# Easterbunny in need



## bigjon (Feb 26, 2016)

I just recently got a job as a mall Easter Bunny. It's a great fun job and the kids are wonderful. It's just that the suit is a sauna. Does anyone have any advice on how to wick away the sweat or keep it from getting into my eyes? Thanks in advance.


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## Lyrule (Feb 26, 2016)

You could get this balaclava: fursuitsupplies.com: Coolskin Balaclava www.schampa.com: ORIGINAL COOLSKIN BALACLAVA

They're designed to keep you cool and wick moisture away from your face! A lot of fursuit makers wear this under their masks if their head is a full on foam base. : )


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## bigjon (Feb 27, 2016)

How thick is the material? My head is abnormally large and the strap (the head is set up like a hardhat) is already on the loosest position. Also, is there something like this that has a mouth hole? My coworkers help me get a drink as needed.


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## Bornes (Feb 28, 2016)

It's a large hole in the face. When you wear it, you just pull it under your chin or lower lip. It's also a very thin material and shouldn't impact the strap in the head.

You should also be wearing sweat-wicking clothes underneath the suit. I like a one-piece dive skin (NOT a wet suit. A dive skin is something different). You could also get long sleeve underarmour and trousers made out of the same material. If you want to get this stuff in person, go to a place that sells motorcycle gear, and get the stuff to put under your gear to keep you cool.


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## bigjon (Feb 29, 2016)

Thanks for the advise on the under armor but I've found that a light Tshirt and thin shorts help me keep cool enough. But would a balaclava be available in a bike shop or outdoors shop some place?


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## Bornes (Mar 2, 2016)

bigjon said:


> Thanks for the advise on the under armor but I've found that a light Tshirt and thin shorts help me keep cool enough. But would a balaclava be available in a bike shop or outdoors shop some place?


Underarmour would be even cooler. It would also help keep the suit cleaner for longer so you don't sweat in it as much.

You can find balaclavas in those stores, but you must be careful. They're usually seasonal and it's very important you get the correct type of balaclava. Sometimes a brand will call it "heatgear" because you're supposed to wear it when it's hot outside, but other brands will call it "coolgear" or something similar because it keeps you cool when it's hot. This gets confusing because there's two types of balaclavas- the ones made for hot temperatures to keep you cool (the type you want) - and the more common ones that keep you warm during cold weather (which is actually a huge health risk in a fursuit). It can be difficult to tell the difference between the two types with the confusing naming conventions, which is why most people online recommend a specific brand and tell you to buy it online.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 2, 2016)

SkyFurCreations *Revamping The Fandom* here, and I can tell you that if you are *serious* about staying cool, there is no better product currently on the market than EZcooldown

Video -


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## Bornes (Mar 2, 2016)

If the guy doesn't even want to buy underarmour, he's not going to foot the bill for a cooldown vest. That is overkill.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 2, 2016)

Bornes said:


> If the guy doesn't even want to buy underarmour, he's not going to foot the bill for a cooldown vest. That is overkill.


Haha, but somebody else might come here looking for answers, and what's overkill is suffering the brink of heatstroke, just to save a little over $100, which is a lifetime investment.


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## Bornes (Mar 2, 2016)

You don't need a cooldown vest to fursuit. Yeah it helps, but if you're properly hydrated there's no need outside some extreme situations. It's nice to have but your comment seems like you would get heatstroke unless you use it, which is not the case. Plenty of people manage just fine without.

edit: I've nothing against the vest, but for anyone coming to the thread for advice, do not feel like you "have" to have it, is what I am saying.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 2, 2016)

Bornes said:


> You don't need a cooldown vest to fursuit. Yeah it helps, but if you're properly hydrated there's no need outside some extreme situations. It's nice to have but your comment seems like you would get heatstroke unless you use it, which is not the case. Plenty of people manage just fine without.
> 
> edit: I've nothing against the vest, but for anyone coming to the thread for advice, do not feel like you "have" to have it, is what I am saying.


Yes, you're right, but the difference between the vest and no vest is one of those "you'll never not wear a vest again" type of things. Now, many fursuiters use Under Armor (The one that DOES NOT whisk away the sweat, but instead, the one that is designed to keep the sweat close to your body). The reason is, if it's taking the sweat away and keeping you dry, it's absorbing the sweat which eventually gets into the fursuit, and the sweat is what actually keeps you cool, thus making you sweat less overall. This and literately any other questions are answered by this guy who knows all there is to know.


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## Bornes (Mar 2, 2016)

Do you personally have one?


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## Rabbit-masked-man (Mar 2, 2016)

This thread is why I think people who work as like sports mascots and stuff really ought to consult furries more often. Nobody knows that kinda shit as well as a long0time Fursuiter does.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 2, 2016)

Bornes said:


> Do you personally have one?


No, I'm not even a furry, as ironic as that may seem.

It started by me needing a mascot for my orginization Charity-Dares, and only furries have the ability to help me, which I've came across some wonderful people. From there, everything just rapidly spiraled out of control, and now I am SkyFurCreations making fursuits haha!


