# Ideas for how to make suits more comfortable



## Beastcub (May 15, 2008)

being hot in a fursuit can zap your fun fast....
not being able to see makes things alot less fun....

so i was thinking lets start a list on ways to keep cool and also address any other comfort issues us suit makers/wearers can think of.

**fan inside the muzzle helps ALOT with the head and is also a must for those wearing glasses being the mask

**making parts of the face out of mesh such as the tearducts around big eyes, black spots, any place it can be hidden or blend in. it will not only improve ventilation but if placed right will improve vision

**sewing a pocket inside the chest of a fursuit for an icepack helps sooooo much as does making one for the back of your neck. putting the pack in a zip-lock bag prevents any leakage.

**making the muzzle hollow rather than solid foam allows room for a fan and even w/out a fan it being open allows heat and moisture from your breathing to escape

**if your costume features a non-moving closed mouth make the underside of the jaw out of mesh to allow air to escape

**make holes inside the ears wear the ear cannal would be and if needed cover said hole w/mesh. hot air rises folks

**leaving the armpit on a costume open or placing mesh there allows heat to escape, and ist not all that noticable especially on long fur costumes.

**at one local commic/anime/toy con they have air conditioning vents the in the floor, fining one and laying on it has to be the #1 way to keep cool :}

SO any one have any other comfort tips?


----------



## darkdoomer (May 16, 2008)

Zalman 9700NT. if not; watercooling;, or just quit fursuiting and get into some more intresting activity ...unless you really need to take the appearance of your inner animal spirit , or fursona.

whatever.


----------



## Beastcub (May 16, 2008)

lol that fan would work XD
the headless lounge at FC had a bounce house blow up fan and it was like  60 miles an hour!

and on the note of "taking on my the image of my fursona" i suit because it is my favorite way to show off my talents not cause "i get in touch with my inner animal" cause if that was the case i'd be one mixed up fursona as i have made and worn many species. its just fun and i love showing off my hard work :}


----------



## Ember (May 17, 2008)

I just wear under armour and drink water.

I deal with the heat; every person reacts to suiting differently, and some can handle the heat better than others.


----------



## Bokracroc (May 17, 2008)

Camel pack?
Keeps your back cool and is a handy drink.


----------



## ChouKuma (May 18, 2008)

Naturally, If it was a comfy fursuit, as in the underside of the fabric wasn't too itchy, I would just for go the under armor and wear just my underwear. That's how I usually like to deal with hot outfits. Wear as little layers as possible. It's also always nice to have a good friend help you out with cooling yourself down when your in a suit. Heck, they have people hired in disney world to just help out the people in the costumes. I imagine, one of the best ideas i can think of at the moment, if it is at all possible, is one of those water spritzer fans, those things are ingenious. I love them to death. A removable head is also a nice thing to have if it gets too hot inside, after all humans can lose up to 15% of their  natural body heat just through their head! ^.^


----------



## Lobo Roo (May 21, 2008)

As far as fans go, I've always heard it's best to actually have a fan that sucks hot air out, than one that merely blows air at you in the head.


----------



## Bokracroc (May 22, 2008)

LoboRoo said:


> As far as fans go, I've always heard it's best to actually have a fan that sucks hot air out, than one that merely blows air at you in the head.



So like, face the fan the other way then? (And blowing out of a ventilation point)


----------



## Lobo Roo (May 22, 2008)

Bokracroc said:


> So like, face the fan the other way then? (And blowing out of a ventilation point)



That was what I was told when we talked about fans in Fursuiting 101 at FWA. (I always go, even though it just convinces me I would never be good at making fursuits.) The person teaching the panel always had large heads on his suits, instead of close fitting heads like you see occassionally, so he said he put his in the back of the heads. I suppose you could have one in the muzzle blowing at you, and one in the head venting it out? That would definitely help air circulation.

Of course, if you make heads like Joecifur, which are smaller and more realistically sized, I don't think there would be room for a fan.


----------



## Aryeonos (May 24, 2008)

rebreather.

K no, but what about a small one way pump, instead of a fan. this isn't the most...economic idea? But connect the pump, electric of course or hydrogen or solar, with some surgicle tubing, run the tubing around the "Skin" of your suit so that it goes to your feet arms spine whatever. Poke small holes every inch, two three, or so that could give you fresh air all throughout, just like the cardiovascular system works. I guess, or not, rely I don't know what you have access to, I'll make a diagram.


----------



## Beastcub (May 24, 2008)

Aryeonos said:


> rebreather.
> 
> K no, but what about a small one way pump, instead of a fan. this isn't the most...economic idea? But connect the pump, electric of course or hydrogen or solar, with some surgicle tubing, run the tubing around the "Skin" of your suit so that it goes to your feet arms spine whatever. Poke small holes every inch, two three, or so that could give you fresh air all throughout, just like the cardiovascular system works. I guess, or not, rely I don't know what you have access to, I'll make a diagram.



i like that idea but it'd be hard to do XD

i just put batter powered fans in the muzzles of my masks (i like the "necklace fan"), i make the muzzles hollow and paint the fan black and they stay pretty out of sight and i have it blowing in not out as the fan is already in the most exposed part of the mask so blowing out would be pointless.


----------



## Aryeonos (May 24, 2008)

Beastcub said:


> i like that idea but it'd be hard to do XD
> 
> i just put batter powered fans in the muzzles of my masks (i like the "necklace fan"), i make the muzzles hollow and paint the fan black and they stay pretty out of sight and i have it blowing in not out as the fan is already in the most exposed part of the mask so blowing out would be pointless.



well i just recommended pump, because you cant use a fan to push things down a tube like that. So it would just pump cool air through the outside in, and then along like just, five lines, one on each limb and your back, you could use more dividey things to for more of them. I got this idea from those strawberry field mister sprinklers, they work the same way kinda.


----------



## Chanticleer (May 26, 2008)

I love engineering problems! Hmm...

What about ease of movement? Most of the suits I've seen seen look a bit bulky and cumbersome. Is there any way you could pull a suit off with more skin tight fabrics? Perhaps such fabrics would also reduce the amount of heated air trapped between a person's skin and the suit (not an expert here, it just sounds plausible to me) 

Also the heads could use a rework to improve vision and comfort. Perhaps more of said tight fabric (if it exists) could be used to create a mask supplemented by lighter attachments for muzzles, ears, ect.


----------

