# What's it like for fursuiters?



## KigRatel (Jun 7, 2012)

Now, i've never fursuited in my life and I doubt I ever will, so I was wondering what is it like to go wandering around cons or wherever while dressed like that? For starters, how do you see out of them?


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## Kluuvdar (Jun 7, 2012)

I imagine it's very hot, or so I'm told. Hopefully I'll be able to experience it at the next con I go to in July, if the suit a friend is making for me is done by then. Also, something just occurred to me, July is one of the hottest months in the year. Fantastic.

Edit: If it's anything like waving signs at an intersection, then it's really enjoyable.


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## Dreaming (Jun 7, 2012)

I've never really done it myself, either.

From what I hear, it gets pretty hot. So if you're going to a con in AZ or CA, it's going to be a hell of a trip. Some will install battery powered fans into the head, I think those would go in the snout. The inner stitching wont feel comfortable against the skin, it'll probably itch wherever it comes into contact with the skin. And they can be a pain to get into, or so I'm told. You'd need some assistance getting it zipped up, and someone to guide you around (since you're vision will be reduced to crap in those things)

The vision in those things pretty much sucks. You can only see what's directly infront of you, depending on the design of the eyes. 
Have you read this thread?


			
				FayV said:
			
		

> **Fursuiters have terrible vision*. Many suiters can only see what  is directly in front of them and have no peripheral vision. Suiters also  have trouble hearing and feeling things due to the padding the suit  creates between them and the world.  If a suiter does not acknowledge  you, chances are they are not snubbing you but simply did not see you.
> If you want to approach a suiter
> ~Approach from the front
> ~Wave as well as speak to get their attention
> ~Get the attention of the handler so that they can point you out to their suiter.


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## Keeroh (Jun 7, 2012)

I haven't suited properly myself (Wore one for like 5 minutes/Spent probably a good half hour in a head just trying to fix it for a friend) but I also act as a handler for my suiter friends. You see out through either the eyes (mesh that's painted to look like an iris, usually toony style works for this) tear ducts (black mesh, usually for realistic eyes since realistic eyes are opaque.) or through the mouth. But at the end of the day, unless you got an EXCELLENT fursuit maker and the head type of whatever critter you're wearing is very forgiving, you're gonna have blind spots. That's why you have a handler. We guide you around when its dark, or just hard to see, warn of stairs, etc. We talk for you if you dont want to go out of character and speak, we supply you water so you dont... uh... die (They get VERY hot, even with wonderful ventilation) so be sure to have some buddy to keep an eye on you. 

But it's awesome. Im not even in the suit, and it's super fun. You get to be extremely animated and in character, you make people smile (or shriek if you have a scary, realistic one), kids fuckin LOVE you and want to give you high-fives and get super giddy that they got to hug their favorite animal. And everyone and their mother wants a photo with you.


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## Batty Krueger (Jun 7, 2012)

Fursuiting is fun as hell.  It can get hot but I wear a partial so I never get the feeling of overheating like full suiters do.
Vision takes getting used to but once you adapt to it your fine.  Curl your hands like you were doing hand binoculars in front of your eyes and that's basically all you see.  The screen in the fursuit eyes that you see through can be a pain in bright light.


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## Hinalle K. (Jun 7, 2012)

Well, it looks really fun. You'd be amazed how much boundaries between people disappear when you're wearing one of those.
I've never had the chance to actually do it tho, but I sure as hell want to.


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## Fay V (Jun 7, 2012)

Well there is the realistic and the fun part of how it feels. 

Realistically it's like wrapping yourself in a large blanket and looking through two cardboard tubes. Fursuiters normally see through the pupils of the eyes or the mesh tearducts. Some have vision better than others, in my suit I can't see beneath the nose or an object that is dead center right in front of me.
Exactly how if feels depends on the suit. I don't get too hot in my suit anymore due to my underarmor, however you do get very tired very quickly due to dehydration (you might not feel hot but you're still sweating) 

All that said. It's a ton of fun. I like to go out and interact with people. Fursuiting makes the most trivial tasks fun, that's why the fursuit games are hilarious. It's a performance, so if you like performing, enjoy. If not, well there's nothing magical about donning a suit more than any other costume except you get hotter.


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## KigRatel (Jun 7, 2012)

Somehow, this all seems very encouraging... if it weren't for the heat element, that is. Can't stand the heat.

Inb4 someone posts "then get out of the kitchen!"


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## Keeroh (Jun 7, 2012)

Hinalle K. said:


> Well, it looks really fun. You'd be amazed how much boundaries between people disappear when you're wearing one of those.
> I've never had the chance to actually do it tho, but I sure as hell want to.



