle bag (though a bit heavy) and is 17’ across at the base. Full walking room headspace, big enough to actually use like it’s a hotel room. I have used it once when it was 10F outside with a -14F windchill (darn good sleeping bag and 3 hair on tanned cow hides to not die. Old Family tradition of atleast once every 5 years live a week off the land in the worse weather conditions for the area you live in without society to appreciate what you have).
 
After driving to and camping in camp Scholler in a small class C "adventure van" for AV '24, I decided that when I fly the RV-8 to Oshkosh (2026?) I'll have a ground crew meet me at Oshkosh with a big class A motorhome rental and we'll take turns camping under the wing in a small tent with the basics. A couple of E-bikes to get to and from the gate. I'm not doing it without an airconditioned and quiet retreat from mother nature. Can't last a whole week roughing it.

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Camp Soggy Bottom AV'24
 
We've gone through six tens (if I'm remembering right) in the 31 years we've been going to Oshkosh.

Our current tent is the Cabela Alaskan Guide 8-person (with ground cloth and floor saver).
Two folding cots.
Two self inflating pads for the cots.
A couple of battery powered fans.
Four plastic drawers that we use as a dresser, night stand.
A small shelf we keep in the vestibule for some other storage.
Two 20F sleeping bags with sleeping bag liner.
Couple of pillows

We camp with a bunch of others and we share various folding chairs, tables, an outdoor kitchen, coffee making equipment, etc...
 
I won't eat food at the show every day, and won't eat out everyday so alot of my go to items are related to meals and preparation.

Coolers suck and I hate hauling ice. We (the group I camp with) have two dual zone fridge/freezers to hold all the food we bring (and get from the grocery store there) to eat all week. We have four 160W solar panels and two Ecoflow Delta power stations. We have never gotten below 40% capacity on them even running the fridges, charging all devices, running Starlink, fans for the tents, blowing up air mattresses, etc. We all have big tents. Here is a pro tip, a GOOD big tent engineered for wind works perfect in OSH when the big storm comes along. Never had water in the tent, never had a tent blown down, or pole break. We have a two burner stove, a Blackstone, kettle for heating water for coffee. We eat and drink well at OSH. Couple guys use cots and memory foam toppers, couple of us use tall queen air mattresses. I use a regular sheet set, and a blanket for the occasion chilly evenings and a regular pillow from home. I have a fan in my tent, a night stand, and a small fold up dresser.

Lots more other "stuff" but my go to revolves around food, shelter and comfort :)
 
For me, less is better. There isn't much you can't find/buy at or around Oshkosh during the show if you really find you need something.

For a tent I have a medium size two room tent by coleman that has worked really well through the storms. It isn't a big tent and the "two rooms" is really just a zippered divider curtain in the middle. Being able to split the tent like that is nice so that you can have a sleep are in the back of the tent and a seperate storage area and place to change out of muddy or dirty clothes in the front. If it rains you will get muddy and dirty.

Other than the tent I bring a folding cot. They are a bit narrow but I find they work much better for my back than trying to sleep on an air mattress or pad. It also doesn't deflate in the middle of the night. On warm nights its also nice to be up off the ground and get some air flowing around you. I usually bring a lightweight sleeping bag and a blanket. 90% of the time I am sleeping on top of the sleeping bag but there have been some really damp and cold nights over the years at Oskhosh where I was thankfull for having more than just a simple blanket to keep warm.

I usually bring two folding chairs (one for me and one for anyone that stops by). I also bring two coolers. One is used for stuff that needs to stay cold in ice (like beer) while the other is used to keep normal food such as bread or snacks from melting or turning moldy during the day in the heat. I found it isn't really worth cooking at Oshkosh. The food options have gotten much better over the years and if you have a car it is very easy to go out and get dinner somewhere after you are done with the show for the day and still be back in time for theater in the woods or one of the movies at the ford outdoor theater.

For me, the campsite is pretty much just a place to sleep. I leave it around 7:30 am each morning and am not back until late at night. I know that there are others who for them, camping is just as fun as attending the show so how much you bring really depends on what your plan is for the week. You will find everything from people in million dollar RV's to people like me who just show up with a tent and not much else. The only thing I would caution if bringing a tent rather than a camper is that your choices of where you can setup your tent have been severely limited by EAA the past few years. Camp Scholler is becoming intentionally less and less friendly to people with tents every year. You can not have a tent in any of the water/electric sites or any of the 24 hour generator areas both of which keep getting designated as larger and larger areas each year. They really prefer people with campers and RV's. Unless you get there early on Saturday morning, about the only options left for people with a tent is all the way out by Aspen or Arbor Ave or if you get lucky you might find a spot by the highway at the end of Elm street. Bring earplugs if you do. If you can bring a bicycle as well it makes getting back and forth to the show as well as the bathrooms much easier. There is a bus that runs through the campground but it can get crowded at the end of the day and very crowded after things such as the night airshow.
 
ytodd said:
I won't eat food at the show every day, and won't eat out everyday so alot of my go to items are related to meals and preparation.

Coolers suck and I hate hauling ice. We (the group I camp with) have two dual zone fridge/freezers
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I've never thought of a fridge, but my 182 is already loaded down for the trip, so I'll probably just keep my cooler!

For those camping with their plane, and ice cart comes around fairly often. The trick is, ask them for an envelope. You leave the money for ice in the envelope and they'll fill your cooler even if you're not at your campsite.
 
ytodd said:
I won't eat food at the show every day, and won't eat out everyday so alot of my go to items are related to meals and preparation.

