This list is from my experiences from travelling from An Tir to Pennsic four times, always by plane. The second time I was in the Royal encampment, as head lady-in-waiting to Queen Groa (third time I was temporary retinue to Queen Asa). I've written this as though I was talking with Their Majesties or Their retinue.                                    - Dame Mira Silverlock, Baroness of An Tir

BEFORE YOU GO

• There is a royalty liason on the Pennsic staff, who is there to assist you as you need. They can be very helpful answering questions, and reserving a good site for the Royal Encampment.
• Get your registration in!  If you are past the deadline, they do make special exceptions for the royal party, retinue included.

• You can almost always get cheaper airfare flying into Cleveland than you can if you fly into Pittsburgh. I saved over $100 this way, and found that the drive was just barely longer, and almost all freeway.

• Check with your airline to see how much you can put on the plane.  The usual amount is two piece of checked baggage, and one carry-on. Doublecheck their restrictions on size and weight. The usual fee for more pieces of luggage, or ones that are overweight is $50 per bag!

• Don't check the royal crowns--consider those carry on! :)

• My checked baggage was a cooler, with my clothes inside and my folding chair duct taped to the top (and duct taped shut), and a large plastic water cooler (also duct taped shut) which had my personal effects. For my carryon, I took a gym bag with a spare change of clothes, my tickets, my Pennsic registration, my duct tape, my wallet, a cloak, and warm shoes.  This is just in case your luggage doesn't arrive when you do (the first time I went, it didn't!). I also talked the airline into letting me take my little foldup luggage carrier on as a carry on.   TIP:  Don't put your sewing scissors or metal tent stakes in your carryon luggage--makes those nice people at the metal detector kind of jumpy....

• Anything more than that will either have to be paid for, or go with someone else. If you are shipping things, consider the following:
• Air freight can be shipped a couple days ahead, and be ready for you when you arrive at the airport. I shipped an entire yurt this way--one coffin-sized wooden box (which we used for storage and as a bench) held the wooden pieces and my sleeping bag, and an oversized plastic tub (duct taped shut) held all the canvas, yurt roof ring, cooler coverings, floor mats, etc--and doubled as a bathtub in the little shower tent I took.
• You may want to research UPS and other carriers. Some other people used UPS and had their gear delivered directly to the site, after confirming it with the royalty coordinator.  I called about 15 different companies/carriers, and found that air freight met my needs best, as they were the only ones who could guarantee my stuff would be where I wanted when I wanted it. Also, when you ship stuff home, UPS has limited hours and locations for oversized items. This means you may have to pack your stuff ahead of your departure time, as they do not pick up from Pennsic.
• If you ship air freight, know their hours of operation.  They are NOT open 24 hours a day, so your arrival and departure times will have to be when the freight offices are open if you want to pick up/drop off stuff while you are at the airport. I've used United and Continental, and just barely made my connection because of this problem. Otherwise they were great.  I don't think United does air freight anymore--they don't have the federal inspectors on site to meet regulations.
• If you are doing some serious shopping at Pennsic, you may want to mail or UPS your purchases home. There is a postal trailer on site that can help you with this, and some merchants may be able to do it for you, too.

• Rent a truck. Budget rents small pickups for just BARELY more than a car, and it will get used all the time--picking up gear at the airport, grocery runs, ferrying fighters back from a distant battle, toting your gear, shuttling people to the parking lot (hey, that's a LONG way to walk when it's hot and muggy!).
• If you rent a car or truck, remember that in Pennsylvania it is illegal to have anything hanging from your rearview mirror, including the site pass the Gate insist you keep in the car. Cops will happily remind you of this if they spot you :)

• The Kingdom of An Tir will have a permanent site for land, starting 2001.  This will include the Royal Encampment and any other An Tirians who wish to camp with people from their home kingdom.  (UPDATE: 2002--this is being checked)

• They say you can tell the An Tirians at Pennsic, because they are sacked out under the trees, panting :) .  This is partly true--the heat can be very muggy and oppressive.  Be ready for anything--from almost freezing to high heat with lots of humidity.
• Bring layers to wear, because as soon as the sun sets the temperature drops. Linen is wonderful in hot weather!
• Expect sunburn--bring hats or veiling and sunscreen. If you can, bring a kitchen canopy or day shade so you'll have a place out of the sun, outside your tent.
• There are showers on site, but they are often cold. They feel wonderful when it's hot and muggy out!
• Make sure your tent is waterproof, or that you have adequate covering for it. Thunderstorms can be very violent, and dump a lot of rain very quickly.

