What to pack?
First version of this page written on March 15, 2008. More will probably be added later...
Clothing
The combination of the multi-building site and October weather means that one should go for the practical rather than pretty. This is not the event to show off your finest silk gown!
Shoes: Bring shoes in which you can go down a gravelly hill without slipping. October is generally a fairly wet month and while the site's paths won't be muddy, you may still get your feet wet, so something fairly waterproof is a good idea. As the site rules do not allow us to wear outdoor shoes indoors, be prepared to take your shoes off every time you enter the feast hall or the sleeping quarters and to put the shoes on whenever you need to go for example from the feast hall to the toilet. So it is a lot easier if you have shoes that are easy to pull on and off.
If your feet freeze easily, consider bringing a pair of slippers or woollen socks for indoor use at the main hall, the floor there may feel a bit draughty; the entrance at the main hall has some handy shelves where you can stash your indoor shoes when coming and going so you don't need to carry them with you all the time.
Clothes: Leave those dresses with trains and floor sweeping hems at home. Seriously, you'll have a hard time coping with them when trekking up and down the hill between the buildings. Besides, at least the main feast hall will be fairly cramped and thus your hems will be stepped on.
As this is Northern Europe, indoor temperature is going to be above 20°C, i.e. higher than is common in similar camping/youth centres in Central Europe. At least the main sleeping quarters, Kassu, will stay dry even in pouring rain, so that'll also make it feel warmer. On the other hand, the outdoor temperature is likely to be in the range of 5-12°C and wet or damp. Thus a layered look is warmly recommended: linen and/or thin wool (or cotton) for indoor wear and wool for outdoors. Long underwear (especially pants) may make longer outdoor stay more comfortable as well as a hat/hood and gloves (it is surprising how much less your feet freeze if you have suitable headwear!).
If the weather gets wet, we can turn on the blower in the drying room at Kassu (the main sleeping area) so clothes that got wet during the day can be dried for the night.
Sleeping gear
If you have a bed at Kassu, the main sleeping area, you need to bring a (bottom) sheet, a pillow case and a blanket or sleeping bag. If you have a bed elsewhere, you also need to bring a pillow. If you ended up with crash space, you need to bring everything.
Kassu, the main sleeping building, should be warm and dry, so normal indoor sleeping gear will do. The loft above the feast hall is likely to be hot Saturday evening, but it is a bit hard to say what the temperature will be on Friday evening and in the mornings; if it rains hard, the air in the feast hall may also get a bit damp.
Other things to think of
There are no shops near the site, so if you want something special to snack on, you'll have to take it with you to the site. The site water is potable and even tastes ok, so no other drinks will be provided due to shortage of cars and time. If you want to drink something else than tap water, you'll need to remember to care of it.
Note. If you come in by an airport ride, it will unfortunately not have time to stop at the grocery store. If you absolutely need something for dietary reasons and cannot bring it with you, contact the autocrat well in advance. Otherwise arrange for local friends to shop for you or - if you don't know anybody - we can put a plea for you on the mailing lists, but cannot guarantee anything other than when necessary for health reasons.
Special Help for Fighters and Consorts in Crown Tourney
If you are flying to Finland and participating in the tourney (as fighter or consort), we want to help you since you have to use most or all of your luggage allowance with armour. Therefore, we will provide you with sheets, a pillow case, a blanket or sleeping bag (site has mattresses and pillows), a towel, a bowl and a plate, if you let us know no later than September 25, 2008. You can let us know by e-mailing us at vilhelm@poukka.org.
We regret that we can only offer this to participants in the tourney, and we cannot offer anything that is not on the list, but our supply of extras is limited, and this is to help people who have to fly to the event and bring armour.
Note: all requests will be acknowledged, so if you do not get a response within a couple of days of sending it, please resend your request.