Funnoodle

Typical Fun noodle during a power outage in a coal mine

This stuff comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and consistencies. Your best bet is Wal-Mart during the summer season. A year-round supplier in most southern areas is pool supply stores such as 'Leslies Pool Supplies.' They often carry a brand of funnoodle referred to as 'wacky noodle.' Wacky Noodle is has smaller cells than traditional funnoodle, but the cells also seem a bit weaker. The center hole is much smaller in wacky noodle, leading to a tighter fit and making up for the weaker cells. It tends to be slightly heavier than funnoodle, but isn't bad.

Other brands of noodle:

• Note: "wackynoodle" is really really bad for most amtgard use, it breaks down much too quickly for normal use, if you happen to hit lightly then wacky noodle may work for you, however if you do not, count on wacky noodle lasting no more than a few hours out at the park if you like to swing it with much of any force behind it. After making three sword out of wackynoodle and having all break in one outing to a park i have a rather big ditrust of the stuff. -Kerb
• note: "tundra noodle" is too dense for swords, but makes a nice rim for shields because it doesn't break down as fast. - sqk
• Note: "Oodle Noodle" is not as good as funnoodle but not as bad as wacky noodle. Good for a quick fix. - Am

note - you can often get noodle on clearance at the end of season for really, really cheap and stock up. the "end of season" will vary on where you live, but will be basically whenever stores start clearing out summer stuff and stocking winter stuff.

Another bet for you cheapskates is the lost-and-found of the local municipal pool. A lot of little kids forget their pooltoys, and the pools often hold them till the end of the season. They just get thrown out if no one asks for them. Labor Day weekend would be a good time to make a circuit of the local pools to see if they will help a poor Amtgarder out.

As of October, 2006, this site sold 15 noodles (reportedly "Oodle Noodle") for $50, which includes shipping:

• http://www.9thtee.com/pooltoys.htm

As of August, 2008, the website http://www.9thtee.com/ now only sells "wacky noodle"