SCA Camping 101

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The Bare Necessities

When you get right down to it, you really only need three things to survive a weekend outdoors: shelter, food and clothing. If you want to be a bit more comfortable, we add bedding and toiletries to that list. If sandwiches and cold Pop Tarts aren’t your cup of tea for an entire weekend, let’s add cooking equipment to the list so you can make that cup of tea.

So now we have shelter (the house), bedding (the bedroom), clothing (the closet), the bathroom (toiletries), food (the pantry) and cooking equipment (the kitchen). This is really all you need. More than this is icing on the cake and merely adds to your comfort and enjoyment.

The House

If this is your first time camping in the SCA, look to purchase a modern tent. “Period” tents (pavilions) are expensive, bulky and involve more work to store, transport, set up and take down. Modern tents can certainly be expensive, too, but there’s a wider range of costs, sizes and styles available.

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Choosing a Tent
When choosing a tent, consider a variety of factors:

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Caring for Your Tent
Caring for your tent is very important. Be nice to your tent, and it will last you a long time. You really want to take good care of a several hundred dollar investment.

• When you first get your tent, set it up immediately. Check that all the parts have been included. Familiarize yourself with the set-up instructions. Setting up your tent for the first time at an event any time after sunset is a horrible experience, and no one will thank you—not you, not your well-meaning friends, and definitely not your camping neighbors!

• Most tents come with a bottle of seam sealer, but you’ll probably want to purchase an extra bottle (available at camping goods stores). Seam sealer is a liquid that you apply to the seams of your tent to further seal the stitched fabric against moisture leakage. This is a time-consuming, often frustrating, and absolutely critical step in the care of your tent. Follow the instructions on the seam sealer bottle carefully and thoroughly. You’ll really appreciate the results!

• When setting up your tent, avoid stepping or walking on the fabric with your shoes. It’s a good idea to remove your shoes to set up your tent. This will reduce the risk of damage to the fabric from your shoes.

• When arranging your gear inside a tent, make sure nothing is in direct contact with the tent walls or ceiling. Any point of contact is a point that weakens the moisture barrier, and leakage can occur. Avoid brushing the walls of your tent at all times. This practice is much, much more critical in a canvas tent—nylon and other synthetic fabrics are a lot more tolerant.

• To help keep your tent clean and dry inside, avoid walking in with your shoes on. Set up a rug or mat just inside (and/or outside) the door, and use this as a spot to remove your shoes upon entering. You’ll track in less dirt and moisture, and you’ll protect the floor of your tent against damage from shoes.

• When you’re ready to pack up, make it a point to sweep out your tent just before you collapse it. Lightweight, freestanding tents can be picked up and carefully shaken out. Get everything out, from every corner. You’ll really appreciate this extra step the next time you set up your tent.

• Avoid taking your tent down when it’s damp or wet. If there has been an accumulation of heavy condensation on your tent overnight (which is frequent) and you wanted to take it down at 7:00am, you might strongly consider waiting until the sun and wind has dried it thoroughly. If you must pack your tent damp or wet, set it up again immediately upon returning home (or at least hang the fabric up somewhere in your home, including the fly) and don’t pack it away again until it’s completely dry. Lightweight, freestanding tents can even be hung on a clothesline! Damp tents are highly susceptible to mold and mildew, which can shorten the life of your tent in addition to making them much less livable. This goes triple for canvas tents!

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Other Shelters
Many campgrounds will allow you to use a camper or RV. If you have one or plan to use one, check before you bring it. The SCA generally doesn’t like to look at such hulking modern items at events, but, in all likelihood, you’ll have to park it in a special area of the campground, anyway.

Choosing & Preparing a Tent Site
There are lots of factors involved in selecting the ideal tent site, and you are frequently faced with mediocre to poor choices at SCA events. In general, try to find a spot that’s level, upslope, relatively free of debris (natural or man-made), not too close to a stream or pond that could overflow in heavy rain, and with a source of shade (not always an option). When you’ve picked the ideal spot (or the best one available), clear it as thoroughly as possible of all debris—trash, sticks, rocks. This will both protect the floor of your tent and increase your sleeping comfort.

As a small tip, I recommend studying the slope of your site and where sunrise will be. Sleeping with your head lower than your feet is awful, as is spending your night rolling downhill onto your tent-mate (or being rolled onto). Waking up with the sun in your eyes at 5:30am is also a nuisance. You probably also don’t want your tent door facing onto a main, public thoroughfare. Orient your tent to best advantage, taking all these factors into account.

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The Bedroom

There’s no question that you can survive a night or two sleeping on a pad or a blanket on the floor of your tent. But will it be comfortable? Probably not.

Bed
The best thing is to choose something that will raise you at least a foot from the floor of your tent. Cot, air mattress, layered sleeping pads, whatever—a raised surface will increase your comfort and get you away from the floor of your tent, where it’s coldest. Cots have the added advantage of under-the-bed storage space.

If you’re going to use an air mattress, remember to consider pumps and batteries. Please bear in mind that camping neighbors really, really detest the sound of a loud battery-powered (or car engine powered) air pump anytime after sunset.

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Bedding
The simplest way to go is a sleeping bag. I recommend synthetic, outdoor camping bags rather than cotton, indoor-use bags. Cotton and down may be comfortable (and down is certainly warm), but both of them are miserable to use when wet, and that’s always a high risk when camping. Synthetic materials have the advantages of being lightweight, of packing into small bundles, of retaining their warming abilities when damp or went, and of drying quickly. If you’re like me and don’t like to sleep inside a tube, you can always unzip your sleeping bag and use it like a blanket.

