Wright-Patterson AFB Bass Lake FamCamp

We have stayed here before and enjoy the Famcamp and area, but this time ran into a couple of strange glitches. 1) We made reservations for a one month stay six weeks in advance and they insisted they had to charge the FULL $529 in advance or they "could not hold our reservation." 2) When we plugged into the 50a outlet we had a problem that caused me to check the outlet with my multimeter. The problem was internal to our coach and unrelated, but what I found caused me to go to neighboring vacant sites to check them also. Then I went to the Famcamp office to discuss what I found with the woman there. The conclusion is that ALL 50a outlets in the famcamp are NOT wired according to code, and they KNOW it. Each 50a outlet power leg tests at 120v, however the reading across the two power legs is 0v rather than the normal 240v. The woman in the office said, "They are all that way." And then she said something like, "They told me we are missing one wire ...they are really just a super-charged 30a." I closely monitored voltage on a meter inside the coach, and other than sagging voltage at times of heavy usage did note any other problems. "Normal" voltage was 115v most of the time, dropping as low as 109v for short periods of heavy load. There are a couple of possibilities as to how they wired the 50a circuit to have these results, at least one of which could lead to dangerous overheating of the neutral wire. This Famcamp location is over 10 years old, so I guess whatever they did isn't causing any serious problems... I found it difficult to believe the military would pull such a stunt with electrical wiring.

We arrived at WPAFB on a Saturday. The office was fully manned by a very competent staff. Since I had reservations, check in only took two minutes. I would strongly advise calling in early to reserve a spot as the Air Force Museum draws a crowd. When parking your RV at the museum, drive all the way to the end or your plate number will be announced while you are touring. This is not the same campsite that I used nine years ago. This FAMCAMP is now located in the area that used to be the home of the 17BW at the north end of the base. It is located in our old picnic area. The Campground is clean and level and satellite reception can be obtained from any site. Signs are lacking over the entire route so you will need a map from the gate guard. Water connection may need help from a fellow camper or your wife.

We called a day before we arrived and were called back within an hour. The assignment of spaces seems a little on the awkward side and we were assigned an occupied space first. This was fixed out quickly and after I connected the water with the help of a neighbor everything went fine. One of the Dryers was not working properly and we were told after we paid for it that you could use it without putting money in it. We spent 4 days in the museum and had a great visit. There are stores near the museum and places to eat. A very enjoyable stay.

Mixed emotions about this Fam Camp. Location is fine if you want to be in the Dayton area. The lady at the "office" is nice enough, but it bugged me that they never answer the phone. They have voice mail & say that they will return your call with in 1 working day... they did. We wanted to come in early, but they were full, even in the overflow. There seems to be a lot of active duty folks utilizing the facility, which is ok. The laundry room has no ventilation, so be prepared to sweat this time of year! The sites are long enough for a big rig & wide enough to feel comfortable. Since most of the gates close at 18:00 getting back on base is a REAL PAIN! The main gate is a long ways from the Fam Camp! The golf courses on base looked really nice & were being highly utilized, but I didn't have time to play. The facility (other than the laundry room) appears to be very well maintained. If in the area again we'll stay there.

Excellent park. Very nice location with decent size sites. Access in/out is basically one way but easy to deal with. The only draw back is the lack of water pressure. The bath house and laundry room are clean and well maintained. We will be staying at this park again next spring.

This FAMCAMP is way out in the boonies, great location. Although the base is a bit disjointed, had to go through two gates to get to BX and Commissary. The facilities were very nice, grounds were well maintained, the staff was very friendly and helpful. Access to sites was big rig friendly. We stayed in the overflow, no sewer, and found it just as nice as the full hookup sites. We were parked right next to the shower/laundry facilities. Security mad patrols runs through the camp which was comforting. Easy access to the Air Force Museum and Dayton (which we didn't have time to visit). Will definitely be staying here again when we visit Ohio again.

E.T. left this review using the Directory software: Price went up $22/night--why is overflow (water/electric the same price as full hookups? Also don't think it is managed properly. Stayed here & wanted a pull thru & was told none was available, yet several pull thru sites were coned implying someone was due in. I stayed in a backin & even after I left, the same pull thru sites were still coned off. What gives? Recent conversation with another camper who has been here for 2 weeks noted the same discrepancy. There is no camp host & I guess the office is the "Outdoor Rec" office. I guess I'll just contact the base commander to see what goes--sure hate to bother him with trivia, but does not appear to have any oversight. The charge immediately with no refund is absurd--no private campground does that although they do have a cancellation policy. Very disappointed!

