When I first went, in 1998 or so, I was overwhelmed by the incredible variety of flying rarities on display, and with my cheap film camera in hand, I pursued them all with all my might. Now that I’ve tracked and captured the most fascinating specimens – and made new friends every year – AirVenture has become an annual gathering of some of my favorite people in the world.

I used to spend the week wandering around the grounds, either meeting random friends or arranging various meeting points and times (for example, 1pm in the shade under the Piaggio Royal Gull). But now that I have my own plane, everything has changed.

I now make it a point to create my very own patio under the wings, a gathering place with cool shade, comfortable chairs, ice-cold drinks and pleasant company. After three years of setting up and hosting such gatherings, I think I have discovered some of the most important elements.

When it comes to things that separate you from the ground, I think it’s well worth paying a premium for the good stuff. Tires, mattresses, shoes, climbing ropes, and parachutes spring to mind. This is a category where the cheapest options can lead to experiences that are miserable at best or disastrous at worst.

In the world of folding chairs, quality seems to be proportional to price. After researching and trying out many different options, I finally landed on the Nemo Stargaze Recliner. It may be expensive at $250, but it’s one of those items that you buy once and enjoy forever. The perfect design and sleep-inducing comfort will stay long after you’ve forgotten the money you spent.

Like most folding chairs, the Stargaze packs away into a smaller zippered carry bag. While it doesn’t pack down quite as small as some other chairs on the market, the sublime comfort is worth the price. It’s also quick and easy to set up, with no complicated attachments or tight tolerances to worry about. To prevent the chair from getting soaked by dew at night, it takes just a few seconds to unfasten the two anchor points and throw the fabric section into a tent.

I’ve bought a few extras for friends and everyone has remarked on how comfortable they are. With dedicated pockets for a drink and a phone, everyone is comfortable and few are looking forward to getting back up.

On a warm summer night with a light breeze and lively conversation, it’s really nice to create a little atmosphere. In a typical camping setting, a campfire is ideal – but with about 40 gallons of 100LL directly overhead, there are better options.

I’m a fan of the Lepro brand string lights that I found on Amazon. Solar power charges the lights during the day and then turns them on at night. I hang mine under the wing and just put the small solar panel on top of the plane.

There is one drawback though. They don’t turn on until the photocell is convinced it’s completely dark outside. This is annoying as I would like the lights to come on about an hour or two before then. Accordingly, I have to cover the photocell with tape when dusk falls.

However, I accepted the inconvenience because, unlike many fairy lights on the market, the Lepros have a beautiful, warm, golden glow despite being LEDs. This creates a pleasant atmosphere that you really appreciate after other LED fairy lights with a high color temperature.

This year, for example, the bright whitish-blue lights of a camping neighbor created an atmosphere that was as charming as a vape shop in a mall, while my campsite was warm and inviting.

In Wisconsin’s hot, humid summers, ice-cold drinks are essential.

The first year I participated in AirVenture as an aircraft owner, I brought a cheap Styrofoam cooler to keep drinks cool. It lasted about three days before cracking and becoming unusable.

The subsequent search for the perfect cooler was more complicated than I expected. I wanted the perfect size – small enough to carry in my back seat, but big enough to hold a fair amount of drinks. I also wanted a cooler that would work well, since it would be sitting outside in the sun all day.

I chose the Pelican 30-quart Elite cooler. Compared to the Yeti equivalent, it has thicker walls, which I think makes for better insulation. It also has sturdier latches and features a few flat cup holders on the top that make it a good side table or ottoman when closed.

I ordered white to better reflect the sun throughout the day and it has worked wonderfully. I usually add a small bag of ice once a day, which is more than necessary. Now, after two years, I cannot find a single aspect to complain about.

A good underwing table is the least exciting item on the list, but arguably the most useful.

Whether it’s for making coffee, preparing meals, or simply keeping everyday items in a handy, organized state, it’s worth its daily use. The trick is finding a model that’s the perfect size for GA camping.

At 28 inches square and 27 inches tall, the Alps Mountaineering Camp Table fits the bill. Even better, it quickly folds into a 7.5 x 4 x 28-inch bag for transport and weighs just 6 pounds with its aluminum construction. The tabletop is easy to remove and hose down when needed, and although parts of it are plastic, everything seems relatively sturdy and durable.

I’ve found that you don’t really appreciate a good camping table until you’ve used it – and then you have to make do without it. Suddenly, things like food, phone chargers, sunscreen, and all the other junk that accumulates throughout the day start piling up on the floor and in various corners of the airplane cabin. It’s an item I like to have with me on every camping trip.

Since there is no electricity at AirVenture’s airplane campgrounds, keeping devices charged has always been a challenge.

Previously, my strategy was to use two small 20,000mAh power banks, leaving one plugged into a shared charging station unattended overnight while I used the other. This kept my phone charged, but it became a nuisance to monitor the charge level of each device and hope that a free socket opens up at the charging station… and then hope that it doesn’t get its legs and walk away.

This year I went all-in on nuclear power. Not literally, although the power output of my large 1,056 watt-hour (Wh) Anker C1000 charging station does puzzle me sometimes. Although it was expensive at $600, it was only $100 more than the next smaller option, and I opted for the larger capacity.

I wasn’t sure how much capacity I would actually need. I knew I would have a guest staying in their own tent next to my plane for the week, and I knew we both wanted to keep our devices fully charged. I also knew that as a good host, I would want to offer a charge to my friends who came to visit.

For nine days, I did all of these things – and ended up using less than half of the C1000’s total capacity of 1,056Wh. So I clearly bought too much. The benefit? Now I know that on future AirVentures, I can run a few small fans to cool down and keep mosquitoes away.

Regardless of which model you choose, having all the power you need in your aircraft for a week or more is crucial.