If you prefer to use blankets, use a lot of them. Layering is the key to staying warm, and you can always remove a layer if it gets too warm. Cotton or synthetics are all right for sheets and one or two blankets, but bring at least one good wool blanket—wool retains its warming abilities when wet or damp.

Don’t forget your pillow!

Sleeping Comfortably
A tip for sleeping comfortably and warmly at night: Don’t sleep in any item of clothing that you wore that day. Damp clothes equal cold clothes, and no matter how dry your clothing may feel, it has absorbed moisture from your body and the air during the day. If you’re still cold after completely changing your outfit and piling on every blanket or sleeping bag you have, put on dry socks. If that still doesn’t work, add a hat. (Head and feet are the two areas of highest heat loss on the human body.) If you’re still cold, consider a trip to the bathroom. The body spends a lot of energy and heat trying to keep the liquid in your bladder warm. If you’re still cold even after that… find a warm body to sleep with, even if it’s just another body in the tent with you (not necessarily sharing your blankets). I’m serious.

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Lighting

Naturally, you’ll need some way to see in your tent after dark. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using modern flashlights or lanterns, and absolutely everything wrong with using candles or enclosed flames. No matter how carefully and responsible you think you are, accidents happen, and tents are quite flammable, no matter what the tag says. For interior lighting or for finding your way to the johns at night, plan on using a modern flashlight or lantern—it’s safest for you and everyone around you.

For external lighting (on the picnic table, along pathways, to light up your group’s common area) you can consider using the light of flames. Popular items are candles, candle lanterns, campfires and tiki torches (those oil-cans on sticks you use at the beach). In all these things, consider safety first. Make sure they are well away from tents or other flammable items and that you have taken every precaution against someone knocking into them.

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The Closet

Of course you’re going to need garb when attending an SCA camping event. But what other clothes should you plan to bring?

Garb
In general, plan your wardrobe to include one garb outfit for each day of the event, one or two modern outfits, something to sleep in at night, swimwear if the event offers swimming, plenty of socks and underwear, and good shoes.

Most camping events occur during the warm season, which can get very, very warm. However, even the warmest day can be followed by a damp, chilly night. Besides cool evenings and cold, damp nights, what are you going to do for a cold, rainy day?

Answer: Bring some warm clothing. The key here is layering. This extends to nightwear—bring something warm and comfortable to sleep in. I always suggest bringing a winter knit hat and gloves in case it gets really cold at night. A hat and some good, thick socks help keep you amazingly warm while you sleep!

Remember that the same garb can be worn day after day without discomfort or social stigma, but bring plenty of underthings and socks!

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Shoes
I cannot stress enough the importance of good footwear! Lots of people (like me) are die-hard barefoot addicts. But even I will swear to the amazing difference good shoes can make. You generally spend the majority of your time at camping events on your feet—walking and standing on pavement, dirt roads, gravel, grass… you name it. Good, comfortable, supportive shoes can prevent a lot of fatigue, not to mention protecting your poor feet from the many nasty dangers lurking about (exposed tent stakes, loose ropes, splinters, pebbles, glass, bottle caps, sharp gravel—you get the idea). Never mind if the shoes aren’t period—you don’t want to step on a tent stake and ruin your shopping plans! If you wear period shoes, consider modern support inserts. Be good to your feet, and you’ll have a much more pleasant camping event.

Swimwear
Most modern campgrounds with pools demand modern swimwear. Pay attention to the rules and obey them. If you’re unsure what will be expected, bring modern swimwear in addition to anything else you might wish to wear in the water. If swimming is available in a lake, consider bring shoes you don’t mind getting wet to protect your feet from the lake bottom. These could be the same shoes as your shower shoes.

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Modern Clothing
It’s always good to have a couple of changes of modern clothing, not only for driving to and from the event, but for those trips into town you might need to go on. A lot of people just wear their garb on town runs, but you might not be personally comfortable with that. Also, in the middle of blinding downpour, it’s nice to have a T-shirt and pair of shorts to slip into if you need to do some emergency tent repair!

In general, avoid wearing modern clothing on site as much as possible. Exceptions include setting up and tearing down camp, preparing for combat (many people wear modern clothing under their armor), walking to the car for a town run, and at swimming facilities which require modern swimwear. At all other times, make every effort to present a period appearance, even if it means throwing a cloak or blanket over your modern clothing as you head for the pool.

Packing Your Clothes
To pack your clothing, feel free to use your small suitcase or a duffel bag. You could also consider using Rubbermaid™ tubs, which are waterproof (always handy in case of tent leakage) and double as low tables or benches.

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The Bathroom

Personal toiletries are your own business! You know what you need to survive for a week or so. However, there are a few things to note about campground bathing facilities that may change your personal packing list.

• Many camping events are serviced almost entirely by portable toilets. There are usually very few flush toilet facilities on site compared to the number of people using them. Don’t plan on ready access to flush toilets, sinks electrical outlets and mirrors. You may wish to consider packing antibacterial cleanser and maybe some extra toilet paper, just in case. You may also wish to pack a portable mirror.

• Campsites usually have at least one shower facility, but they are usually nowhere near numerous enough to serve even a third of the people camped there. If you use the bathhouses, don’t plan on getting hot water, decent water pressure or a quick visit. A tip for getting decent showers is to go very, very late at night or very early in the morning.

• Consider shower shoes. These can be flip-flops, plastic sandals, whatever. The idea behind shower shoes is to protect the soles of your feet from contact with public washroom floors, which may carry icky foot plagues from previous occupants.

