Picture this for a moment, you have attended your first medieval re-enactment event. You have spent the day visiting the merchant stalls, your dressed in your medieval soft kit, you’ve watched the battle or maybe even taken part. Now the sun is going down, the merchants are shutting up shop, the MOPs (members of the public) are going home and so should you. But now there seems to be a bit of a different atmosphere, like a party is about to happen and you want to stay, so why don’t you?
So how can you get into re-enactment camping? What are my options and what will I need?
Plastic Camping
Plastic camping is the term used for any sort of modern camping. Most events have a campsite specifically for modern camping. If the plastics isn’t on site it is normally very close by and this makes it a great option.
A basic modern tent can be purchased quite cheaply new or second hand or if you’re like most of us you have an old tent knocking about at the back of the shed, garage, or loft that you can use. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy or special as you will be spending most of your time away from plastic camping and in the living history areas or the market anyway.
Some events even allow caravans and campervans, and this pushes the comfort level up another notch but always check with the event organisers ahead of time.
Hotels
Hotels and BnBs are another good option especially if you find one close to the event. There isn’t much to say about hotels as most of us have stayed in them at some point, but local hotels do get booked up quick so make sure you plan well in advance.
This is a great option if you want to stay but the idea of camping puts you off.
Living History Camp
Now this is what it’s all about, living in history, the smell, the feel, sitting round a fire telling stories and singing songs. Here are a few types of tents to get you started.
Find a friend, share, or borrow
First off if you’re lucky enough to join a large household some of its members may be well set up and well equipped. Ask nicely and someone may have room to spare and put you up in with them for the event. Other times club members who may not be attending an event may let you borrow their tent or shelter. Just remember to be the perfect house guest and if you borrow a tent please return it in the same condition as you borrowed it.
The Tarp Shelter
Ok this is for the Hard Core among us. This is the most basic shelter you can do without sleeping in a ditch or next to the fire.
A tarp shelter is simply a canvas tarp stretched over a low hanging tree limb, rope suspended between two trees or a couple of poles. This shelter is more exposed but very simple, cheep and historically accurate for those lower status men at arms, archers, and peasants. I’ve seen this done very well but it is rare, there is no hiding anything modern in this type of shelter but with a simple bed roll on the floor really set a scene.
Wedge Tent
Another basic tent, the front opening wedge tent is a bit of interesting one and a little contentious. It is a little later design but does blend into a camp well, purists would say that it isn’t a medieval tent, but it is normally accepted at most events. You can have these open or closed if you want to show off your tent interior or hide modern equipment away.
Saxon Wedge Tent
More historically accurate for the medieval times, this basic style wedge tent opens at the side rather than the front. These tents are a really good choice if you want to display the interior of your tent with the added bonus of the door acting as an awning to provide shade or protection from a sudden downpoor.
Norman Cone Tent
A cone tent is a single pole tent that is pegged around the perimeter to keep it upright. They come in a variety of sizes and they look really cool. Space can be an issue due to the steep sides and central pole on this tent and can have quite a large footprint.
Marquee’s and Pavilions
These tend to be the big boys, ranging anywhere from a 3/4 meter footprint upwards. This gives you loads of space to play with. I have seen people who create sections using sheets or tapestries to section off part of the space to hide modern equipment but still have a historically accurate space to present to the MOPs.
These tents take the most setting up and require a few sets of hands due to the number of parts that make up its support.
Conclusion
All these tents have pros and cons but its what works best for you. Historical tents can be very expensive so make sure the tent you choose suits all your needs and you won’t be replacing it sooner that you expected because it’s too small or too big. Speak to people who own historical tents, see how they find camping in them. Do your research ahead of time and if you’re a member of a club speak to your other members. Maybe you stick with plastic camping, maybe its a stop gap untill you have chosen the tent you want, there are many benifits to camping in plastics.
Canvas tents are also big and heavy and with the solid wooden poles that are needed to support them. This can make transporting them very difficult. Before buying a medieval tent look at how you’re going to get it to events with all the other kit that you will need.
Another consideration is to get a tent that fits in with the Impression you’re attempting to display. By this I mean if your impression is of a low-ranking archer or man at arms, they will not be in a huge Burgundian pavilion and at the other end of the spectrum a Lord or Lady will not be sleeping under a tarp exposed to the elements. This isn’t a rule exactly and please don’t take it as gate keeping, enjoy your hobby, only spend what you can afford and most importantly have fun.
And finally, the most important thing when being a guest in someone else’s camp is to be courteous, helpful, and respectful. Even if you are not sleeping in the living history camp but you are using it during show time it is important to help set up, keep it clean and more importantly help pack up. At the end of an event, you want to pack up and get home, but a little extra time put in to help others is always appreciated, don’t be that person who picks up their stuff and is on the road while others are still picking up rubbish and packing down equipment.
I hope you found this useful and starts you on your journey to enjoying the world of medieval camping.