How to Make Your Encampment Look More Period
and Ways to Fake It.

 By HE Valerius Peancalvus

You’ve been in the SCA for awhile and you realized that your encampment doesn’t quite look right. The feeling of being transported back to your time period just isn’t happening. You would really like your encampment or presence at an event to look more “period” and you’re wondering what youcould do to make it look better. Here’s the rub, you can’t afford to spend a big chunk of cash on a custom made pavilion, furniture, etc. In truth, you don’t need to, especially at first.

You really can make your modern gear look better with a little effort and with just a little more work can make you own accoutrements and equipment that looks quit correct or has the right flavor.

The obvious first step for making your encampment look more period is to make it look less modern. Get rid of anything modern - easy to say, harder to actually do.  Get rid of your Coke cans, plastic bags, Rubbermaid containers, those folding nylon camping chairs, your tennis shoes or any item that looks like it’s made of modern materials.

Now comes the easy part, hide it all or make it look like something else!

For example, you can’t really afford any new camp furniture, but you’ve already got folding card tables and nylon camp chairs, make fabric “cozys” to go over them. Especially on the chairs this is a great opportunity to paint you heraldic device on the backs of them. Find appropriate patterned fabric and cover your tables, coolers, or anything that has a modern appearance to it. The richer the texture the better, tapestry style materials look good. Places like Pier 1 are great for things like the Middle Eastern look pillows and accents, these often can cover many modern items.

If you and your friends or household are camping together, arrange your area so that the period tents and pavilions are the showcase pieces. Hide the modern tents behind or interspersed with the period tents.

Pavilions and tents –

A real pavilion is a wonderful thing, it looks great, you feel like you are really there, but a new pavilion can be very expensive.  However, you can change the appearance of your tent or hide it in a number of ways.

Using sheets or fabric panels suspended from poles and crossbars make walls that surround you tent. These can be painted with scenes from your favorite medieval manuscripts or treat them like tapestries. This will give some additional privacy and some storage around your tent.

Inexpensive pop-up 10’ x 10’  sun flies ($30-90) are available at place like Menards, Northern, an other such stores.  Make fabric covers and sides for these, add dags, paint them to add color. Cover your existing tent with this or if you are feeling adventurous, camp in this, though I don’t think they’ll weather big storms.

Another similar frame system is the portable carport, these typically are bigger and more durable.

A relatively easy medieval tent is the Viking style tent, similar to a pup tent in shape, they give you opportunity for decoration with the ease of setup and dismantle.

Furniture – You can really make your campsite look very period with some additions of furniture, a couple nice wooden chairs, a table, chests, and other elements. Also, the inside of you pavilion will look that much more right with those touches of comfort and the period texture.

Beds

At some point you really get tired of sleeping directly on the ground, but you don’t want to bring a whole bed.

One of our local folk brings a large fabric bag and straw and they make their own straw ticking bed… I have my reservations about this one but idea of only needing to bring the bag home is appealing.

An easy way of making a bed platform is to use 6 to 8 milk crates as supports and two pieces of plywood approximately 30” x 74” (depending on bed size) as planks on them.  The crates can be still used as storage bins and tuck out of the way when not being accessed. Then cover the whole thing with a cloth.

Use an air mattress, futon or a couple of sleeping bags as padding and cover with more fabric – the East Indian dhurrie block print spreads always look appropriate.

Chairs

Modern camp stools and directors chairs can be painted with scenes from manuscripts or with your personal or group heraldry.

Directors chairs, nylon folding chairs and folding wooden chairs can be covered with “cozys” as a way to hide their modern look. Decorate these covers with painting or appliqué.

Good looking approximations of period “faldstools” are available from Marshall Fields for about $100. 

Toscano Design has the Glastonbury Chair for $250.00

There are many good patterns and tutorials for chairs at some of the following web sites if you wish to build you own appropriate chairs.

Tables

Hide your modern folding tables under fabric.

Make a trestle table with sawhorses and planks or pieces of plywood with benches for seating.

Knock down / slot together tables made of plywood – generally not period but an affordable alternative that travels flat.

Storage – Traditionally, barrels and wooden boxes, coffers or baskets would have been the containers of choice, but these aren’t always convenient to build, store and transport.  A multitude of modern sins can be hidden out of sight, such as clothing, feastgear, foodstuffs, kitchen equipment and loose camp junk.

Boxes and chests are probably the easiest to make or modify. Look at stores like Pier 1, Marshalls & TJmax for antiqued chests and coffers. IKEA sells a toy chest for about $13.00, which can be modified by painting with scenes from manuscripts or with your personal or group heraldry and adding rustic metal hardware. I’ve also seen these painted with backgammon and gaming boards on top.

The larger chests and coffers also make great chairs and benches. Another great way of hiding your cooler is to make a chest that goes around it.

Baskets, especially covered ones are an excellent  way to hide small things in your pavilion, they add to the overall look of your area.

Floor coverings –

Look for Oriental or Middle Eastern rugs at rummage sales and the discount stores. Preferably, use rugs made with synthetic fibers, you don’t want to have your nice real wool Persian ruined in the next downpour.  For an extra bit of protection, put down a plastic tarp first before setting your pavilion up, then place your carpets and rugs, this will keep them cleaner and in better condition.

Painted floor cloths are another appropriate alternative, paint designs onto canvas with acrylic paint and clear coat to protect the paint. An easy source for large pieces of canvas already hemmed is painter’s drop cloths. These can be easily modified to fit your tent or pavilion. Large geometric patterns, celtick notwork, designs based on medieval tiled floors are some of the designs you can draw from.

Lighting – Keep your fluorescent camping lamp hidden in your tent. Lanterns with glass faces or stamped metal lanterns are a wonderful source of light and look quit good inside and hung outside the pavilion. Be very careful with open flame from candles and oil based lamps.

A huge variety of “rustic” lanterns are available from stores such as Pier 1, Marshalls, TJmax, Target and IKEA. Lanterns can be placed inside the pavilion or hung outside on the iron shepard’s crooks available from most discount stores.

Decorations –

Decorate your encampment with pennons and banners. Show off your personal arms, your household’s heraldry.  Use the banner poles to define the boundaries of your encampment or make a gate or entrance to your encampment.  

Feast gear, drinking vessels, plates, pitchers, eating and cooking utensils-

NO PLASTIC! NO coke cans, no McDonalds cups!

Glass, ceramic or metal is appropriate. Look for handmade goblets, plates and serving ware. Some of the brightly colored Mexican and Italian ceramic ware has very a appropriate look, much like late period Majolica.

Metal plates, chargers and drinking vessels should be either tinned, silver plated or lead-free pewter – brass and copper can react with the contents and make you sick.

Good luck! Happy camping!

Valerius Peancalvus - old_bear@earthlink.net

 
Some online resources:

http://www.currentmiddleages.org
http://www.hci.net/~rlbradwell/pavilionw/budget.html 
http://www.currentmiddleages.org/tents/furniture.htm 
http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Medieval/miscellany_pdf/Other_Articles_I.pdf

 
Links to online vendors:

http://www.historicenterprises.com 
http://www.jeffbrownpottery.com/medieval1.htm