• Find some compact way to tote around your shower necessaries. A basket or small plastic bucket works well, as do cloth bags or zippered cases. You might have to walk a long way to the shower, so make your carrying case a comfortable one and pack your necessaries in small, compact packages. As always, if you’re worried about how it looks, cover it with a cloth.

• To reduce the space your toiletries take up, consider purchasing a trial size tube of toothpaste and a compact travel-size toothbrush. You can also purchase small squeeze bottles and transfer just enough shampoo, conditioner and/or body wash into them for the duration of the event. Better yet, go with a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner for the week. You’ll also want to store your soap in a tight-sealing plastic bag or case, unless you want all your toiletries to get soapy.

• A good method for the lazy or impatient individual is to bring along some sort of washbasin affair that will allow you to get clean via a sponge-bath in the privacy of your own tent. This may not get you clean all over, but it certainly helps clean away some of the dust every day without visiting a shower! I also like to take advantage of rainstorms to wash away the dust and grime. For this, I bring a bikini or shorts and sports bra and use biodegradable soap and a washcloth.

• Some campgrounds provide swimming facilities in the form of a pool or lake. Check ahead and find out what kind of clothing the swimming facility demands (many pools will only allow modern bathing suits).

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The Pantry

What the heck are you going to eat???

First, let me point out that it’s perfectly acceptable and possible to survive a camping weekend on Pop Tarts, sandwiches, condensed soup or Chef Boyardee, and soda or juice boxes. It’s also perfectly possible to prepare elaborate “home-cooked” meals just like you would in your kitchen at home.

For your first camping event or two, I recommend one of two things (or both):

1. Keep your menu extremely simple.
2. Camp with experienced campground cooks who are planning communal meals.

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Planning a Menu
Start by making a grid that has each day of the event listed across the top and the meals of the day (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) down the left side (see the sample menu planner). Cross out any boxes that don’t apply (for example, Friday breakfast, when you’ll probably still be at home). Then think about what you’d like to eat for each remaining meal.

• Try to make your arrival and departure days extra simple. Especially avoid having to use a lot of equipment (cooking, eating and cleaning) for breakfast on the day site closes. You’ll want to be able to pack up in a hurry.

• Try to keep your breakfasts and lunches simple. Cold cereal or breakfast pastries are wonderful—no need to fire up the stove! It’s also nice to choose breakfasts that won’t require a lot of cleanup. You can’t just toss your dirty dishes into a sink and worry about them later!

• Bread, cheese and sausage or salami makes a great lunch, with maybe some grapes or other fruit thrown in. If you bring extras of these items, you can use them for snacks, too. This meal also requires minimum fuss and almost no cleanup.

• Dinner can be as simple as a can of soup, or you can actually bring the ingredients for a simple stew or skillet meal. Think hard about how much time you want to spend preparing your meal and cleaning up afterwards. For your first few events, I really, really recommend something extremely fast and simple so you don’t wind up missing out on any activities.

A few things to think about when planning your menu:

• Will there be a feast or other communal meal you can participate in? Cross that meal off your list.

• Will there be a camp store on site or something nearby at which you can purchase milk, ice, sandwiches or other goodies?

• Water is usually readily available at most campgrounds. However, it may not all be potable (i.e. safe to drink). You may want to consider bringing bottled water just in case. Make sure you ask a member of the event staff or someone who’s very familiar with the site where to find potable water. Campground water is often heavily flavored (metallic or otherwise), which is not to many people’s taste. Plan on bringing drink mix or tea to disguise the water’s flavor, or just plan to bring your own bottled water (or jugs of water). You might want to plan on buying a whole bunch of bottled water for cooking and drinking and only use the campground water for washing.

After writing down what you want to eat, go back and write down every single ingredient and condiment you’ll need or want for each and every meal—cream, honey, salt & pepper, milk, spices, sugar and so on. Remember to include beverages (juice, coffee, tea, soda, drink mix). Don’t worry about writing the same things over and over again in each block of the grid.

Now go through your list one more time and write down every single item of kitchen equipment you’ll need to prepare each meal. Really think about each step you’ll take to create that meal. If necessary, go into your kitchen and pretend to make it. Anything you reach for or pick up should go on your list. Again, don’t worry about writing the same things over and over again.

Now go back and combine all the mini-lists into one big one. Remember to bring enough of an item for multiple meals, if necessary.

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Kitchen Equipment

What you pack in terms of your portable kitchen depends entirely upon what you plan to cook. In all likelihood, your actual kitchen list will look different from the sample list included in this article.

A few things to keep in mind when planning your portable kitchen:

• Rubbermaid™ tubs are fantastic for packing your kitchen equipment, as are plastic or wooden storage crates. On site, tubs can become low tables and crates double as cheap shelving. If you worry about how they’ll look, plan to throw a blanket or cloth over them.

• Bring something along in which to carry and store water, such as a jerry jug. Remember: you might have to walk a fair distance to lug water back to your campsite.

• Your cooler or packing tubs/crates can double for low tables, which you can use for preparing, serving and eating your meals.

• Remember to pack everything you’ll need to clean up after your meals and to store any leftover food. See the sample packing list.

Another item to consider for your mobile kitchen is a dining fly. This is simply some form of roof over your head while you’re cooking—wonderful on a rainy day. Your dining fly can be a nice modern screenhouse tent or a plastic tarp elevated by poles or the awning of your tent. Whatever you use, make sure that all fabric and rope is far enough away from your heat source (fire or stove) to prevent melting or fire.

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The Extras

Now that we’ve covered the essential basics, let’s look at the little extras that make camping events more fun and enjoyable.

