From: tbarnes@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (thomas wrentmore barnes)
Subject: More (less controversial) Pennsic tips
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 14:59:09 GMT

Good Gentles All,

Here is a handy list of things that Deudone d' Oxon didn't mention in
his Pennsic Advice Compilation posting.

Wheelbarrow, wagon or handcart - to carry ice and other heavy things
which are too heavy to carry in your arms.

Cup Covers  (like coasters or saucers) - to go over your goblet to keep
the nasty invertabrates out.

Allergy Medication - if you are allergic to ragweed, West Pa. is a lousy
place to be. Last years woods battle was partially fought in a field
full of the stuff. The chiurgeons can't prescribe medications and drug
stores don't honor out of state prescriptions. To avoid having to see a
doctor to get medicine, bring your own supply from home.

Clothes Line or Drying Rack - the laundromat has lines 24 yours a day
now and the nearest town is 15 miles away. It is often simpler to hand
wash and drip dry your clothes on a sunny day.

A Basin of Some Sort - to wash clothes and to take sponge baths with.

Chairs with Backs - they are all too scarce at Pennsic, unless you bring
your own.

Bathrobe with Pockets and flip-flops - so you can carry all your
toiletries and hike to the showers too. Don't bring a bathrobe you
wouldn't want to hike 1/2 a mile in on a cool morning.

Sun Hat - the broad, woven straw hats that are ubiquitous at SCA events
are documentably period back to Ancient Greece (though our versions are
narrower in the brim). Merchants sell them for $3-5 at war and they are
a great investment. They also adapt nicely to having crowns and laurel
wreaths put around the crown of the hat.

Warm sleeping garb - I admit that I am skinny and don't take cold well,
so this might not apply to some people, but I like a night shirt and a
ski cap for really cold nights. Night caps (the garment, not the drink
;-)) are period. And, sleeping bags don't cover your head as well as a
cap (usually).

Two pairs of good walking shoes - because 1 pair will inevitably get
muddy, wet, gross or dusty. A third pair in a plastic bag in your car,
along with a clean, dry pair of socks might be overkil, but could be a
godsend, if the weather decides to be really awful.

portable armor repair kit - you know duct tape, a peen hammer, rivets,
something small but anvilish to pound on... Most armorers can easily
repair armor, but they cost and you might have to wait. Careful
maintenance of your armor before you go to war might also save a lot of
grief.

broom - to sweep all the dust and grass and crud which inevitably walks
into your tent with you.

camp shovel - the small U.S. army style entrenching tools are nice
because they have a small pick on the back and the shovel head can be
adjusted to become a mattock head. The ground at Pennsic tends to be
very hard and difficult to dig or to pound tent stake into, esp. if it's
been dry for a couple of days.

STUFF LOTHAR TOTES AROUND IN HIS POUCH

I like to carry the following items with me.

Tiny squeeze bottle filled with dish soap - it washes both dishes and
hands.

bandaids - 1 or 2

sunscreen

spoon

pen - to write with

paper - to write on

(A former lady of mine went to Pennsic hoping to be illiterate for a
week [she's a grad student and wanted a break...;-)] it didn't work. The
SCA is a very literate tribe, Pennsic is no exception)

small flashlight - in case I come home after dark

pocketknife - its OOP, but a pocket knife is a wonderful all-purpose
tool, and is a lot more useful than the oh-so-neat-and-macho
big-zarking-dagger. It is also a patently non-offensive knife and stays
out of sight in my pouch. This means I don't have to leave my knife
behind when I am on or around the list field heralding.


Money - Having money on you means its there when you want to buy
something and its less likely to walk off. Keeping some change on hand
is a good idea. The pennsic daily tidings cost $0.50 last year and it's
a real hassle for the paper venders to have to make change for anything
over a $5 bill.

I.D. - including your Pennsic "dog tag". The hospital doesn't care if
you wear clean underwear, but if they don't know your blood type or what
medications you're on, you're in trouble... 

Sometimes I will carry...

A waterbottle (made out of a 1 liter soda water bottle disquised by a
cloth covering and carried by a baldric of cord. The cloth covering, if
wet, also acts as a radiator and keeps the water cool.)

A goblet (if I expect to go someplace where drinks are served). Wood or
metal are much better than ceramic or glass.



Another neat idea is to hide your OOP light sources (ie flashlights)
in period-looking lanterns. The year of the Pennsic lunar eclipse,
 someone was going around with a flashlight inside a huge white Japanese 
lantern saying that he had caught the moon. It was a neat gag and it looked pretty.
 
Hoping this does someone some good,

	Lothar von Katzenellenbogen \|/
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