| PREPARE FOR WAR! A Guide to Pennsic for the Complete Beginner |
To Go or Not to Go?
Pennsic 21 site token (1992)
(click to see enlarged view)
I very, very strongly recommend against making Pennsic your very first SCA event. I also recommend against making it your first camping event.
Pennsic intensifies everything about the SCA—and that includes the not-so-good stuff. It also makes the smaller events throughout the rest of the year seem paler and less exciting, and that’s unfair to each individual event.
Pennsic should ideally represent the culmination of your first fully involved year or so of the SCA, after you’ve gotten many one-day events and several camping events under your belt. It’s almost a cliché that your first Pennsic will be your worst or your best. By waiting until you’ve gotten the hang of the SCA, and of SCA camping in particular, you’ll help make your first Pennsic your very best.
Think very carefully about whether this year is the right time for you to attend Pennsic. You have until July to make up your mind, but the earlier you come to a decision, the better. Most people pre-register and begin planning for Pennsic in February or March. Especially for your first trip out, you’ll want plenty of time to get prepared.
There’s no getting around the fact that Pennsic is a more expensive event to attend than most. It’s farther away, which means higher travel expenses, and it’s longer, which means much more expense in terms of site fees, food and gear. Once you’ve decided that the time is right to go, your next step is figuring out whether you can actually afford it. Below is an overview of the costs you’ll need to consider and calculate:
|
1. |
Site fee. Exact fees vary from year to year. Fee schedules are available in the pre-Pennsic booklet (mailed out every year around March to the previous year’s attendees) and on the Pennsic Web site (www.pennsicwar.org). Site fees are broken down based on date of arrival (first week, second week, final weekend). There are no discounts for leaving the event early. Refer to the Pennsic Web site for current fees. |
|
|
. |
||
|
2. |
Gear. Make up a list of everything you will need to attend Pennsic in comfort (see the section on packing). Go through this list and make a second list of everything you don’t already own or have access to and are going to have to buy. Build a rough estimate of how much your gear will cost. |
|
|
. |
||
|
3. |
Food. Plan out your menu (see the appropriate section) and estimate how much it’s going to cost to feed yourself while you’re at Pennsic. |
|
|
. |
||
|
4. |
Gas. How much is it going to cost to drive out there? Here are some tips for calculating this cost: |
|
|
||
| 5. | Tolls. Depending on your route from the Twin Cities, you may need to plan for about $26.00 worth of tolls round trip. If you’re not sure what the tolls will come to on your planned route, ask an experienced Pennsic-goer or call the Tourism Department of the state(s) in question. Alternatively, AAA may be able to answer your questions. | |
| . | ||
| 6. | Travel food. Estimate how much you’ll need for travel food and munchies. | |
| . | ||
| 7. | Layover. Are you going to stop overnight somewhere along the way? Add that cost, too. | |
| . | ||
| 8. | Play money. I strongly recommend budgeting some play money, or you may very well cave in to temptation against your better judgment and buy something with your return trip gas money. $100 is usually the bare minimum I allow for playing, and even that can be hard to stick to, especially if you’re the impulsive shopper type. $100 dollars for play money may sound like a lot, but, in truth, even little items will add up quickly. There are some sick, twisted people out there who can actually plan in advance exactly what items they will buy at Pennsic, budget for exactly the amount they’ll need and never go beyond that shopping strategy. I am not one of them, and I sincerely doubt that any first-time Pennsic-goer is, either. Give yourself a comfortable shopping stipend. Oh, and toss in a little extra for those food bazaar meals you just won’t be able to resist while you’re shopping. |
Phew! Quite a large expense, isn’t it? …Still think you can go?
Now, let’s try to shave those costs down a bit. Here are some tips:
|
1. |
Site fee: Only go for part of the event (lots of people only go for the last four or five days). If you pre-register, you get a discount. Members also get a discount. Is your membership paid up? |
|
|
. |
||
|
2. |
Gear: Instead of buying what you don’t have, see if you can borrow items from friends who aren’t going or, better yet, shack up with someone for the event and pool your gear. |
|
|
. |
||
|
3. |
Food: Buy a lot of inexpensive canned and non-perishable food. Pennsic meals don’t have to be fancy. Plan on never buying a meal in the food bazaar. See if you can camp with a larger group to share equipment and communal meals. |
|
|
. |
||
|
4. |
Gas: Carpool! This saves money for everyone involved. |
|
| . | ||
| 5. | Tolls: See #4. | |
| . | ||
| 6. | Travel food: Food is much cheaper at home than on the highway. Buy all your travel munchies and meals at home. Pack a cooler of sandwiches and pop and toss in a few bags of munchies. | |
| . | ||
| 7. | Layover: Instead of staying in a motel, plan to camp somewhere. Do you have friends or family somewhere on route? Spend a night with them. If you decide to stay in a motel, choose one that’s well off the highway and make reservations well in advance. You can also drive straight through and skip layover costs altogether, especially if you have other drivers along to switch off with. | |
| . | ||
| 8. | Shopping: Quite simply, don’t shop. …Well, all right, no one can resist the great Pennsic Bazaar. Toss in some money for shopping and repeat after me: “I will not spend any more money than this… I will not spend any more money than this…” |
Now how does your budget look? A little more reasonable? …Shall we continue?