Furnishings
Many people bring along rugs for the bottoms of their tents and chairs to sit on. It’s all right to bring and use modern deck chairs or director chairs, but please plan to disguise them with a blanket or other drape of fabric. Remember that coolers and packing crates make excellent benches. And, of course, you can always just bring a few blankets to sit on. Rugs are your own business, and they’re very handy for protecting the floor of your tent and giving them more warmth and atmosphere.

Entertainment
People always welcome simple games, period or not, which they can play in pairs or groups as they relax in the shade. As for music, it’s generally acceptable to have a radio or tape player playing quietly for your benefit. Of course, playing your own instrument is even better! There is some etiquette to observe when it comes to music. See the section on etiquette to find out what it is. You can also bring your latest craft or hobby project to work on.

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Packing

Packing Gear
Space is going to be at a premium when you pack for longer camping events. Here are some tips for making everything fit into your limited space:

• Fold your clothing and bedding very carefully and compactly. Blankets and sheets can be rolled up with your sleeping bag.

• Remove any unnecessary packaging (such as the boxes for board games, garbage bags or matches) and place the contents of the package into something more flexible and appropriately sized (such as a self-sealing plastic bag).

• Gather everything you want to pack into several giant piles (clothing in one pile, kitchen equipment in another, bedding, general equipment, and so on). Gather up your packing containers and set them out next to the most appropriate pile of gear. Now proceed to make each pile fit in its appropriate container(s).

• Remember that items can nest inside one another (such as packing your drink mix inside your drink pitcher).

• Put soft, flexible items in last (such as dish towels) and/or use them to your advantage in filling up small spaces and protecting fragile items.

• Rubbermaid™ tubs are fantastic for packing any equipment, as are plastic crates. On site, tubs can become low tables and plastic crates double as cheap shelving. If you worry about how they’ll look, plan to throw a blanket or cloth over them.

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Packing Food: Perishable Items
It’s important to keep your perishable items (meat, dairy, temperature sensitive vegetables) cold. Here are some very important tips to consider when packing your perishable items:

• If you’re selecting a cooler for the first time, get something that’s just big enough, but not too big, to contain your food and ice. Select one with a lid that locks closed with a tab or something else that forces the lid to shut tightly. This creates a much better seal and heat barrier. Get something with a good, thick lid.

• When choosing ice, consider that block ice doesn’t melt nearly as quickly as crushed or cubed ice. Unless you’re packing a couple of sandwiches into a drink cooler for the day, I don’t recommend using the freezer packs to keep your food cold—they warm up too quickly, and then they take up valuable space. When on site, keep your cooler in the shade as much as possible. Only open it when absolutely necessary, and shut it firmly as quickly as possible. Consider covering it with a wool blanket or other thermal barrier.

• Don’t place anything contained in cardboard down in your cooler. Such items will get contaminated with the melted ice water. Either transfer the contents of these containers to tight-sealing (Ziploc™) plastic bags, or just enclose the entire container in the bags. Examples of these kinds of items include butter, milk, cream and eggs. You may also want to consider this approach with cheese or other items in a thin plastic wrapper, especially since you’ll be breaching that plastic barrier at some point during the event.

• Anything in a Ziploc™ bag should be in two Ziploc™ bags. One bag may spring a leak and allow contaminated water to enter, but two bags will never leak all the way through the food.

• Try to pack only what perishables you’ll actually consume. Don’t bring an entire package of hot dogs if you’re only going to eat two. The same goes for liquids such as milk and cream. The fewer items you pack into your cooler, the easier it will be to keep cold.

• If you’re planning meals with meat, and you plan to buy the meat before you leave, prep the meat at home (e.g. cut it into chunks) and pack enough for each meal into one (double-bagged) Ziploc™ package. Freeze. This will help keep your cooler cold on the trip and keep your meat cold enough for health. With good planning, your meat will be thawed by the time you need it.

• Plan to use any unfrozen meat or dairy (milk and eggs) from home for the first two days of the event and plan to purchase any more such perishables on site or in town. Never expect meat and dairy to last longer than two days in your cooler unless you keep it very, very cold.

• Pack meat and other such perishables near the bottom of your cooler, where it’s coldest. Vegetables and other temperature-tolerant items should go closer to the top.

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Packing Food: Nonperishable Items
Your nonperishable items (canned or dry goods) can be packed into a box or crate. I do not recommend packing your food into paper or plastic grocery bags. They are wasteful of space, tear easily and disintegrate in poor weather. Your dry goods should receive the same care and attention as your perishable items. Make sure they’re well protected in plastic bags (double-bagged again) or other tight-sealing containers. Items like crackers, cereal, flour, pasta, sugar, powdered drink mix, tea (bagged or loose) and coffee are good examples of what should be repackaged in this manner. Your enemies here are moisture and insects (it’s amazing what an ant can get into).

Packing the Car
Before you do anything else, remove all emergency gear items from your car—spare tire, jack, toolbox, spare gas can, extra oil, windshield fluid, and so on. Set all these items aside and pack them last of all. You do not want to have to unload your entire car because you get a flat tire, especially if it’s raining. If you do not have the above listed items in your car, you should seriously consider stocking up for your trip.

• Bring all your packaged gear out to the car before you begin loading.

• Try to load the largest, most inflexible items first.

• Try to keep your weight load as balanced as possible from side-to-side and front-to-back of your vehicle (your axles and shocks will thank you).

• Pay attention to which items you need to have most accessible, both along the journey and once you arrive. This is particularly important if you intend to stop somewhere overnight along the way. You’ll want a change of clothes and your tent (if you’re camping) accessible.

