Medievalizing Your Encampment
Magistra Rosmounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2002)
Magistra Rosmounde of Mercia (copyright Micaela Burnham 2002)
- The basics
- The two rules of hiding the mundane:
- Put something over it
- Put it in something else
- Use the camp space you have to it best advantage
- In period, things didn’t match, so you don’t have to either
- Be neat—put mundane things away. This will instantly improve the look and ambiance of your camp.
- The two rules of hiding the mundane:
- Shelter
- Personal tents
- Purchasing a period style tent
- Period construction vs. rigid interior frame
- Brands: Medieaval Miscellanea (rigid interior frame), easy to set up, efficient water shedding, superb quality canvas, comes complete with canvas, poles, ropes, stakes, and ground cloth; Four Seasons Tentmaster (semi-period construction), walls may be dropped halfway for air circulation, excellent quality canvas, comes complete with canvas, poles, ropes, stakes, and storage bags, can be put up by one person, some shrinkage; Panther Primitives (period construction), comes with canvas only, less expensive, variety of canvas types available.
- Canvas: all will be waterproof, strongly recommend mildew resistant and flame retardant. It’s not a bargain if it falls apart or burns up.
- Making a period style tent
- Period construction style tents are the easiest to make. Getting the angles right on interior welded frames is very tricky. If they are off even slightly the tent won’t go up properly.
- Materials
- Use canvas: Nylon and plastic don’t breath, rip too easily, and hold in fumes. Get the best quality canvas. Spend extra for flame retardant and mildew resistant. Don’t try to waterproof yourself.
- Poles: They should be substantial enough not to blow over, bend, or break in a strong wind. Do not use stud lumber or conduit for canvas tents, as they are too flimsy. Many lumberyards will do specialty milling. Do not have metal poles sticking out of the top of your tent. These are called lightning rods. Where poles have to be joined, the best method is a metal sleeve.
- Painting: Do not use latex paints—this will destroy waterproofing anywhere that it touches. Use plain acrylic or fabric paints.
- Ropes and stakes: Use hemp or good quality synthetic ropes that are braided, not twisted—three strand is best. Consider having a craftsman make your ropes for you. Use substantial stakes of rebar or smithed iron for any weight bearing stake.
- Purchasing a period style tent
- Dining Flys
- Small dining flys: If you are making a simple fly that is 5’ x 10’ or less, it is possible to use lighter weight fabrics and poles.
- Larger dining flys: Same as tents above
- Se hand-out directions for a simple dining fly
- Personal tents
- Food
- Kitchen area
- The kitchen tent: The kitchen tent should include your cooking equipment, dishwashing equipment, and food storage. If there is a stove in the tent, you must have a fire extinguisher. This is your food preparation area so have garbage receptacles close at hand, and keep the area very clean with bleach, anti-bacterial wipes, and hand cleaning gel readily available.
- Using period equipment and techniques:
- Cooking with fire—taught as a separate class. Fire pits can be as simple as a hole in the ground, but a container is preferable. An oil drum cut in half lengthwise, a custom-made hanging pit. For deep pits, you will need drainage holes in the bottom. Make sure the area under and around your pit is free of flammable materials—cover grass with a thick coat of dirt or mud. Other equipment you will need are grills (some heavy enough to support large pots and others with small enough mesh to keep foods from falling through. Also A tripod or support bar for hanging pots, appropriate utensils and a place to hang them. You will also need to have a fire extinguisher near your fire, and some heavy duty oven or barbeque mitts.
- Ovens: Metal or clay ovens can be used for baking and roasting if properly constructed.
- Food
- Period style foods and menus: It can be fun to research period foods that are appropriate for travel, camping, and wars. There are many excellent sources to provide you with inspiration. Be sure to plan for cooking methods that are available in your camp.
- Coolers or not
- No coolers: If you are camping near enough to the store, and you are not addicted to cold soft drinks, you may be a candidate for giving up your cooler. Foods can be preserved in many ways besides chilling, and you may want to experiment with pickling, salting, and immersion in honey or olive oil. You will save both time and money by not buying ice.
- I want my cooler: Make a cooler cover with insulation in it. Not only does it look better, but it will stay cold longer.
- Eating and Serving Dishes
- Period style feast gear and serving wear (see pictures in hand-out): There is a lot available out there, both made by SCA craftsmen and even at flea markets and discount stores. Remember, it doesn’t have to match. Matching is an out of period concept. Mark your dishes in some way on the bottom, so they won’t get mixed up. Use an engraving tool, wood burner, or paint to put your devise, badge, or initials on all your dishes and utensils.
- Kitchen area
- Cleanliness and bathing:
- Washing dishes
- Period basins: (See pictures in hand-out): It is not hard to find similar types or use small half barrels or period style buckets.
- Don’t get the plague: Use hot water and anti-bacterial soap. Also remember the scout 3-basin method: first with water and soap, second with water and vinegar, third with water and bleach.
- Bathing
- Showers: Showers aren’t period, but most of us are addicted to the convenience, so the goal is to make it as period looking as possible.
- Shower stalls and tents: You will want to have some kind of floor, even if only a pallet.
- Drainage: You must have a sump hole or trench dug to a drainage ditch to keep wastewater contained.
- Stalls: Many creative designs are used for inclosing shower stalls. Some of these are: small turrets at the side of the front gate, a lattice box resembling an arbor, “hula hoop” stalls that hang from a tree, and wooden or metal frames with a variety of cloth or canvas sides. The style you use will depend on your hot water delivery system.
