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A Newbie’s View

Camping in the SCA does not seem really much different from camping in this time period. Which is a good thing because, as a newcomer, there is no real need for anxiety attacks! Yes, lots of people have pavilions but many more use regular ol’ tents. Many people have these great medieval encamp¬ments - yet many more are camping like the rest of the world, just dressed funny!

For the beginner, I would first suggest "Don't worry about it!" if you don't have anything "authentic". The people in the SCA are quite easy going and everyone started out the same. See what other people have, see how it's used and decide for yourself if it is something you would find useful. Chairs, ta¬bles, tents, boxes, chests, cooking gear, lighting, etc. As long as you have what you absolutely need to camp with; it is not necessary for any of these things to be period until you choose to do so.

Personally, I find that using chests for clothes is a big must since garb is way more bulky than mundane clothing. And pavilions or tall tents are a must for women since most or our clothes go on over our heads or need to be stepped into- basically, we need to be standing up! The nice thing is that because many pavilions are quite large, you are likely to find that people are willing to share space with you or at least are able to provide dressing room.

Best of all, food is easy: some pre-cooked rice, slices of cheese, slabs of meat, a bit of fruit, and loaves of bread will set you for the weekend! Of course, if you are camping with a group, they may just have a group menu going where you can just sign up to bring one or two items for the weekend. As I walked around my first camping event, I noticed most people relied on propane stoves instead of campfires and that period food was more of an option. No one had a problem when I pulled out s'mores!

What the most important things to remember when camping is really common courtesy, fire safely and awareness, and preparing for both cold and hot weather. There are many great links on the internet that cover all the gear you could possibly ever bring as well as all the rules and safety guidelines for each event, so I won’t try to list them. Just do a little research, ask questions of the people you are camping with, don't make any assumptions on what others will have (try to be self sufficient and you will be covered in any instance) and have a great time!

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