It may take you several tries to get all the gear into a good configuration so that it all fits.

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Campground Etiquette

There are many, many unwritten Codes of Conduct in the SCA, and there’s a whole page or two reserved for camping events. For the most part, small camping events (one or two nights) tend to be more relaxed and informal, but larger/longer events require a little more attention. The following notes on campground etiquette should be applied to all camping events as much as possible, regardless of what you see other people doing around you. The best course is to set a good example.

An excellent question to ask yourself when camping—whatever the decision you’re trying to reach—is: “What if everyone did it?” I call this the Ethical Question.

Encampments

Many people tend to camp together in social groups, and sometimes these groups will create an “encampment”. Most encampments mark their boundaries in some manner, whether by the arrangement of their tents or with rope and colored flags. At larger events, groups may even surround themselves with walls of sheets or wood to hide their encampment from casual view. However it’s marked off, every encampment will have at least one designated entrance.

Campground courtesy demands that you respect an encampment’s “walls,” however minimal they might be, by entering a camp only through its entrance. It’s also polite to “knock”—stop just short of the entrance and say “Hello, the camp!” loudly enough to be heard. Someone should answer. Tell him or her who you’re looking for, ask if that person’s around and whether you may enter to speak with him or her. Don’t be discouraged if the person who answers isn’t familiar with the person you’re looking for—most people will try to help you as much as they can. If no one answers your call at the entrance or if the person who answers your call isn’t comfortable with letting you in at that moment, come back later to try again. Don’t just wander in anyway.

Wandering into someone’s camp when they’re not around or without their permission is a bit rude—it’s like walking into someone’s house when they don’t answer your knock at their door.

Some groups really don’t care who wanders through their camp, but others are very strict about it. Rules in a stricter camp may become relaxed enough for you to wander in at will if you are or become familiar with everyone in an encampment, or if you’re in and out often enough that most of the group is familiar with you. Whatever the situation, just be polite. If you must know, ask the camp what they’d prefer, but the general rule of thumb is to follow the encampment etiquette of “knocking” before entering.

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Noise

Radios and “boom boxes” tend to occur at camping events. Even the most stringent period-police-type is apt to bring a radio along if only to keep track of the weather. It’s common to hear period music coming from an encampment, often at high volume, created either by live musicians or by a “bard-in-the-box.”

Be courteous with the noise you create, be it by radio, live music, or your voice. Remember that tent walls are really thin and that sound travels very far and very clearly in a tent city. Most people will not appreciate hearing heavy metal or an argument blasting away a few tents down. Many people will, however, enjoy listening to period jigs, ballads, pavannes, etc., but not necessarily at all hours of the day. Keep your noise volume to where just you and your immediate associates can hear it instead of including every tent in a two-block radius.

Some camping events have areas designated for “quiet camping”. In these areas, you are expected to follow a sort of noise curfew. People camping in these areas are often families with small children or people who just like to get to sleep early.

Modern Items

A general SCA courtesy is to keep visibility of modern objects to a minimum. Everyone expects camps to have coolers, modern tents, camp stoves, modern cooking equipment, etc. But there are ways to camouflage them so that they’re not quite so obvious.

• Cover your cooler and/or lawn chair with a blanket and presto! you have an instant period-looking seat.
• Keep your cooking stuff out of plain sight of the road or public walkways.
• Leave nonessential modern objects in the privacy of your own tent.

None of this camouflage is required by regulation or enforced—it’s just highly encouraged. It’s nice to let everyone enjoy his or her fantasy of actually being in “period” without the constant distraction of a barrage of modern equipment. People go to events to forget the modern world for a while. The sight of radios, plastic brushes, day-glo lawn furniture, and blue jeans is not overly welcomed by most people. Be courteous.

Cameras and video cameras are obvious items to tote around at camping events, but be courteous in your use of them. Taking pictures of people and/or their encampments without their permission is a step on the rude side. Ask first. Most people are happy to be camera-hogs, but if they say no, just leave it at that. If you yourself are asked to pose for a photograph, bear in mind that it’s perfectly all right to say no. But again, be courteous. Everyone appreciates politeness.

Try to avoid wearing modern clothing at all times. Events are for personae… try to dress in period as often as possible! If nothing else, throw a tabard or cloak over it. You will see some people in modern clothing here and there. These people are generally either campground staff or modern campers, a fighter in the process of armoring up or down, someone who has just arrived and is still setting up camp or someone who is on his or her way into or back from town.

Of course, like any event, it’s generally considered polite to avoid discussing modern topics anywhere on site. You never know if someone within earshot is trying to maintain their period atmosphere, and bursting their bubble with unwelcome modern conversation isn’t very nice. Of course it happens, but you can certainly choose not to add to the poor examples.

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Fantasy Items

At any event, fantasy costuming is strongly discouraged. It may be fun for the individual, but it ruins the atmosphere for those who are trying to experience “The Dream.” Again, be courteous to those around you. Don’t spoil their good time with your fantasy costume—it’s not appropriate garb for an SCA event.

Pets

Some camping events allow pets; others don’t. Nowadays we even have hound coursing at some events, which sort of requires that you bring a dog to participate.

When allowed, people frequently bring pets, most commonly dogs and ferrets these days. If you’re a pet owner and wish to bring your pet to a camping event, think it through very, very carefully. Does your pet tolerate being tied up or left in a small kennel for most of the day? How are you going to protect your pet from heat or dehydration while you’re off enjoying the event? Does your pet like to make a lot of noise? How does your pet react to large crowds and strange noises? Do you have the equipment necessary to clean up after your pet? How does your pet react to a small, charging child?

