[Sca-cooks] Mattress sacks for Pennsic

[Mark.S Harris]

Olwen asked:
> >The straw bales at first glance do seem expensive, but they are brought
> >onsite, someone is there to sell them and the $5/bale includes the
> >disposal cost. I've been buying a bale for several years to break apart
> >and use in my mattrass sack.
>
> >THLord  Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
>
> Mattrass sack??  What are you talking about?
>
> Olwen

Futon mattresses, platform and rope beds are way too big to fit into
my luggage allowance since I have been flying into Pennsic. Air
mattresses have a disturbing occurrence of springing leaks.

My solution since Pennsic 27 has been to buy a straw bale from the
guy (one of the Coopers?) who is selling them on the Serrengetti
near the entrance. I then break the bale up into a pile of straw
and stuff a cloth sack. The first two years this was a linen-like
table cloth that I bought at a thrift store, folded in half and
then sewed up two edges leaving one of the ends open. I then folded
over the open end and closed it with large safety pins. This then
gets covered with a pair of flannel sheets and a sleeping bag.

Several months ago, I found a cloth futon cover at a thrift store.
This is a double size and has a three-inch side panel sewed around
it with a zipper holding it closed. This should pack with straw
better and ends up being wider so that will replace my previous
tablecloth version.

This won't work for events that don't have straw bales available
at them and I would probably balk at getting only one or two nights
use out of a $5 bale anyway.

If you have the space, platform beds covered with a futon mattress
or large air mattress works well. I used a rope bed for years but
couldn't get rid of the problems they are prone to. The ropes
stretch and with two folks you end up in one pile in the middle of
the bed. They also have a tendancy to 'squeak' at times, especially
if built using only period materials. For more on various bed
alternatives, check this file in the HOME, SWEET HOME section
of the Florilegium:
beds-msg         (143K)  1/10/01    Medieval and SCA beds. rope and slat
beds.

This is getting off the subject of this list, so the I guess the
appropriate thought here is, there is some period evidence for
eating a variety of things in bed.

Stefan li Rous
stefan at texas.net