Coolers suck and I hate hauling ice. We (the group I camp with) have two dual zone fridge/freezers to hold all the food we bring (and get from the grocery store there) to eat all week. We have four 160W solar panels and two Ecoflow Delta power stations. We have never gotten below 40% capacity on them even running the fridges, charging all devices, running Starlink, fans for the tents, blowing up air mattresses, etc. We all have big tents. Here is a pro tip, a GOOD big tent engineered for wind works perfect in OSH when the big storm comes along. Never had water in the tent, never had a tent blown down, or pole break. We have a two burner stove, a Blackstone, kettle for heating water for coffee. We eat and drink well at OSH. Couple guys use cots and memory foam toppers, couple of us use tall queen air mattresses. I use a regular sheet set, and a blanket for the occasion chilly evenings and a regular pillow from home. I have a fan in my tent, a night stand, and a small fold up dresser.

Lots more other "stuff" but my go to revolves around food, shelter and comfort :)
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And I bet you fly in in a DC-3! :)
 
Lowflynjack said:
For those camping with their plane, and ice cart comes around fairly often. The trick is, ask them for an envelope. You leave the money for ice in the envelope and they'll fill your cooler even if you're not at your campsite.
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I've heard this but I don't think I've ever seen a roving ice cart in the N40.
 
Small tent, air mattress (tweak air pressure to suit the current condition of your back), sleeping bag. Tent has a vent fan to help with airflow.
50W solar panel and a 20Ah lithium battery keeps phones/cameras charged, lights on at night and runs the fan.
 
baboss said:
I've heard this but I don't think I've ever seen a roving ice cart in the N40.
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The VAA has their own ice wagon that patrols vintage camping. Back before that assinine prison fence was installed around the airport, there was also one of the neighboring houses that would sell you ice over the fence.
 
flyingron said:
The VAA has their own ice wagon that patrols vintage camping. Back before that assinine prison fence was installed around the airport, there was also one of the neighboring houses that would sell you ice over the fence.
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I love camping in Vintage. Good thing my plane is a 1959! It would feel like punishment to be anywhere else on the field!
 
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Hmmm, my whole social plan at Osh appears to be going from one drinking event to another - HBC Beer Exchange, RV Beer Social, SoS Bros, Pirate Bar, Sleepy Hollow Bar, etc.
 
Lowflynjack said:
I've never thought of a fridge, but my 182 is already loaded down for the trip, so I'll probably just keep my cooler!

For those camping with their plane, and ice cart comes around fairly often. The trick is, ask them for an envelope. You leave the money for ice in the envelope and they'll fill your cooler even if you're not at your campsite.
Click to expand...
My fridge with food in it is lighter than a cooler with food and ice in it. The dimensions are similar. Obviously you have to power it so then the need for power/solar is there. Fridge was a game changer for me, ice is such a pain, always needing more, have to drain the cooler, seems like no matter what water got into food. You can't have a fridge side, and a freezer side. I am old and grumpy, I love the fridge!
 
kyleb said:
Ain’t free, though.
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I'm okay with paying! SOS club is quite a hike from our campsite, so we enjoyed Pete's Garage Bar last year, will check this one out this year.
 
ytodd said:
My fridge with food in it is lighter than a cooler with food and ice in it. The dimensions are similar. Obviously you have to power it so then the need for power/solar is there. Fridge was a game changer for me, ice is such a pain, always needing more, have to drain the cooler, seems like no matter what water got into food. You can't have a fridge side, and a freezer side. I am old and grumpy, I love the fridge!
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I'll stick with my cooler for another year, but you've got my attention! My 32qt cooler could probably be replaced with this 26qt fridge since I won't need room for ice. It gets great reviews and costs $199. The reviews say it uses quite a bit of battery until everything is cooled off, then barely any at all.

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Lowflynjack said:
…The reviews say it uses quite a bit of battery until everything is cooled off, then barely any at all..
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Be it a cooler or a fridge, one great technique to pre-cool it is load ‘er up with ice the day before so it will get down to temp. Once the temp is down, then add the cold stuff; much more efficient that way.
 
tsts4 said:
Hmmm, my whole social plan at Osh appears to be going from one drinking event to another - HBC Beer Exchange, RV Beer Social, SoS Bros, Pirate Bar, Sleepy Hollow Bar, etc.
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You also drive the welcome wagon. So maybe you’re there to drink and drive?
 
We generally have wine in our campsite every night. We tend to only drink beer when the Snowbird guys are hanging with us.
 
Great work, POA. Take a camping thread and turn it into a drinking one. My kind of people. See you in a few weeks!

…and thanks for all the ideas.
 
I'm a mountaineering tent guy. Once upon a time my profession required me to survive in Alpine and Arctic conditions, so I'm pretty fussy about tents. Agree with subtracting one from size, eg 2 max in a 3 person tent

I also have a lightweight tarp that I can throw over my high wing for a nice shade shelter.

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Surprisingly for my age, I sleep well on the ground on a simple closed cell pad. For guests, I'll bring a Walmart air mattress and Ryobi battery pump.

Cooking is way too much of a hassle.

One key item: plenty of battery power to recharge phones and tablets. I hate leaving my phone at the public post. Ryobi makes a USB adapter for their 18v tool batteries, of which I have more than a dozen.

Also lights. Need those. Ryobi is my go to for lanterns, along with a camping headlamp.
 
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