Bringing a pet to an event is a lot like bringing an infant. It takes the same level of care and attention, and the same consideration of neighbors who probably won’t appreciate being woken up during the night or at the crack of dawn by a noisy animal.

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Cleaning Up and Waste Disposal

We like to pride ourselves in the SCA by leaving a site cleaner than we found it. This can only happen with your care and diligence.

• When breaking down your camp, scour your campsite for any and all pieces of trash, however small. Then widen your circle and scour the area nearby for the same thing. Think of the Ethical Question: If everyone took ten minutes to do this, the site would be spotless. If no one did it, the site would be awful.

• Pay attention to campground regulations on separating your trash and recyclables. Make sure that all your trash is contained in tightly closed plastic bags and deposited in the appropriate receptacle. DO NOT toss loose trash into a dumpster. Recyclables may be expected to be loose; if they aren’t, make sure they’re in bags, too.

• Dishwater is a form of waste material and must be disposed of properly. DO NOT just dump it near a water source, down the port-a-john or down a bathroom sink. Find out where waste water can be disposed of safely and do so. Remember that your dishwater is full of chemicals and food particles.

• The same rules apply to your organic trash (foodstuffs)—don’t just toss it over your shoulder or into the woods and forget about it. The statement, “Some animal will eat it” is a very bad rule of thumb. Providing a source of food not only artificially inflates the local animal population (which leaves to starvation, disease and death later), it attracts animals to public campgrounds, which can lead to destruction of personal property and the animal itself.

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Fire

Where there’s camping, there’s fire. It’s inevitable. However, sometimes it’s simply not allowed. Pay attention to the site regulations on open fires. Most sites will only allow campfires in the established fire rings provided. Sometimes weather conditions mandate that fires not be used at all (such as a very dry season).

• DO NOT just pick a spot and build a fire. Fire safety demands a fire pit ringed with stones or cleared of flammable material to a certain distance. Most campgrounds understandably don’t appreciate a lot of shallow pits suddenly appearing around their nice green lawns.

• Pay attention to the proximity of tents and public walkways to your fire pit or ring. Could a spark reach something flammable? Could someone trip near your fire?

• Most campgrounds provide firewood. You may consider bringing your own with you. DO NOT just go traipsing through the woods looking for firewood. This goes back to the Ethical Question: “What if everyone did it?” Answer: There’d be no more wood and a lot of ecological damage.

• When you have a fire going in a fire pit or fire ring, DO NOT use it as your trash receptacle. The only items that should EVER be added to campfire are wood and possibly some organic food trash. NEVER put plastic, glass or metal items in a fire. Even paper products are iffy—they are often coated with plastics or impregnated with other noxious chemicals. Dry, uncoated paper has another hazard—it tends to get lobbed aloft by the fire’s thermal convection while still burning, and can land anywhere to start a little fire of its own.

• Keep a large container of water or sand near your fire at all times in case it gets out of control.

• Keep your fire small and contained. Most of the time, there’s absolutely no need for a roaring bonfire. By using only very dry wood, you’ll avoid a smoky fire. Be aware of how much smoke your fire is producing and where that smoke is going—you could be annoying the neighbors.

• DO NOT go to bed while there is any fire burning in your pit or ring. Make sure the fire has completely died down to white ash or black charcoal—nothing should be flaming or glowing brightly. This obviously leads to the concept of not adding any wood to the fire if you’re planning to turn in soon. Open flames or glowing coals, left unattended, can very easily lead to a spreading fire.

When you’re completely done with a fire (i.e. not going to build another fire during that event), douse it. Use enough water to quench all embers and charcoal, but don’t flood the pit. Remember that another person is likely to need to fire pit within a few days. Use a stick to stir the embers and ashes to get them all wet; turn charcoal over and wet it down on all sides. When nothing hisses anymore as you pour water over it, it’s sufficiently doused. Remove any material that hasn’t burned completely and dispose of it properly.

If you have dug your own fire pit according to campground rules, you will probably have to fill it up again.

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Health & Safety

First Aid

You can usually count on a Chirurgeon to be on site, but I always recommend carrying the basics of a first aid kit. This includes the same sort of basic items you would keep in your bathroom medicine cabinet—adhesive bandages, painkillers, antibacterial products, cotton swabs, that sort of thing. You can build your own kit, or purchase a basic kit for not too much money at most pharmacies and department stores (like K-Mart or Target).

The Heat

Probably one of the most prevalent dangers at camping events is heat. A goodly part of many campgrounds (most notably the battlefields and merchant areas) have no trees for shade, which is coincidentally exactly where most people are going to spend the bulk of their time. People spend a lot of their day shopping or watching the battles, and are consequently standing in the sun for hours and hours on end.

Sunburn
Sunburn (and worse, sun poisoning) is not fun. It can even be dangerous.

You can never have enough sun block. Always remember that a key-neck tunic or low-necked bodice exposes different areas of skin than a modern T-shirt does, or that a single layer of lightweight, light-colored fabric does not protect your skin from the sun. The areas to watch out for are:

• neck and shoulders
• top of the chest and back
• arms (even under your sleeves!)
• face
• tops of the feet (trust me on this, especially if you’re wearing sandals)
• any other areas of skin that are not covered by medium- to heavy-weight dark fabric

Apply your sun block often during the day. No matter what the bottle says, you will sweat or rub the lotion off in the course of the day.

A sunhat is ideal for shading your face, neck and shoulders. You will see a great many people in a variety of garb periods wearing a straw sunhat around camping events. This is not a question of being period—it’s just smart!

Veils are also excellent for protecting your head, neck, shoulders and forehead.

