# A thought on how to prevent overheating



## RadioactiveRedFox (Jan 16, 2013)

I've heard a lot on the subject of how hot fursuits can get and had the thought of adding small battery powered fans hidden in the head to get some ventilation. What's everyone's thoughts on this idea?


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## Fallowfox (Jan 16, 2013)

Some people already use this idea. Inevitably this actually makes more heat, just like a refrigerator, but it redistributes it to the outside.

I haven't fursuited before but I personally think that adding more mass and more mass and more mass is why some suits become so difficult to keep cool. Rather than adding in more and more things to go wrong or make it more difficult to clean I would ask myself what I can leave out; eg masses of padding or unnecessarily thick materials.


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## Dokid (Jan 16, 2013)

People do this usually to provide some air flow but it doesn't make it any more cooler really. What I've seen people do is use cooling gel packs as part of the body suit.

Although I can stay in my partial head for 3 hours fine, you always want to take breaks and keep yourself hydrated. 

I'm curious if any fursuiters used those bike backpack water bottles. They would seem like an ideal way to carry water around while in fursuit, and since the straws are long and small it'll be easier than fiddling with a water bottle.


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## RadioactiveRedFox (Jan 16, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> Some people already use this idea. Inevitably this actually makes more heat, just like a refrigerator, but it redistributes it to the outside.
> 
> I haven't fursuited before but I personally think that adding more mass and more mass and more mass is why some suits become so difficult to keep cool. Rather than adding in more and more things to go wrong or make it more difficult to clean I would ask myself what I can leave out; eg masses of padding or unnecessarily thick materials.



That's a good point, probably better to stick with the old tactic of desuiting and tanking up on water regularly.



Dokid said:


> People do this usually to provide some air flow but  it doesn't make it any more cooler really. What I've seen people do is  use cooling gel packs as part of the body suit.
> 
> Although I can stay in my partial head for 3 hours fine, you always want to take breaks and keep yourself hydrated.
> 
> I'm curious if any fursuiters used those bike backpack water bottles.  They would seem like an ideal way to carry water around while in  fursuit, and since the straws are long and small it'll be easier than  fiddling with a water bottle.



3 hours? I guess its not as bad an issue as I thought it was, of course I suppose it depends how the suit is constructed.


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## Teal (Jan 16, 2013)

RadioactiveRedFox said:


> I've heard a lot on the subject of how hot fursuits can get and had the thought of adding small battery powered fans hidden in the head to get some ventilation. What's everyone's thoughts on this idea?


 A lot of people use fans, and almost every bigname suit maker offers them.


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## Nataku (Jan 16, 2013)

I'd like to use a fan too, but that'll take a little engineering that I'm not quite familiar with yet. However, I intend to use a camelbak with my fursuit when I finish it. I used one for many years during marching band practice - 12+ hours on your feet in the hot Florida summer sun and I'd like to think I know a thing or two about dehydration and how bad it can be for you. Besides, the camelbaks I have are all relatively slim and close fitting to the back, so I'm not worried about them causing a 'hump' on my back while in-suit anyhow. 

A trick I learned to do when I was in marching band was to fill the hydro-pack with water the night before practice and put it in the freezer. In the morning I'd pull it out to sit on the counter while I ate breakfast, stuff it in the camelpak, and off I'd go. Take the hose off the pack when you freeze it though. If there's water in the hose it'll  freeze too, and since the hose isn't always touching the body, it'll  stay frozen longer so you can't get water through it as easily. Not only did I have hydration, but for the first couple hours, I'd have a nice ice pack on my back to help keep me cool. Never worried about not having enough water thawed out to drink - once you got moving, one's body heat was enough to thaw the ice fairly quickly, while the camelbak pack kept the condensate from running down my back (or my fursuit, so I'm hoping).


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## Fallowfox (Jan 16, 2013)

Alternatively we could stage a furry exodus to siberia and then we'd have to concentrate on making the fursuits warmer, working to their strengths. 

You know I'm right.


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## RadioactiveRedFox (Jan 16, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> Alternatively we could stage a furry exodus to siberia and then we'd have to concentrate on making the fursuits warmer, working to their strengths.
> 
> You know I'm right.



That could work.


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## Nordo Huskamute (Jan 16, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> Alternatively we could stage a furry exodus to siberia and then we'd have to concentrate on making the fursuits warmer, working to their strengths.
> 
> You know I'm right.



They are great here in Alaska...  I can 't wait to suit at a con in the lower 48 but not looking forward to the heat.


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## Fluffeh (Jan 17, 2013)

Fallowfox said:


> Alternatively we could stage a furry exodus to siberia and then we'd have to concentrate on making the fursuits warmer, working to their strengths.
> 
> You know I'm right.



That idea seems great, I'm in the process of getting my first fursuit and I was actually worried about the heat and how it would work.
Nataku's idea seems like the best so far, I'm not too sure about fans doesn't seem like it would work that much, I might be wrong though.


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## Toshabi (Jan 17, 2013)

Poke holes in it? 



You can put them in areas where it wouldn't look so weird by strategically mapping out your placements.


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## HipsterCoyote (Jan 17, 2013)

I do kind of wonder if you couldn't actually fashion a passive heatsink in a fursuit.


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## Dokid (Jan 17, 2013)

Toshabi said:


> Poke holes in it?
> 
> 
> 
> You can put them in areas where it wouldn't look so weird by strategically mapping out your placements.



that would seem like a bad idea. It would be like poking holes in your clothes. They would probably eventually rip open.

Also with the biking water pack you could always put it into a plushie backpack that they sell at hot topic or something so it still "fits" with the character and isn't just this random black bag.



HipsterCoyote said:


> I do kind of wonder if you couldn't actually fashion a passive heatsink in a fursuit.



Could you explain what a passive heatsink is?  Oh and I've heard of special clothing that has pockets for cooling gels. I forgot what it was called though since the thread was a while ago.


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