That can be a blessing and a curse. I saw a pack of little kids who decided to"hunt the tigers" and literally attacked my friend because they thought it was fun and games and had no sense of boundaries, and also the creepers tend to look at it as an open invitation for unwanted intimacy during hugs and yeaaah.
But also, people who are shy get a bit more open, sometimes autistic kids who never talk to people get super chatty and happy, other suiters who might be a little nervous to act animated will mirror your enthusiasm and start having buckets of fun. It's lovely. You just gotta realized the difference between being friendly and being creepy.



KigRatel said:


> Somehow, this all seems very encouraging... if  it weren't for the heat element, that is. Can't stand the heat.
> 
> Inb4 someone posts "then get out of the kitchen!"



You can have small fans installed if you have a stuffy mask, and  most cons are quite air-conditioned and have headless lounges for you to  cool down in.


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## Origamigryphon (Jun 15, 2012)

When you see that huge smile and the open arms waiting for hugs, you forget how hot you are! <3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpvUtOuvNdQ

For the realistic side of things, yes, it gets hot. Yes, you have blurry tunnel vision. You can't feel anything, and your hearing is somewhat muted. But for me, all of that is nothing compared to being able to be a goofball in front of everyone and not care because no one knows who you are!

You just have to remember to keep moving for the air flow, and take regular breaks, and for gosh sakes, STAY HYDRATED. Not energy drinks, WATER.


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## Randolph (Jun 15, 2012)

The head-and-arms costume doesn't seem too uncomfortable.

It's the full, head to toe, mascot-esque fursuits that I just draw the line at. I honestly don't see how you could have the time of your life while wearing such bulky things.

The skin-tight fursuits are pretty cool too, I guess. It least the professionally made ones I've seen.

Not too big on fursuits in general. I'm happy being a human, and choose to express my fantasies involving anthros some other way.

And no not like sexual fantasies shut up fuck.


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## Brazen (Jun 15, 2012)

My coat, my shoes, my spotless gloves, my face. Putting them on, I  abandon my disguise. Became myself. Free from fear, or weakness, or  lust.


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## Geek (Jun 15, 2012)

Simple math:

You + Fursuit = Awesome


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## Belluavir (Jun 16, 2012)

What about maintenance? I'm not an arts and crafts person and it's kind of intimidating


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## Commiecomrade (Jun 17, 2012)

Geek said:


> Simple math:
> 
> You + Fursuit = Awesome


That vacant fursuit stare is unsettling.


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## Batty Krueger (Jun 17, 2012)

Lol I like it XD


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## ArticSkyWolf (Jun 18, 2012)

Geek said:


> Simple math:
> 
> You + Fursuit = Awesome



Yeah, pretty much that. 

I tried a fursuit head before, it will get hot after like 20 minutes,  and the visibility is really, really bad, unless you get one that  doesn't have horrifyingly bad eyesight.


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## Butters Shikkon (Jun 20, 2012)

If its anything like wearing a mascot costume, it's kinda fun to see different ppl's reactions. Some wanna flock to ya, some find it akward to be around ya, you never know. Tunnel vision makes you sick though.:-?


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## Origamigryphon (Jun 28, 2012)

The upkeep is pretty simple, actually. If you have a bodysuit, what I do is hand-agitate it, inside-out, in the bathtub with lukewarm water and some woollite. Rinse it out well, press as much water out of it as I can (NO WRINGING), shove it in a garbage bag so I can take it to the washing machine for the spin cycle to get most of the water out. Then I lay it out on a flat surface, like an ironing board (never hang it wet, the weight of it may stretch it out), and put fans on it all night. Then I turn it rightside out in the morning and brush it with a slicker like there's no tomorrow, and leave the fan on it for a couple hours more until completely dry. I put in a dryer sheet when not in use to keep it smelling nice. The hands can get similar treatment. The head, tail, and feet, however, need to be spot-cleaned and/or disinfected, since they're not prone to handling being submerged, since thick foam is hard to get dry, and water left in foam leads to mold.


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## Fallowfox (Jun 28, 2012)

I really want to have a go at making one, reading some of the comments. I'm also baffled that more conventions don't happen in winter instead, to allow for the heat, but I suppose being caught in the rain or snow might be worse.


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## Ad Hoc (Jun 28, 2012)

I wore a mascot costume for my school once, for a Relay for Life event. I could barely see at all, and when I got out of it at the end of the day, it honestly looked like I'd gotten of a pool. I was sweating that much. (Luckily, they dry-cleaned the suit between every event.)

_But_ it wasn't a very quality suit. A better-designed suit may have better ventilation and vision. (As for the sweating, I might have been walking laps around a track in the thing for several hours on a 90F day, but don't tell anyone. Don't do that, obviously.)