Don’t be fooled by cloudy days. Days with a total, high cloud cover are even more dangerous than sunny ones simply because people figure they don’t need their sun block and sunhat. Wrong! The clouds only block the sun’s light, not its ultraviolet rays, which are the real danger. Put your sun guards on whenever it isn’t raining.

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Dehydration
Dehydration probably poses the biggest health hazard to fighters and non-fighters alike. It is the first step towards the progressively serious conditions of heat exhaustion, heat prostration and heat stroke. No matter who you are or what you’re doing at a camping event, you are a prime candidate for dehydration and its nastier cousins if you don’t pay attention.

The early warning signs of dehydration are increasingly serious degrees of headache, nausea and dizziness. Sound familiar? If you’ve ever had a hangover, it should. A hangover is nothing more than early-stage dehydration. You can avoid dehydration—and every potential hangover—by drinking plenty of water. If you begin to feel the warning signs of dehydration, find a place to sit down, rest and drink plenty of the right kinds of fluid (see below).

The things you should be drinking a lot of at camping events are water, juice or sport drinks. Juice and sport drinks (such as Gatorade™) supply you with the two critical ingredients for avoiding dehydration: water and electrolytes (salts). When you sweat, you’re losing both water and salt from your system. You must maintain a certain salt level in your body in order to use any water you drink. If you’re drinking plain water, you’ll want to replace your salts by noshing on some chips, pickles, pretzels or other salty products.

Things you should not drink during hot camping event days: caffeine and alcohol. These products are both diuretics—they actually draw water out of your body. Essentially, these beverages have a negative effect when it comes to staying hydrated. Do not drink iced tea and call it done unless the iced tea is decaffeinated. General rule of thumb: If the container doesn’t say “caffeine free,” it probably isn’t.

You should also avoid drinking fluids that are ice cold. They can shock your system if you’re already starting to overheat and may make you throw what you drink right back up. Fighters and other athletes are all too familiar with the results of chugging too much liquid too quickly or of drinking liquid that’s too cold.

Milk also doesn’t mix well with physical activity or hot days.

If someone approaches you at any camping event and tells you that you need to sit down and drink, do it. No matter how you feel at the time, he or she is probably right. And besides, even if you don’t really need it at that moment, the drink certainly won’t hurt you. On the other hand, if you spot someone looking a bit pale and non-sweaty during the high heat of the day, make them sit down and drink.

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Overheating
It’s very easy to overheat at a hot camping event. Garb is often heavy, multi-layered and all-covering, which doesn’t leave much room for your sweat to evaporate. Pay attention to your body’s temperature and slow down if you’re getting really, really hot. Uncomfortably hot is one thing; dangerously hot is another.

The inside of your tent is not a safe place to seek shelter from the heat or the sun. Unless your tent is completely in the shade, it is a dangerous oven. Do not take daytime naps inside your tent if it is in the sun. It is extremely hazardous to your health.

The Cold

Most people know how to deal with cold days, but do you know how to deal with cold, damp nights? Besides arranging your bedding so that you’re off the ground and under layers, the single most important thing you can do before bed is to remove every single item of clothing you wore that day and replace them with clean, dry garments. Even if your tunic feels dry to you, it’s still damp with your perspiration, and damp clothing equals cold clothing.

Another thing to remember is that the two areas of highest heat loss in the human body are the head and feet. If you’re really cold, put on a hat and warm, dry socks. You’ll warm up quickly!

Another little-known tip is a trip to the bathroom. A full bladder is a lot of liquid that your body is spending energy on keeping warm. You have no idea how much warmer you’ll feel after a trip to the johns!

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Happy Feet

I mentioned it before (under clothing) and I’ll mention it again here, because I cannot stress enough the importance of good footwear.

You generally spend the majority of your time at camping events on your feet—walking and standing on pavement, dirt roads, gravel, grass… you name it. Good, comfortable, supportive shoes can prevent a lot of fatigue, not to mention protecting your poor feet from the many nasty dangers lurking about (exposed tent stakes, loose ropes, splinters, pebbles, glass, bottle caps, sharp gravel—you get the idea). Never mind if the shoes aren’t period—you don’t want to step on a tent stake and ruin your shopping plans! If you wear period shoes, consider modern support inserts. Be good to your feet, and you’ll have a much more pleasant camping event.

The Plague

You’ll probably hear this mentioned mostly in relation to Pennsic, the longest camping event in the Knowne World. The Plague refers to the high occurrence of general illnesses at Pennsic. However, it’s pretty easy to get sick at short camping events, too, and just as easy to avoid the problem. There are a lot of contributing factors towards coming down with something at an event, and being aware of them can help you avoid becoming sick yourself:

• Physical and/or emotional exhaustion.
  Remedy: Get plenty of rest and take the social time-outs you need.

• Poor washroom hygiene.
  Remedy: Take advantage of antibacterial hand cleanser in port-a-johns and/or carry your own with you.

• Dust and smoke.
  Not much remedy here; just be aware that you’ll probably suffer from congestion, which will weaken you to other illnesses. You might consider bringing over-the-counter antihistamines or decongestants.

• Poor nutrition.
  Remedy: Make sure you get your three meals a day, no matter how little appetite you have, and make sure you’re following a balanced diet. Seriously consider supplementing your diet with vitamin pills.

• Poor dishwashing habits.
  Remedy: Make sure you wash and sanitize your dishes promptly and thoroughly after every use. Use very hot water and plenty of soap for washing, very hot water for rinsing, and consider using a mild bleach solution for sanitizing as a final step before allowing your dishes to air-dry completely (towel drying leaves moisture, which can encourage bacterial growth). Wood is much more difficult to clean thoroughly; consider avoiding wooden dishes.

