Bicolline Packing List

Below is the Magpie Guild’s current packing list for Bicolline’s annual Grande Bataille.

While parts of the packing list are Magpie Guild specific, I hope publishing it can help others come to Bicolline prepared.

  • The date this packing list was last updated will be visible at the top.

  • I plan to go over the list in video format before the 1024 GB.

Magpie Pack List for the Grande Bataille

Last Updated: November 10, 2023

  • Any questions? Please ask!

  • All visible items must be decorum. Unsure? Please Ask!

  • I want to apologize for the use of Amazon links here– of course, please find local and independent alternatives where possible, the links are provided for informational purposes.

Required Magpie List:

  • White or off white linen tunic with long sleeves

    • Length of tunic can be long or shirt-length

  • Black linen pants

  • Good waterproofed shoe or boot

  • Lantern for tent exterior

  • Large water container for in tent

  • Bug net for over your cot

  • Individual First Aid Kit

  • Bug repellant (Picaridin)

  • A handy timekeeper to keep on you

  • A pair of good scissors, keep in your tent

    • Do not carry onto plane, checked luggage only

  • Shiny gifts as desired, to exchange with friends, as thank yous to other guilds, as apologies, to give the king, for use as bribes, etc.

    • These must be decorum, but can be anything from a cool rock you found to something you handmade. No plastic, nothing modern, no trash or broken objects. No need to spend a bunch of money on this! Simple is good!

    • I usually bring a little pouch of interesting shinies, and disperse them through the week. What you bring is up to you and your character!

  • Minimum to fight:

    • Eye protection of some sort

      • Safety glasses are fine, even though they are not decorum, they are allowed. Helms or a fencing helmet is preferred. Protect your eyes!

    • Concussion/head protection

      • We highly recommend a legitimate fencing helmet, which you can disguise with the provided black hood. This protects your eyes, head, and helps to prevent repetitive concussive impacts.

      • It is expensive, but please consider the q-collar, especially if you anticipate being a front line fighter:

        • https://q30.com/

        • Helska has one for HEMA, and when before I had headaches after every sword practice, now I am mostly good! Feel free to ask about it. 

    • Mobility aids and preventive care: wear your brace, tape, or anything you need to prevent injury.

Banned:

  • Perfume and/or sprayed fragrance in the Magpie camp or tents (triggers migraines in some people, please avoid!)

  • Smoking/vaping of any type in the Magpie camp or tents (you can of course go elsewhere!)

Provided:

As a community, we band together to make, buy, and transport supplies to make our campsite and Magpie guild experience as good as it can be! Everyone pitching in and helping out is how we’ve managed to do so much in such little time. Thank you!

  • Black linen hood (Härdis)

  • Blue linen surcoat (Härdis)

  • Individual and Guild Banners (Helska)

  • Community LED candles for your exterior lanterns (Magda)

  • Iron poles for hanging lanterns (Magda)

  • Chalk (white) (Magda)

  • Pencils (Magda)

  • Trashbags, big and small (grocery run)

  • Big roll of jute twine for hanging (Magda)

  • Community seating/tables: (please bring your own folding decorum chair/stool if possible!)

    • small table with 4 tiny chairs (Magda)

  • Shovels/Trowels (Gideon & Zyklas & Magda)

  • Tent mallets (Gideon & Zyklas & Härdis)

  • Quest items (eggs, shiny for shiny, tassels, posters) (Helska)

  • Handwashing station (Magda)

  • 2 little roman firepits (Magda & Gideon)

Grocery Run:

  • Snacks, tissues, toilet paper, firewood, garbage bags etc– we will make a grocery store run, please let Magda/Helska know if there’s anything you need (including brand/organic if there is preference), and bring payment.

Recommendations:

The following sections are recommendations, not requirements– not all objects or sections will be relevant to you, and it is better to err on the side of minimalism, especially for a first trip! If you forget or miss anything, do not worry, we will help you out.
You may also coordinate bringing and sharing many of these items with your tent mates.

Travel Kit:

  • If you are flying, the maximum is generally a backpack/personal item, carry on, and two checked suitcases! However, please also verify if you are chartering a bus, that you are underneath their maximum luggage for the bus as well (for example, the bus may only allow one suitcase and one personal item!)

  • 1 Backpack

    • Phones, earbuds, charging cables

    • Water bottle

    • Portable charger

    • Canadian currency

      • Enough for food and souvenirs through the week, only some vendors take cards, and often the internet cuts out, and cards are unusable.

      • Get cash in the US by going through your bank months before hand- do not wait until you are in Canada. 

