Pup tent+dirt road+pasture= CHEAP.

 

Good to see I'm not the only one already planning out my (1st) Sturgis trip. So far the base looks like the best choice for any military. All the advice I found over on the Sturgis forum recommended staying Rapid City or some other outlying area unless your there to just party & very little riding. Sorry no better advice.

 

If your going the week before the rally starts, the Starlight Motel is usually available ,they have 2 motels right in Sturgis, this year the week before was 69 a night, 2 double beds and clean. Rapid City Motel 6 was also 69 a night,nice place as well. Apparently those same rooms at the Starlight are 225 a night once the rally starts. We go a week before the rally every year and clear out 1 day before it starts. This year you could have shot a cannon down Main street 2 days before the rally started and probably not hit a thing.

 

If it were me, I'd look for and book a B & B in the area. Better security too.
Many folks come out during the week before anymore, so prices will still be expensive.

 

The cabins in Rapid City are $175 a night. I have them rented till Friday morning 8/10, you can rent them by the day after that. Here is the linkhttp://www.willowspringscabins.com/ Have fun

 

We stayed at the Penny Motel in Deadwood 2 weeks before rally and it was a 100.00 a night.

 

You might look into Black Hills State University who rent their dorm rooms during the rally in 5-day blocks for $380. We stayed there in '98 and '99 and it was adequate, with bunk beds and the usual dorm environment (communal showers, TV in lobby, etc.). It's in Spearfish, about 25 mi. from Sturgis on I-90. When we stayed there they had no AC, but you really didn't need it since it was cool at night.

 

We have a friend with a cabin in the hills that we stay at, we give him a 100 for three nights even though he doesn't want any money. I figure he can get that a night if he wanted to rent it out it's really nice to get away from that rat race. He!! they even jack up the price in Pierre (180 miles away) if we stop for the night.

 

No such thing as good and cheap during Sturgis week. The Hampton Inn in Rapid City changes from $89 a night normally to $290 a night during that week. I am not much of a camper, but I hear even that gets pretty expensive at the major camp grounds, plus you get no sleep.
A friend went with a group a couple of years ago and they all pitched in on a house, turned out not to be too expensive. Check the Sturgis Rally web site, they have links to all kinds of rentals.

 

I rented a log cabin in Hot Springs, SD a couple times. It was $200 a night but there was enough accomodations there to make 6-8 people comfortable. Just so you know, I've never been to Sturgis but I know lots of people who have and to be honest, there'd be no way in hell I would be able to afford to spend $1500 to $2000 to stay somewhere for a week!