Have visited this Fam-camp in the past and found if very nice. planning on stopping again so was reading some of the reviews. it seems the biggest complaint is the price. I see the price now is $22. w/water sewer and electric. I have camped all over the midwest and south and can tell you this is cheap. Well i guess it is cheap is you are a WalMart camper. With things the way they are now in this economy lets enjoy the fact that it is only $22.

Have stayed here a couple of times in past. One of the few USAF camps that take reservations, so that's a plus. Nice site arrangements, plenty of room but offers very little else for the price, so amenities/value really keeps the rating for this camp down. Departed on a Sunday; only one gate operational for a HUGE base.

D.K. left this review using the Directory software: LOTS OF UNUSED SPACE IN OFFICE COULD BE USED FOR LOUNGE/TV/READING ROOM. RESTROOMS & LAUNDRY ROOM ARE EXTRA CLEAN & WELL KEPT.

This is our usual stop on our last day on the road to our home in Michigan. It gives us a chance to empty our tanks and do some other housekeeping. We arrived early and were able to do some shopping at exchange and commissary. The campground this time looked a little unkempt and the grass and weeds were out of control. It never looked this way before so it won't keep us from stopping here again.

Thank goodness this base was close to many sightseeing opportunities. Because, with its price, it doesn't offer what many other have. There is basically a laundry/shower room. The lake and playground are a bit far away to let younger kids go unattended, and other than that, there isn't much else to do. The roads are great, and sites are level, and the utility placements are perfect. I just think for what there is at the actual RV park there should be more for the cost. The kids agreed that one of the staff seemed a little "put-off" to be working there; not very friendly, but accommodating, nonetheless. The museums are fantastic!! Never enough time to see them.

Called ahead to make Reservations, not needed plenty of room, very nice FamCamp, attendant was nice and friendly, gave us a pad between two occupied pads, when we got to our pad a vehicle was setting on it, called the office and the attendant came right away in a golf cart to see what was going on, seems the gentlemen on the next pad just parked his truck there because it was empty, moved it right away, no problems.

M.H. left this review using the Directory software: Someone roam the campground placing stickers on vehicles. It has been hard to get off. This is the first security flaw I have ever seen. It spoiled our stay as my motorhome is 2 days old.

Very nice facility on a huge Air Force Base. If arriving during the week, make sure to use the gate off of Rt 235 since it was a hassle coming in gate 12A and driving through this whole section of the base. The gate guard did give us good directions but it is about 5 miles in. Very nice spots, well kept up. Deer came out of the woods across the road and groundhogs were around to watch everyday. If you like to sleep in, reveille (sp) might get you going at 7:30 each weekday. Please remember to stop what you are doing and pay respect at retreat in the afternoon. Surprising how many retired military ignored this. Overall a great value in an area with lots to do.

A. G. left this review using the Directory software: A Nice placy to stay but busy.

I arrived without reservations on a Saturday. The office clerk fussed and fretted to find a spot I could have for two days. I finally realized she was hesitant to send me to the overflow area (power and water, no sewer). I assured her that was just fine, I could dump on the way out. The sites have good view of the southern sky for satellite acquisition. Verizon air card for my notebook picked up a good signal.

We made reservations in advance and had no problems. With a two week stay we got to know the area very well. If you go stright out gate 12 on rt 844 you will find a large new shopping area with all the chain stores and resturants. We will stop here next year on the way west.

This is a great little campground! The cost to stay per night has increased to $21. The bathroom/laundry facilities were very clean and well maintained. The sites are located at the back of the base behind the flight line. Make sure you get good directions if coming through main gate 12A as it is quite a drive to the campground. There is a large Commissary and BX/PX located at area C on the base, it's about a 15 to get there, as well it is the same area that the library and shoppette is located.

After making reservations and receiving a confirmation number two days earlier, J.R. couldn't find my reservation even though I told him who I made the reservation with (Ann). SO, he told us we had to go into overflow without sewer hookup. After full timing for 6 mos, that's the first time that has happened to us and it was a big disappointment.



When checking in with Ann the next morning (and they don't open at the RV office until 11:30am!) she found our reservation and apologized for J.R.'s mistake, telling us she could not give us a refund. We didn't really want a refund, it was just the PAIN of having to be without sewer the night before and then having to unplug everything, stow things away and move and replug everything in at the new site.



We found that gate 12A was difficult to locate to get into the base, but the gate guard gave us pretty good instructions to the RV park.



We enjoyed watching the planes take off and land from the airfield which is right next to the RV park. The base is very nice as is the commissary and bx mall.



The museum is a MUST SEE! We only spent 3 hrs there and it isn't enough to see the whole thing.