It is a lot of fun though. You'll get a lot of people coming up and hugging you, wanting photos with you, etc., and I wasn't even at a fur con. I wound up with a pack of kids following me around. If you're shy, you may feel less inhibited while in suit, since you're masked.


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## KigRatel (Jun 28, 2012)

Ad Hoc said:


> I wore a mascot costume for my school once, for a Relay for Life event. I could barely see at all, and when I got out of it at the end of the day, it honestly looked like I'd gotten of a pool. I was sweating that much. (Luckily, they dry-cleaned the suit between every event.)
> 
> _But_ it wasn't a very quality suit. A better-designed suit may have better ventilation and vision. (As for the sweating, I might have been walking laps around a track in the thing for several hours on a 90F day, but don't tell anyone. Don't do that, obviously.)
> 
> It is a lot of fun though. You'll get a lot of people coming up and hugging you, wanting photos with you, etc., and I wasn't even at a fur con. I wound up with a pack of kids following me around. If you're shy, you may feel less inhibited while in suit, since you're masked.



Wait a minute, you wore a mascot costume for school?

Damnit, I wish we had that here. If they offered that position up at my school, i'd volunteer in a heartbeat.


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## Ad Hoc (Jun 28, 2012)

KigRatel said:


> Wait a minute, you wore a mascot costume for school?
> 
> Damnit, I wish we had that here. If they offered that position up at my school, i'd volunteer in a heartbeat.


For my college, yeah. Just as a volunteer for one event. 

It's actually a paid position if you're willing to go to all the games that our team plays. Kind of a cruddy-looking suit though.


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## Shaloxeroligon (Jun 28, 2012)

Well fursuiting sounds delightful.  I can't wait until I get enough money to afford one.  Like, it just sounds like such a magical experience, problematic issues aside.


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## Batty Krueger (Jun 28, 2012)

Ad Hoc said:


> For my college, yeah. Just as a volunteer for one event.
> 
> It's actually a paid position if you're willing to go to all the games that our team plays. Kind of a cruddy-looking suit though.


Damn that looks hot in front of those studio lights.


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## LuchadoreBob (Jun 30, 2012)

It's hot as hell and random women like to grab your junk, at least that's what it was like for me the one time I did it at Ohayocon two years ago. lol


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## celestialsunberry (Jun 30, 2012)

IT is hot, but it's a whole lot of fun! You just see through the eyes of the suit. It's a little hard to get around if you have bad eyesight like me, and your periphials are full of fail, but it's totally worth it.


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## BarlettaX (Jun 30, 2012)

Aside from crazy heat, random people prodding you everywhere and it's mother, and a 10 degree Field of View, it's pretty goddamned fun.


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## Tao (Jun 30, 2012)

Haven't suited yet, but I'm designing my own suit with a fan in the back of the head, like Deadmau5's helmet. My friends that go fursuit bowling with me always get weird looks, pictures, and random people hugging them, so it's fun for them!


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## Calemeyr (Jun 30, 2012)

I eventually want to make or buy a fursuit of my own, probably second hand, as fursuits are even more expensive nowadays. Anyway, suiting is very fun. You get to act really goofy without looking like a creep and you make people smile. Also free hugs from everyone. Sure it's a little hot, but treat it like a semi-work out. Stay hydrated (not too much though), make sure you had enough to eat, and, well, have fun.


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## KarabinerCoyote (Jul 1, 2012)

I got to wear two different versions of our company mascot. One had a fan inside the head with a switch in the cheek ruff. The hand parts were hard to manage and the feet were ginormous. Ah, good times.

Tried making my own partial but it was very warm and clumsy, but learned enough to improve on the next suit--thanks to the tutorials on YouTube. Bought a cold vest from a mascot supply store online and designed the head to hold a small ice pack custom-cut from a Rubbermaid cooler pack mat. Some prefer to brave the heat instead.

Many suiters wear either a Zentai suit, Under Armor, Unitard/Leotard & Tights, or a Dive Skin under the fursuit with a thin cotton or silk balaclava under the head piece/mask.

Some suiters even have more than one fursuit character to give their #1 a chance to recover and continue suiting at a con, or to ditch their admirers--in some cases.


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## Traxx (Jul 8, 2012)

From my experiences, it is a really hot enviroment in there, I call it a "Walking greenhouse" sometimes people have put camel backs on themselves first before putting on the suit just to avoid dehydration. And for looking? Shape and O with your hands and put them around your eyes, the restriction of what you can see is very similar to the real thing, and makes even the simplest task a challenge, like catching a ball or picking something up. 

The suit is a fun thing, but it is so hot in there! lol Any wind is a blessing ^^


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