• The food vendors at Pennsic are varied and plentiful.  I've never packed kitchen gear, except feast gear, because we always ate meals at the merchants.
• Keep lots of Gatorade on hand!
• I always kept bagels, peanut butter, veggies and snacks in camp (hence the cooler). Don't forget to try the chocolate milk (aka Pennsic Crack...) sold at the on-site store.
• The water on-site tastes bad.  Buy gallon jugs of water, and dump them and a bag of ice into the water cooler. I used a simple canvas bag to cover the water cooler, with a hole for the spout. Cut up lemons don't hurt the taste, either.
• From Aoife: "I would also mention the perils of buying and using the styrofoam coolers (food poisoning!) Heat stroke, and that there are really great food merchants on site, so if you have the money, eating at merchants works...."

• A decent cot or bed, if you can. Whether hot or wet weather, a decent bed can make a huge difference in how comfortable you are when you camp.
• Bug Spray!
• The comfiest walking shoes you can get away with. You will probably be doing a lot of walking.
• A good flashlight. Pennsic has strict rules about fires, and it really helps to have a good light when trekking from party to party.
• Basic medication--Pepto, Tylenol, Neosporin. Also, there are yellow jackets on site, so bring a bee sting kit if you are allergic.
• A large, strong fabric shoulder bag to carry your purchases in. Rolls up small, and can be used to carry ice from the store, firewood, etc...
• A firepit of some type.  You may be able to dig a pit on site. This make a huge difference in how welcoming the campsite is at night.
• Kingdom banners, including a war banner. The banners will help identify your camp, and your fighting unit. Many households use some sort of camp walls, or half camp walls, to delineate their area
• A camera.
• Your ID and registration. Don't forget your phone card--there are pay phones on site.
• A chair with a back. Ship it, bribe someone to pack it with the stuff they're driving across country--a decent chair will make a big difference in how comfortable you are.
• A sunshade.  Don't count on having trees in your camp, and a sun/rain shade will make your camp much more liveable.
• I've posted my packing list here.  I have not included things I ship ahead, like the yurt, my pillow and sleeping bag, fabric bags for the walls of the yurt, a wooden folding chair, a plastic drop cloth.

• Have your retinue bring something to drink for you (the bureaucrats may say no alcohol, but the King's drinking horn is his own business!). Snacks may also be a good idea. Bring enough to share with the Monarch sitting next to you. We found pizza to be a good icebreaker... :)
• It will almost certainly be hot under the lights. Plan on cool court garb if possible, and have an attendant bring a fan.
• Attendants allowed to stand behind the Thrones are limited to one herald and two attendants. There will be a meeting earlier in the week to discuss the details with one of your retinue.
• If you want pictures, don't forget to send someone ahead with your camera, so they can get a good spot to take photos.
• You will be expected to make a statement at Court. The norm usually includes some nice things about the other monarchs, and how much fun you are having at Pennsic.
• You will be allowed at least one, maybe two, pieces of business at Court.

• You will be invited to various events hosted by other Monarchs. Bring some good stationery and a calligraphy pen (and someone who knows how to use it ) to send back RSVPs.
• Bring an alarm clock, or have someone in retinue be in charge of making sure you get up in time to be where you want to be. Some of those events start early. Retinue is also good for getting that first cup of coffee for you...
• There will be gifts exchanged with other Monarchs, delivered with a personal visit or by a runner. Make sure to have something prepared as your gifts to the other Sovereigns.
• It isn't necessary for you to be "on" all the time, if you don't want to. Many people enjoy wearing their crown or coronet constantly, but if you need some time to just shop or wander without all the brouhaha that happens when Sovereigns walk through crowds, feel free to dress down, take an attendant (or not), and go incognito.
• Plan on your retinue having some sort of baldric or identifying device so they can look be an easily recognizable unit in a crowd. If you can bring spears or pikes, they are very impressive-looking for your guards to carry.
• Double check the times for meetings and ceremonies (opening ceremonies, etc).  There's nothing more exciting than waking up to the sound of hundreds of people queuing up behind your tent, for a procession you're supposed to be in...
• There will be a meeting for representatives of each kingdom to hammer out details for Grand Court. Be sure to send someone to this--the information is invaluable, even if you have been Sovereign at Pennsic before.

Home\Tent links\Tent gallery\People gallery\Resources\Costuming\SCA\ Needlepoint\Site Stats\Tent Info\Camp Cooking\ Tents for Sale\ Art Gallery\ FAQ\Pennsic\ Great Camping Ideas\ Packing List\ Sacred Spaces Newsletter\ Furniture