What to bring to my first National Event?

[jda3rd]

RJ, Give me another couple of years, and it'll be frost!

Frank

[tenfed1861]

Best advice is break your brogans in right now.You will probably be doing a good deal of marching,and if you're brogans are broken in,it will save you blisters.A week before the event,hydrate.Drink nothing but water and tea.Avoid soda and sports drinks as that is mostly sugar and will hurt you.Bring some fruit in season like peaches or maybe pears.Get them from roadside fruit stands as that will help provide you with some moisture in your throat in the heat.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Laudanum, 20 drops. Repeat after each scenario.

[TheQM]

If you can make the time, go a day early and leave a day late. You do that and you can bring pretty much anything you want to the event. Find out when registration opens and plan to be first in line. As soon as you get registered take your car and plunder to your camping area. Drop your stuff off and head for the parking lot. The quicker you get there, the better your parking spot. Head back to camp, perhaps stopping at the sutlers, if they've gotten set up. Wonder back to your campsite and find someone who'll tell you where to set up. If there's nobody around, don't panic. Just pop a cool one and wait. (A cooler is mandatory equipment at a Mainstream event in July) Sooner, or later someone in authority will show up and tell where to go. You can now pitch you tent, get settled in and wait for the masses to show up.

On Sunday, when everybody else is packing up, waiting in line, and fighting traffic, you just sit back, pop another cool one, or two, or three, and wait. When the mob has cleared out, usually about 5:00 or 6:00 PM, take a leisurely walk over to the parking lot and pick up your car. You can then either drive into town for a nice dinner, or head back to camp to party with the other stay-overs. In either case, when you go to bed Sunday night, your car will be parked behind your tent. Get a good nights sleep. (No trying to stay awake on that Sunday night drive.) When you wake up, well rested and relaxed, on Monday morning, just pack up your stuff and head home.

[RJSamp]

RJ, Give me another couple of years, and it'll be frost!

Frank

After the heat and 'coming home' up the hill after the battles.....I'm right with you! And we did it barefoot, uphill both ways, without iPods or iPads.....

[Anders]

@ Mike- love that one

Pards,

Chris

[8thILCavalry]

EXTRA TOILET PAPER. You might not need it, but if you don't bring it. You will need it and it won't be there. :P

[orangeblossoms]

I. Just pop a cool one and wait. (A cooler is mandatory equipment at a Mainstream event in July) .

Why pray tell, is this "mandatory equipment"?? I don't really want to open up a can of non-refrigerated worms here, but I am amazed by this ( and i'm holding out hope that it was written in jest).

[reddcorp]

EXTRA TOILET PAPER. You might not need it, but if you don't bring it. You will need it and it won't be there. :P

Well, since you broached the subject, I've found it beneficial to carry a fanny-pack (an extra haversack with extra TP, GoldBond or other powder, and perhaps some Baby Wipes). Yep entirely non-period items, but sure beats the heck out of authentic rashes and gauled crotch.

A. Redd

[RJSamp]

I hear you Andy! Born and raised in Wisconsin on a lake for most every summer....I can not tolerate mosquitoes, period. so I bring the 100% DEET in the Red Bottle....