• Poor trash habits.
  Remedy: Remove all trash to the proper campground receptacles regularly and at least once a day. Flies will carry all sorts of nastiness from garbage to your food. Treat all meats, particularly chicken, like a hazardous material. Don’t let the raw meat or its packaging get in contact with any other foods or food prep utensils. Dispose of scraps and packaging directly, and wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap immediately after handling.

• Poor bedtime habits.
  Remedy: Don’t get roaring drunk and fall onto your bed still dressed and above the covers to pass out. You’ll really, really regret it on cold, damp nights.

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Our Little Friends

Nature has bugs. It also has an assortment of small, furry creatures. You should be aware of the following non-human life forms with whom you will most likely be sharing campground facilities:

• Ants abound and will get into your tent and food. Keep everything well sealed!

• Flies are everywhere and carry all sorts of nasty ickiness. Keep your campground clear of refuse.

• Mosquitoes are a biological inevitability. They’re generally not too bad during the day, but they’re horrendous at night. Bring plenty of insect repellent.

• Wasps (particularly yellow jackets) and hornets are common at campgrounds. If you’re susceptible to anaphylactic shock, bring your kit. Always check your beverage container before drinking when wasps are in the area (getting your tongue stung is most unpleasant). Wasps are attracted to sugar, fruit, meat, perfumes (including soap and shampoo fragrances) and certain bright colors. If they’re persistent in approaching you, it’s probably because you look or smell like a flower to them. DO NOT react violently to the presence of a wasp; brush them away gently or kill them outright. They don’t know you from a tree. If you flail wildly at them and rouse their aggressive tendencies, they may sting someone else—who may be violently allergic. You can reduce wasp presence in your campground by taking the same precautions as you should with flies. You can reduce your personal wasp attraction by avoiding perfume and perfumed soap or shampoo.

• Ticks are an increasing problem across the country. Dog ticks are generally large and easy to spot, and are pretty harmless in terms of blood-borne diseases. Deer ticks are about the size of the head of a pin and are really, really dangerous—they’re the major vector for Lyme’s disease. Check yourself very thoroughly from head to toe every night before bed. Better yet, have a friend check you over. Don’t be shy, just be safe. Do not attempt to remove an embedded tick yourself unless you have experience. Seek a Chirurgeon’s help.

• Crane flies (also called mosquito hawks) look like giant (really giant—a one-inch leg span!) mosquitoes. They’re not. They do not bite or sting. They eat mosquitoes. They will likely take up residence between your tent and your rain fly. Leave them alone.

• Dragonflies also do not bite or sting. They also eat mosquitoes. Leave them alone, too.

• Praying mantises are large and scary looking, and eat all sorts of bugs. Leave them alone.

• Bats are as common as the bugs. Bats are your friends. They eat the bugs. Leave the bats alone.

• Mice and moles will burrow under your tent. Mice may make a bid for your food. Take the same precautions as with ants, but keep things in chew-proof containers.

• Skunks, raccoons and opossums are possible. Treat all three with extreme respect. Raccoons will probably run away from you; skunks never will; opossums will probably glare at you sullenly or play dead. Guard your food against these raiders and don’t keep any food products in your tent unless they are completely sealed inside a cooler. The last thing you want is a nosy skunk working its way into your tent after that candy bar you brought in as a late-night snack. If you do encounter a skunk, don’t panic. Keep your distance and politely make your presence known. Only skunks that feel startled or threatened will use their infamous weapon. Even then, they’ll give you plenty of warning. Once a skunk knows you’re around, they’ll probably wander off relatively soon.

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Breaking Camp

Packing up and breaking camp can be very time-consuming and frustrating. Frequently, you’ve been up to all hours the night before, and you have to be off site by noon.

The best plan is to pack up everything except the few items you’ll really need the day before site closes—just leave out your bedding, change of clothes, shelter, and any kitchen equipment necessary for making breakfast (if you’re going to). Get everything else as packed as you possibly can, ready to go into your vehicle.

Then you can get up at 9:00 in the morning and do the following:

• Pack your remaining gear and gather it into one tidy pile.

• Fill in your fire pit and wastewater pit, if necessary. Fill in any other holes or trenches.

• Strike the tent. Try to avoid taking down your tent until it’s had a chance to dry completely from the overnight moisture. Remember that mildew only needs about two hours of heat and moisture to start growing.

• Pack up your groundcloth. Again, try to let it dry first.

• Police your campsite thoroughly for any and all trash, no matter how small. Police the area a little around your campsite for good measure. Do this even if it’s raining!

• See if anyone in your camp needs assistance in breaking camp.

• Go get your car from the parking area. Don’t get it before this point, because other people need to load their vehicles, too, and there isn’t enough room for everyone. Keep the time your car spends in camp to an absolute minimum.

• Load your gear into your car.

• Police the area where your gear was for any and all trash.

• Take all garbage to the appropriate receptacles. Garbage should always be placed in plastic garbage bags and tied tightly. Pennsic recycles, so remember to separate!

• Take your car off site as quickly as possible and head for home!

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A Working Packing List

Packing up and breaking camp can be very time-consuming and frustrating. Frequently, you’ve been up to all hours the night before, and you have to be off site by noon.

* These items or areas are explained in more detail elsewhere in this article.

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A Sample Menu Planner

Back to Planning a Menu
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Copyright March 2001 to Kendra Myers; all rights reserved. Contact the author at cinniu (at) yahoo (dot) com for permission to use this article in part or in whole.