      • Make sure your credit cards are suitable for international travel (check for foreign transaction fees), notify your banks of your dates of travel if necessary.

    • Vaccine Card (if necessary)

    • Passport

    • Face masks

      • If flying, please wear a N95 or KN95 mask during your travels– many magpies are immunocompromised. Camping while sick is no fun, whether it is covid or something else; thank you for your help.

    • Medication

  • 1 Carry on suitcase

    • 1 decorum full outfit (tunic, pants, socks, underwear, hood)

      • This is in case of lost checked bags, so you have something to wear at first.

    • Heavy objects

      • I try to put all my heavier things in my carry on, and my lighter stuff in my checked bags, to stay below the maximum weights.

    • No silverware, sharp or pointy objects!

    • Electronics, battery powered candles, etc

  • 2 checked suitcases

    • No electronics

  • Waterproof packing

    • Pack at least your travel home outfit in a sealed bag

      • Space saver bags are great

      • Strategize how to keep your suitcases/stuff from getting soaked on the ground if it rains.

      • Hardshell suitcases are good. We have big trash bags if we all need to put our luggage in bags for a couple nights.

Sleep Kit:

  • Sleep mask to block light

  • Earplugs, wax earplugs are very effective

  • Bedding

    • Sleeping bag + pad, pillow, blankets

      • You can also do a mattress pad, normal sheets and a comforter, it depends on preference and your packing arrangements. Helska sleeps on a bed of feathers.

    • Sleep Clothes

      • Hat or hood, socks and long johns/pajamas.

      • Wool, cashmere, or silk are ideal.

      • Keep your sleep pajamas and socks tucked inside your sleeping bag during the day.

    • Waterproof picnic blanket

    • Cot

      • If you are renting a tent from Bico, a cot will be provided.

      • Store your suitcases under the cot to keep insulated underneath.

    • Individual Bug Net for over you cot (magpie requirement)

  • Plenty of warm gear - it will get cold at night down to 40F.

  • Magda recommends a hot water bottle for your feet!

    • We have a way to boil water as necessary, let Magda know if you have need.

Light Kit:

Please take care not to blind people, and stay decorum with your lights after dark outside of your tent! Red tinged lights are better than blue.

Remember, no real fire or real candles, especially not inside your tent! The only fire in our camp is from our portable roman stoves and campfire.

  • Exterior Hangable Tent Light (in required list above.)

    •  Poles for hanging are provided by Magpie guild

    • This light will be hung outside of your tent

  • Small Lantern or handheld torch to hang on belt or carry

    • Light or fake candle for inside of it, recommend battery powered.

    • Handheld gemstone torch in red is very effective!

  • Interior Tent Lights

    • These do not have to be decorum as they are inside your tent, but any light will still be visible through your tent walls, so err on the side of red or amber over blue modern light!

    • LED tea lights are very effective and look nice, though you may have to turn them off one by one:

Tent/Campsite Kit:

  • Permethrin, pre-apply to tent and exterior clothes, if desired.

    • Does decay in sun, so keep that in mind.

    • Can be used on exterior clothes if you desire, but be careful, toxic to cats while wet, and very not good to breathe in.

  • Mug for camp - should hold hot liquids (horns cannot hold hot!)

  • Chair for camp

  • Tent Rugs/flooring if desired

    • It is nice to have a small waterproof roll up, so you have an area to change clothes without stepping on the ground

  • Chamber Pot if necessary for you at night

    • Nalgene Wide Mouthed Water Bottle, $10

    • Disinfectant and soap

    • No judgment

    • Our magpie camp was a short walk to the bathrooms this year, but our campsite location is not a guarantee, so for those who may have need, prepare in advance.

  • Clothespins and twine or cord for hanging things in tent

  • Large water container for in tent (magpie requirement)

    • Keep in tent. A big bottle of water/bota bag, for overnight.

    • A silicon collapsible bag is great, as it rolls up to take up no space, and is very light. I put it in a decorum sack to fill it at the fountain, then keep it in my tent.

  • Small trash container/decorum sack to put trash bag inside of.

    • We provide small trash bags

    • You are in charge of taking out your own tent trash.

    • We do not have a community campsite trash can.

  • Individual First Aid Kit (required)

  • Sewing Kit

  • Knife/scissors

  • Extra sacks for hiding modern items as necessary

Beauty Kit:

  • Hair ties, sticks, ribbons ties

  • Pennanular brooches for keeping cloaks closed or hoods secure

  • Small mirror for hanging in tent

  • Wooden combs

  • Make up

  • Semi-permanent tattoos

  • Jewelry

  • Eye Care

    • Glasses/Contacts, and extras

    • Eyedrops, contact solution, anything you might need

    • Small bowl and washcloth for washing

      • Can be found at bicolline if packing space is an issue

  • Chapstick

  • Sun Protection:

    • The medieval way is physical sun protection.

