# As a non-fursuiter, do you feel like you missing out on something?



## Lea.Tigris (Sep 6, 2016)

I'm curious.
As a part of the fandom, I have no desire to purchase or make a fursuit.
But maybe some day if I am comfortable enough, I may check out a fur con.
But to those who have been to many cons, do you feel like you're missing out on something at a convention without a fursuit? Or out of place? Or more of a tourist?


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## Nataku (Sep 6, 2016)

Hmm, let me see if I can contribute anything useful to this.
When going to a con, most furries who do have suits do not spend the entire time, or even the majority of time, there in suit. They are hot, they are tiresome, you need to take breaks. The furries who marathon suit are few and far between (and considering fursuiters already only account for 20% or less of con attendence, this is a tiny number).
Things that you get as a fursuiter at a con that you don't get when not in suit:
 stopped constantly for pictures. 
Stopped constantly for hugs. Do you liked being hugged? You're getting hugged in fursuit. Don't like being hugged? Good luck with that, you're getting hugged in fursuit.
Trip over everything because you can't see it.
Get to ride first in the elevators (if everyone is actually being nice because you are MELTING in those suits)

Usually fursuits are given more preferential seating up front in some panels. Because let's be honest most suits don't have amazing vision (or hearing) and if we want to catch anything out of that panel, we kind of need to be close. Sometimes we get seated to the front sides in a room, which depending on the panel, could be good or bad. Because keeping your neck craned at 90 degrees in suit is even more tedious than doing it while dressed normally.
Fursuiters can usually get away with a little more heckling? Antics? Than non suiters. It is not uncommon to see a suiter walk up to the front of a panel and pantomime things during a panel. But this also depends largely on the con you are attending, and how well you know the person running the panel too. There are still limitations to this.
You miss out on a lot of conversations as a suiter because hearing through all that foam or resin and fur is not easy. Yet everyone wants to talk to you. And if you are a talking suiter, your voice is often muffled in the suit head. This is probably the one thing that gets me most, because I'd rather be able to actually converse with people I meet than just stand there and pretend I can hear them clearly.

You aren't doing art trades in suit. You aren't drawing in suit. Because good luck picking up a pencil in suit. As someone who likes to randomly engage in sketch trades or the like, this is something that I must do only when out of suit. If you planned on getting a spot in the artist's alley, you aren't suiting during that.

I think the majority of people are there to meet and talk (and draw) with like minded folks. The fursuits are a fun decoration, but not an integral part of the convention. Are fursuiters going to naturally attract more attention in the hallways than someone in plain streetclothes? Sure. But then people move on and go back to drawing and talking and all that stuff that doesn't require a fursuit.

Define 'worth' ? I don't go to a convention to make money, I go to have fun. I don't imagine the majority of people go to conventions to make money, but can't say as I've ever run a poll on that. But considering the last con I was at had roughly 1800 attendees, and only 30 vendors and maybe 20 spots in the artist's alley, that's what? Less than 5% of the people there are there to sell stuff? Clearly the majority aren't there for monetary 'worth'.


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## Jazz Panther (Sep 6, 2016)

I feel like I'm missing out. That's why I want one. Yeah, it's hot and stuffy inside, and I am probably going to wear it like 5 times a year, tops, but. . .it would still be worth having.


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## Very Hairy Larry (Sep 6, 2016)

I mean, fursuits are cool and all. But personally, it feels a bit overboard. That's why I don't really want one. And I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, honestly.


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## Shadowblackwolf (Sep 6, 2016)

I don't feel like I'm missing out.
I probably wouldn't own a suit, It'd be cool I guess, but I don't see myself shelling out that much money for one.
There's more pressing matters in my life that I could spend the money on.....like traveling to cons,
or there's that pesky rent and bills part. It's not easy trying to not live life in a gutter


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## ExtinguishedHope (Sep 6, 2016)

I do feel like I'm missing out, but then again, I'd feel the same way if I went to a comic or anime con out of costume. 