- Tents: Any style tent can be converted to a shower house. A small arming pavilion is about shower sized.
- Hot water delivery systems
- Shower bags: These are the easier to deal with. You can leave them in the sun to heat, or pour boiling water into them. They hang from a hook, and can be pulled up with a pulley system for use.
- Hot water heaters: more and more camps are using these. Small in-line propane heaters are the most popular. They come with their own pumps if there is no or low water pressure, and many have rechargeable batteries. They can hook up to a water line if there’s pressure, or use a reservoir if there’s not. There are many other methods used as well.
- Shower stalls and tents: You will want to have some kind of floor, even if only a pallet.
- Baths: Baths are more period but basically impractical for camping events, and large tubs are banned by many camps. Here are some alternatives.
- Sponge baths: Great for weekend events. With a basin and a washcloth, you can get sufficiently clean. Be really period and rinse with rosewater or witch hazel.
- Small baths: With a slightly larger basin, you can stand in 4-6 inches of water and bathe fairly thoroughly.
- Showers: Showers aren’t period, but most of us are addicted to the convenience, so the goal is to make it as period looking as possible.
- Shaving and washing
- Period basins, soaps, cloths, and towels: Fun to research and easy to make or find. (See hand-out)
- Washing dishes
- Furniture: Most furniture in the Middle Ages owned by nobles was intended to be taken apart and moved. This is great for us. It was generally made out of oak until later periods.
- Chairs
- “Bog chairs” (design in hand-out): This easy to make, 2-piece chair packs well and is fairly portable. They are not good for eating at table, but are great on the filed or around the fire. They are not strictly period in design, but have a period concept and feel.
- Period style chairs (pictures in hand-out): The most commonly seen in the SCA is the folding X chair similar to the Dante or Savonarola chairs of Renaissance Italy. For group eating areas, benches are more period and take up a lot less space.
- Tables: A trestle table can be as simple as a plank of wood across two sawhorses or quite complicated with hinges and stretchers. There were many types in period.
- Beds
- Rope beds: A wooden frame with holes through the rails through which a rope is strung to support a mattress. These require minimal wood and pack easily. They do take longer to set up, and must be tightened daily to avoid sagging. Should not be made larger than a standard double bed, and is not recommended for very large people. These are great for children, who love to string them.
- Slat beds: A wooden frame that ha a ledge on each side to support slats that support the mattress. Depending on design, these assemble quickly and need no adjustments once up. They do require more bulky pieces.
- Mattresses
- Air mattress: Obviously not period, but light, and easy to pack. Also subject to blowouts and not comfortable for everyone.
- Solid mattress: Foam or futon, a solid mattress won’t go flat but is bulkier by far to pack. A foam mattress can be rolled up or cut into blocks for ease of packing.
- Clothing Storage
- Folding closet systems: several designs exist for hinged systems that have hanging bars and shelves. These are not pried, but are very convenient.
- Chests: The period method for clothing storage is the chest. This can be an attractive addition to your tent, but require digging to find things and are heavier to transport.
- Shelves: There are a number of designs for period shelves that can hang or stand in your tent. These can be made to break down.
- Chairs
- Camp Amenities
- Torches: There are some very nice metal ones on the market that have a period look. You can also make wooden ones to accommodate the metal canisters, or have a smith forge you some very period ones.
- Camp boundaries
- Sheet walls: Very popular, these are easy to pack, light, and fairly easy to put up. Any wall over 3 feet should have wind slit cut into it. These can be painted to resemble almost anything.
- Ropes: Most popular, these boundaries can be enhanced with pennons and decorative posts and/or finials. Make sure they are high enough not to be a trip hazard, and put light colored pennons or strips of cloth on any in a high traffic area.
- Fences: These are becoming more popular, although they are generally used for only a part of the boundary. These range from roll up redwood fencing that can be purchased, to wattle fencing that is made on site.
- Gates: Every encampment has a gate, even if it’s just a break in the rope. A gate can really announce who you are as a camp.
- Castles and forts: Popular with Kingdoms. This is a large gate requiring significant manpower to assemble and usually on-site storage space.
- Bridges and water based gates: Many people contend with a large drainage ditch at the front of their camp. Bridges of various sorts are the answer to this problem.
- Arbors and gardens: These make excellent gates because the period scale is correct, they are pretty, and they do not involve a lot of materials.
- Doorways and architectural elements: The design elements found around period gates, doors and windows can make very attractive gates with minimal construction needed.
- Other Structures
- Arming pavilions and utility tents: This is a great way to have a place for storing armor and weapons, or for stowing tools and firewood.
- Religious structures
- Chapels: A chapel was a common structure in medieval homes and castles. They can have a variety of uses in your camp.
- Shrines: A number of shrines exist at Pennsic, in both private camps and the merchant area. They are usually quite small, but make a nice display.
- Wells and fountains: These are elements that introduce water into the camp as a decorative and sometimes functional element.
- Heraldry
- Banner, pennons, and gonfalons: All of these are fabric hangings or flags used to decorate and identify the camp. Pennons are small flags good for tent or border ropes. A gonfalon is long streamer like flag often used on the tops of tents.
- Heraldic gates and walls: Heraldic shields can be made of wood or painted on walls to decorate the camp.