    • Highly recommend long sleeves, hats, parasols– physical protection is also easier to remember than reapplying sunscreen every three hours. Please take sun protection seriously, if you get burnt the first two days you will be miserable the rest of the week.

    • Parasol Umbrella with fabric top

      • Avoid paper, fabric is best

    • Sunscreen if that works for you, also pack sunburn care.

Hygiene Kit:

Do not use soap (even biodegradable soap!) in the river, the following recommendations are for using the actual showers. If bathing in the river, no soap whatsoever is allowed by Bicolline, to protect the river.

  • Shower cards (each card comes with 10 credits, 2 per shower, ~$20CAD per card.

    • Shower cards need to be purchased for access to the showers and normal toilets. These must be purchased on the first day of bico. They don't come with the regular ticket price.

    • We will organize a group purchase, be prepared to pay in cash at Bicolline.

  • Hair wash and conditioner

  • Body Wash

    • Highly recommend bar soap while camping

      • Dove’s Sensitive Skin bar soap is great

  • Mini hand sanitizer

    • We also have a big sanitizer container in camp

  • Magda’s hand wash station will be available

    • Please help refill with water if you use it

  • Lotion for body and face

    • Your skin will be going through a lot, pack lotion that works for you

  • Menstrual Kit

  • Body towel(s)

    • If you plan on going into the river, recommended to bring one towel for the river, and one for the shower

  • Body/face wipes

    • Highly recommend a full body wipe every night and morning

    • Makeup/face wipes for before bed A+

      • It was unlikely for me to actually wash my face, face wipes got it done.

  • Tweezers

    • Do not use tweezers to remove a tick. Magda brings a tick kit, if you find an embedded tick on your body, do NOT panic, it takes over a day for an infection to happen. Squeezing it will make it much worse. Calmly find Magda or Helska, and we will safely remove it.

  • Toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

  • Deodorant

  • Razor if you shave

  • Decorum basket/sack for carrying toiletries to and from the showers

Medicine/Crafting Kit:

  • Small sewing/leather kit w/ scissors.

    • Needed scissors so much, maybe bring more than one.

    • Thread, needles, waxed thread, leather needles, leather punch

  • Medical Kit

    • Individual first aid kit IFAK (required)

    • Neosporin

    • Hydro-cortizone cream and/or bug bite stick

    • Allergy Medication if necessary

      • Benadryl/Allegra

      • Nasalcrom

    • Ibuprofen

    • Tylenol

    • Topical pain relief (aspercreme, lidocaine, arnica)

    • Pepto bismol/tums

    • Other medication/prescriptions if needed

    • Blister care

  • Picaridin Bug spray (required)

  • Vitamins

  • Electrolyte powder (Magda is bringing 1023)

    • If sharing, no fake sugars: sucralose, aspartame, sorbitol, stevia, etc

    • TRIORAL Rehydration Electrolyte Powder: https://a.co/d/1emsRrT

  • Tea/coffee (contact Gideon for info on his brew set up)

  • Face Masks

    • N95 or KN95, for plane and travel, just in case

Clothing Kit

Highly recommend linen and wool, avoid synthetics and cottons. Bring plenty of layers, weather will range from hot and sunny to very cold and raining.

  • Tunics and/or dresses

    • 1 white tunic required

    • Recommend 5 or 6 minimum

  • Outer warm wool tunic or decorum wool coat

  • Wool winingas leg wraps

    • If you plan to wear daily, recommend 2 pairs

  • Pants

    • 1 pair of black pants required

    • Recommend 3 minimum

  • Wool Skoldehamn Hood, waxed

  • At least one pair of underwear per day, extra if battling

  • Socks (see Feet Kit)

  • Sleep Clothing (covered in Bedding section above)

  • Leather gloves

  • Linen square scarfs

  • Bathing suit

    • If you want to bathe in the river

    • Solid neutral color– does not need to be perfectly decorum, but no bright colors or patterns.

  • Waterproof cloak

    • This can be as simple as ~two yards of waxed wool fabric

Feet Kit:

A note on shoes: make sure they are comfortable and broken in. You will likely be walking 30k+ steps per day. Changing halfway through the day can help with foot pain/leg fatigue. Shoes do not have to be perfectly decorum for battle, but avoid sneakers, stick to neutral colors, avoid white or colorful soles. Hiking boots are an excellent option for fighting.