In general though, I like making costumes and dressing up,  so my opinion is kind of skewed. I may end up making a suit eventually, but who knows when that'll be?


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## Aetius (Sep 7, 2016)

It all depends, its all different crowds. Honestly, I have more fun not wearing an animal suit. Cons work on how well you make them work.


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## Casey Fluffbat (Sep 7, 2016)

As someone who honestly finds them unnervingly inconvenient, and is also extremely diligent about being clean, I am not missing out.


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## Piccolora (Sep 7, 2016)

My friend went to Eurofurence last year and didn't have a fursuit at the time. She did feel very left out and felt much better going this year with one.

I've never been to a furry convention without a fursuit, but I do wish I had a full suit, instead of a partial.


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## Deleted member 82554 (Sep 7, 2016)

Some say that owning a fursuit gives you the ability to open up and be more yourself, so in a way, I do feel like I am missing out a little. The most I've tried on is a head, but I know I really liked it, and I enjoyed hugging it out with other fursuiters too.


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## nerdbat (Sep 7, 2016)

Absolutely not - I find them cheesy and dumb as hell, and dressing up in a poorly-looking plushie toy is something I wouldn't do even if I get paid for it. But that's only my opinion, of course.


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## Lea.Tigris (Sep 8, 2016)

Mr. Fox said:


> Some say that owning a fursuit gives you the ability to open up and be more yourself, so in a way, I do feel like I am missing out a little. The most I've tried on is a head, but I know I really liked it, and I enjoyed hugging it out with other fursuiters too.



I personally don't see it as that, but then again I have no issues being the complete 100% me in public without a mask.



MadKiyo said:


> As someone who honestly finds them unnervingly inconvenient, and is also extremely diligent about being clean, I am not missing out.



Oh, I feel you on the being clean. I think they could be fun for a short while. I wore my friends one for 5 mins, which I was comfortable with when she offered because of how clean she is and how clean she keeps her stuff. But how hot and sweaty to get in such a sort amount of time.. Can't deal.


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## Lea.Tigris (Sep 8, 2016)

Thank you for all the responses!

I suppose I was curious as I have felt a little left out when going to games conventions and not being in cosplay. That looks like a lot of fun. But I wasn't sure if it was the same with fursuits. 
Besides the price tag of fursuits, I am personally not comfortable interacting with someone in a suit for an extended amount of time because I don't know who I am really talking too. Not saying everyone in a fursuit is shifty, but it's similar to having deep personal conversations with people you only know on the internet. You don't really know who you are talking too.

But beyond that discomfort, I imagine it would be fun to be able to prance around in costume and just be quirky. But I do that enough amongst my friends in public without any costume, so I think I'll pass.


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## swooz (Sep 8, 2016)

I feel like I'm missing out. But I haven't finished growing (which I've done a lot of lately).


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## Rexcaliburr (Sep 23, 2016)

Definitely not! It's too hot to fursuit out here in Singapore anyway and there's too few cons so not many reasons to want to fursuit. I have a non-fursuit cosplay of my fursona so I don't think I''m missing out on much.


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## InpuOsirisson (Sep 23, 2016)

I've never been to a convention, but by god's!! I would feel totally left out if I had no fursuit. I wont go to one without my future Anubis suit I'll dump loads of cash into it being more than some suit! Give it a water filtration system for both drinking and cooling the body off, a port hole for a number of things, creases to replicate anatomy.. A line-X coated suit of awesome space Anubis Armor. Feckin bullet proof, man! I'll do more than fit in! It will fit in me!


( And that's where I cut my hands off for typing that last part.)


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## Inzoreno (Sep 23, 2016)

While I wouldn't say I feel like I'm missing out, I do feel being in suit, like being in cosplay, makes the experience a bit more memorable than if I just went in plainclothes. I see the conventions as a chance to do more than I can do in normal life, thus when I went to Dragon Con I dressed up and I plan on eventually getting a partial fursuit done for when I start attending furry cons.


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