[Ansteorra] GW camping in cold/hot weather tips

[Lady Eithne]

>From one who has been to a few GWs,

Linen is the best fiber for garb, it is not too hot in summer nor too cold
in winter.

I cannot afford 14 gowns for a week at war. So except for a couple of Feast
nights, The dress I wear during the day is my underdress every evening.
For GW, wool overdresses are great for evening and you can comfortably be
out in the cool of the evening.(the wool overdress can be short to save
on costs and it's appropriate to my period.) Then add your cloak for
comfort.

Another way to dress up the gown you wore during the day and stay warm is to
make one or two cotes.
Make a simple tunic, long, split down the middle add, soutache braid around
the edge, add a cloak pin to close and you are set.

Ice is brought around to each camp at least 4 x a day.

Don't forget to get the heaters that shut off if the carbon monoxide level
goes up.

Wood is usually available free on site, if there is wood laying around we do
the landowner  a favor by burning it.

Some years we have downpours, so bring parkas to be able to work in the
rain.

Speaking of rain, we would all love to have period storage, but use plastic
tubs to assure drying garb or keep your garb in plastic bags.

The most important advice, keep a set of mundanes in your car in case you
somehow have wet clothes.



In Service to the House, the Shire & the Kingdom, and to the Pursuit of True
Honor,
Lady Eithne ingen meic Cináeda
GrandeDamme FalconRose Keep at Loch Callendre,
Kingdom of Ansteorra, SCA


On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 18:49, Sonja Crocker <sonja.crocker at gmail.com> wrote:

> We attended Gulf Wars last year and this is what we learned from that
> experience.
>
> 1. Garb: Cotton fibers are best. Dress in layers! It was wet and extremely
> cold (in the 40s) at night and cool to warm during the day. The average
> temp
> was between 65 and 75 during the day. I suggest wearing headgear with a
> wide
> brim or with long scarves. Most of us had sunburned necks and shoulders. I
> also suggest wearing very comfy shoes. Expect on walking around 1-2 miles a
> day at least. There are many things to see and do but they are very spread
> out and can be far from camping areas.
>
> 2. Tents: Use rain flies or tarps over the roofs of your tent/s and/or
> pavilions. It rained a lot and it rained hard. I also suggest putting a
> tarp
> down as a floor and connecting the corners to make a sort of bath tub. This
> will help in keeping the rain out of your gear. We packed all of our garb
> in
> plastic storage bins. We plan on having a mesh bag to hang from our
> pavilion
> frame. We will use it to keep our dirty garb in.
>
> 3. Bedding: We used cots and they were wonderful. The ground gets cold at
> night. Be sure to bring plenty of bedding or a tent heater. We had three
> quilts on us and still had to borrow a heater to keep warm. The kids each
> used a sleeping bag made for cold weather and they were fine. Being cold at
> night and early morning were our biggest problems. I hated changing into my
> garb in a cold tent.
>
> 4. Cooking/Firepit Safety: You can buy a cord of wood on site. That is what
> we did. We bought one cord for a group of 30 people and it lasted all week.
> We still had some left by week's end.
>
> 5. Heaters in Tents: Be sure to use a heater that has an automatic cut-off
> system in place in case it turns over or runs out of fuel. Also be sure to
> keep your windows and doors cracked open. This will help with proper
> ventilation. The small cans of fuel will not cut it. It will be best to use
> the big 20+ pound container. We used the small ones and they did not last
> the night.
>
> 6. The most important issues to be aware of are sunburn and dehydration.
> There are MANY water bearing tents so please make use of them. There is
> also
> one tent that serves the best pb&j and bacon sandwiches. They are offered
> for a donation. They are wonderful and the protein is a definite plus. Be
> sure to take plenty of snacks that are full of protein. This will help keep
> your strength up during the day. We took lots of peanut butter and crackers
> and beef jerky. They really helped keep the kids happy and full.
>
> 7. Camping with Kids: We had about 10 kids in camp with us. Here are some
> ideas for keeping the tots happy. There is a Minister of Children area. It
> is a wonderful resource. They have classes every day. They are offered for
> kids 6-12. They have classes for a couple of hours in the morning and a
> couple in the afternoon. Gulf War policy is that kids must always be in the
> line of sight or in hearing distance of their designated adult. There are
> also youth archery competitions and youth combat. As long as an adult is
> with the child, he or she may also attend various demonstrations which are
> fun and worth it. My kids are 8 and 11. They loved playing in camp, going
> to
> class, and watching the fighting. They also loved watching the blacksmith
> in
> the Early Period Encampment. A lot of the camping is very open. This year,
> we are setting up tents in such a way as to have a closed in area for the
> kids to play in. Having kids running around a fighter's tent at o dark
> thirty was not a pleasant experience for the fighter I am sure.:) Pack many
> snacks for the kids. They will eat more than you think. We had a 12" by 12"
> by 36" box full of snacks. I thought it would be plenty. It lasted three
> days. I have a better idea this year. We plan on having a gallon baggie for
> each child per day. This will be full of snacks (peanut butter crackers,
> goldfish, jerky) for the day. I noticed that the kids ate more while in
> camp. We plan on grabbing a snack bag each and leaving for the day.
>
> More good info:
>
> There are plenty of places to eat there. There is The Goode Bakery. They
> sell meat pies and pastries for a reasonable price. There is also a grill
> and a cafeteria onsite. The grill is a little pricey, but the cafeteria is
> not really. The cafeteria sells meals for about $6.50 a piece. For this you
> get a main item, two sides, bread, a drink, and a dessert. The helpings are
> very generous. They have a weekly meal plan. You can by meal tickets. You
> get a discount when you purchase them I think. There is also a gas station
> at the entrance with a grill. It is inexpensive and they have great food.
> They also sell ice onsite. They have a golf cart that comes around and
> sells
> it to each camp once a day. I think it ran about $2 - $2.50 a bag. They
> have
> onsite showers and toilets. They installed better water heaters last year.
> Now, the water actually gets hot and stays that way through most of the
> shower.:) They are well lit and have power outlets. Our bath house had two
> showers each and about 5 unisex toilets. There are also porta-potties but
> they had queues constantly and they were smelly. Be sure to get EVERYTHING
> out of your car that you will need. Cars must be moved early in the week
> and
> it is a good mile's hike to the car parking area. We forgot some things in
> the car that first day. After trekking out there once, we made sure that
> did
> not happen again.:)
>
> This will be our second war. I am hoping to be better prepared this year.
> Take lots of garb. Figure at least one outfit per person per day. For the
> kids, I suggest two outfits per day. My kids were constantly covered in
> mud.
> This will happen. I have heard that there will be lots of rain again this
> year. Bring an umbrella too. I wouldn't care if it isn't period. I will be
> dry.:)
>
> I hope I covered everything, but I am sure I forgot something. I usually
> do.:) It's that Mommy Mushy Mind Syndrome, you know.
>
> Lady Cait O'Hara
> Camping at the End of the World with Loch Ruadh
> Come find us, we don't bite - much!:)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 1, 2010 at 3:27 PM, Hillary Greenslade <hillaryrg at yahoo.com
> >wrote:
>
> > Greetings,
> > With Gulf Wars looming on the horizon in a month, I thought I'd post a
> > few questions about camping in very cold/hot and perhaps wet weather, and
> > hopefully get some answers from folks to prepare those on our list for
> whom
> > this is their first war:
> >
> > 1)  Garb:  recommendations on fibers, layers, under/outerwear, headgear,
> > footgear?
> >
> > 2)  Tents:  recommendations on rain protections, ground preparations?
> >
> > 3)  Bedding:  ground/above-ground beds, bed clothes (blankets, sheets,
> > furs)?
> >
> > 4)  Cooking/firepit safety:  emergency fire extinquishers, ground
> > preparations, wood to use?
> >
> > 5)  Heaters in tents:  proper use of tent heaters, venting, carbon
> monixide
> > poisoning issues?
> >
> > 6)  Health issues:  Hyperthermia, overheating issues,  insect prevention
> > and treatment?
> > Irritant plants presention and treatment (poison ivy/oak)?
> >
> > Anything else forgotten that might be good to share with newcomers
> > preparing for their first camping?
> >
> > Here are a few links that might help in your preparations from a variety
> of
> > great SCA war websites:
> > http://www.gulfwars.org/rules.html
> > http://www.gulfwars.org/faq.html
> >
> > Camping ideas from other great wars, these may not apply to Gulf Wars:
> > http://www.estrellawar.org/Portals/EstrellaWar/articles/PACK-LST.pdf
> > http://www.estrellawar.org/PreparingToAttend/Weather.aspx
> > http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn39/GENERAL/pack.html
> > http://www.pennsicwar.org/penn39/GENERAL/guide.html
> >
> > Happy planning and packing,
> > Cheers, Hillary
> > _______________________________________________
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>
>
>
> --
> Cait O'Hara
> mka: Sonja Crocker
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