While it is tempting to wear sandals or other open toe shoes, recommend closed toed shoes only, to prevent infection, dirt, and injury on the uneven and soggy grounds of Bicolline.

  • At least 2 pairs of decorum, comfortable, waxed/waterproofed shoes.

    • Waterproof shoes for rainy weather

    • If battling, go for a boot you feel sturdy in, with ankle support

      • The Vivobarefoot Gobi III works great for some, but maybe you want something more sturdy like a hiking boot.

    • River/shower shoes optional

    • Wool slippers/tent shoes optional

  • At least five pairs of wool socks

    • Wool, darn tough is great. You can rewear them, antimicrobial, dry quickly.

    • Magda recommends compression socks, particularly for hobble squad. Sockwell is a good brand with wool blend and decorum patterns.

  • Beeswax Potion for waterproofing shoes

    • Helska has recipe, just 1:1 melted and mixed mineral oil plus beeswax poured into a low jar.

Carrying Kit:

  • Belt

  • Belt mug (100% required)

    • Light and small is best for running around/battles

  • Big belt bag

  • Chatelaine Accessories to Carry in your bag (the following is Helska’s carry kit + Magda additional suggestions!)

    • Tiny scissors

    • Small Timepiece

    • Magpie key (Magpie guild provides)

    • Writing utensil + paper or notebook for quests and names

    • Comb

    • Fire starter

    • Hair spike/tie

    • Meds, bug spray

    • Sanitizer

    • chapstick/aquaphor

    • Small sunscreen

    • Cash/Card/ID

  • Little bags/pouches

    • Many little bags to keep everything straight, money, solar, tassels

    • Dedicated coin pouch!

  • Large cloth over the shoulder bag

    • Good for bread, carrying larger objects, shopping, miscellaneous

  • Eating Utensils optional

    • Did not use or need, utensils are always provided with food, and it is a headache to clean after every meal. But it is more aesthetic.

    • Chopsticks, spoon, knife, viking spike!

  • Decorum light to carry at night

    • Convenient if it can attach to your belt/be hands free

Battle Kit:

Talk to our Battle Leader Sir Härdis for more info!

  • Weapons (can buy there)

    • B3 weapons (non-latex) are very light and dexterous

      • Ben from our friends the Lys Noir Guild makes them and can deliver to bicolline

  • Armor/protection

    • Helmet/eye protection (first priority)

      • Highly recommend fencing helmet, talk to Magda/Härdis/Helska

        • Protects neck, glasses, full face protection, actual suspension helmet, protects against bugs, combines with hood, sun,

      • Minimum to fight, have eye protection (Required)

    • Gloves

      • Helps to protect against blisters on weapon!

  • Water bota bottle for battle (there is a water brigade though!)

  • Plan for sun protection (Härdis provides black linen hood!)

Shinies and Gifts:

Whatever you desire! See note in Magpie Requirements at top of list.

Entertainment Kit:

  • An instrument? Drum, lutes, wood wind, mini harp

  • Entertaining others

    • Small games

    • Tarot or runes

    • Facepaint

    • Hair braiding supplies

    • etc!

  • Set of tools.

    • This saved us with the pirate chest we found legitimately.

    • Need to buy or find, we don’t have any now as a guild

    • Could remake a toolset as medieval?

    • Important is being able to unscrew hinges on backs of chests. …for legitimate purposes.

  • Writing Utensils

    • Fountain pen and ink

    • Normal pen (for ease, tent, back up)

  • Journals and Paper

    • Little journals and one large journal worked great to keep track of things

    • Paper

  • Letter Wax Kit (Not sure if this is worth the trouble honestly)

    • Wax

    • Candle

    • Spoon

    • Wax seals

  • Camera

    • Only for certain times! Do not have a camera out!

    • Polaroid Camera + film

  • Crafting supplies

    • Whatever your crafty heart desires: crochet hooks, yarn, finger braiding, tablet weaving, lockpicks, sketchbook, paints, try to keep things decorum if they will be in the open.

Event Supplies:

Think about any events, quests, rituals, or guild parties you might be attending or helping to run. Do you need any particular items or outfits? Below are some events and ideas.

  • Magpie Moot (always held the first night)

  • Moon Ritual, Fae Ritual, Religious rites, Viking games, Tournaments, Egg Hunt, etc!

  • Terre du Sud Kingdom Party

  • Singing around the campfire (do you want to bring written lyrics? music?)

This is quite a long list– do not let it overwhelm you! We are here to help, every step of the way, and many objects are shared within the guild. Let this serve as a guide, and reach out if you have any questions.

Bonne Bataille! <3

Aimee Woodlarp, magpie, bicollineComment