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## Bornes (Mar 2, 2016)

I think it's a little disingenuous to recommend something so highly when you've never used it before.
That being said, I've never used one either. I don't think it's a bad product but I'm not sure it's worth the cost for most people. You can fursuit for hours without it.
Save for extremely hot climates or some need to fursuit continually for 4+ hours, it's just not something I see myself using. And the majority of fursuiters I know don't use it or anything similar either. I've been fursuiting since 2012.


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## SkyFurCreations (Mar 2, 2016)

Yea... Under Armor is the best bet, the cooling vest is more of a luxury if you can afford it, or if you REALLY need it, I get your point. It's definately not needed, for the most part, I just like technology and being high-tech. But I've heard SO many people talk about it, and I do have experience with similar things, just not this specifically, so I know any cooling vests, packs and ect works, and some furries are super energetic and do alot of moving, dancing, and always hyper *Kai* so some need it more than others, or some days are just hot.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Mar 3, 2016)

I've had some experience with the EZ Cool-Down vest. It does exactly what it says it will do. I wore it under The Old Warhorse Ver 1.0, just to try it out since a friend that owned the vest couldn't make FC last year. My suit is made primarily of MM brown seal (very dense fur) and normally, I was overheating just getting suited. I managed to suit on Friday for more than six hours at a stretch. The cooling inserts lasted about four hours, just as stated. My wife/handler and I figured out she just needed to unzip my suit and she could swap out the inserts for me without taking the suit off. Unfortunately, I came down with Con Crud that night, most likely from someone in the dealer's den that was hacking a lung up by the door. Missed the rest of FC that year when we had to go home. thankfully, we live nearby.

As far as needing the vest, no. I could have done some two hour stints without it. Wanting the vest? Hell yeah! That made all of the difference in being able to enjoy myself and just melting in suit. At approx. $200 USD delivered, I would put this high on my list for add-ons to my suiting arsenal. Considering you might give anywhere from $1,500 USD to $3,000 USD for a full suit, what is another $200? Hmm?

Just putting that out there for consideration. I'll see if I can find some pics of The Old Warhorse with the vest on underneath. It didn't make the suit fit that much tighter, even though the suit could be classified as form fitting.


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## Zrcalo (Mar 4, 2016)

Go to walmart and get two cheap back strapping ice packs. they have an elastic strap around them, and usually last 5-7 hours for me in 100 degree heat. they cost about $20 ea in the disability section. @bigjon

cooldown vest is a waste of money


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## Kellan Meig'h (Mar 4, 2016)

Zrcalo said:


> Go to walmart and get two cheap back strapping ice packs. they have an elastic strap around them, and usually last 5-7 hours for me in 100 degree heat. they cost about $20 ea in the disability section. @bigjon
> _(clippity-clipped that big pic for brevity)_
> cooldown vest is a waste of money


I have several of the bigger cold packs for work, item number 0303964 available at RiteAid for $25 USD or so. They are a far better solution than the Ice Aid large Neowrap system (plain old purified water in a mat matrix) but neither one can hold a candle to the EZCoolDown vest. Until you have actually used the EZCoolDown vest, don't knock it. I've used the Rite Aid ice packs under The Old Warhorse and I've found them good for an hour, tops. Under my work shirt, not more than an hour to ninety minutes in a commercial attic space that's over 100 degrees.

The one thing about the EDCoolDown vest is the fact that the PCM (phase change material) packs can be recharged in ice water(!) for twenty minutes and they're ready to go for another four hours. Try that with conventional blue ice or a Neowrap. I'm getting a vest for work this summer, just because I hate burning up in attic spaces and non-air conditioned rooms.

I'm pretty serious about this. Don't say something is a waste of money until you've actually tried it. I was skeptical until I tried it out. When I was still suiting up and I was still feeling very cool and comfortable, something that had never happened before, that changed my mind. You personally might not see it as a good deal but others that just spent $3,000 or more for a high-end full suit might see it as a good investment, allowing them extended safe suiting time.


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## Zrcalo (Mar 5, 2016)

Kellan Meig'h said:


> I have several of the bigger cold packs for work, item number 0303964 available at RiteAid for $25 USD or so. They are a far better solution than the Ice Aid large Neowrap system (plain old purified water in a mat matrix) but neither one can hold a candle to the EZCoolDown vest. Until you have actually used the EZCoolDown vest, don't knock it. I've used the Rite Aid ice packs under The Old Warhorse and I've found them good for an hour, tops. Under my work shirt, not more than an hour to ninety minutes in a commercial attic space that's over 100 degrees.
> 
> The one thing about the EDCoolDown vest is the fact that the PCM (phase change material) packs can be recharged in ice water(!) for twenty minutes and they're ready to go for another four hours. Try that with conventional blue ice or a Neowrap. I'm getting a vest for work this summer, just because I hate burning up in attic spaces and non-air conditioned rooms.
> 
> I'm pretty serious about this. Don't say something is a waste of money until you've actually tried it. I was skeptical until I tried it out. When I was still suiting up and I was still feeling very cool and comfortable, something that had never happened before, that changed my mind. You personally might not see it as a good deal but others that just spent $3,000 or more for a high-end full suit might see it as a good investment, allowing them extended safe suiting time.



I think it mostly comes from how big you are as a person and how your fursuit is built. I had relatively short fur which had good breathability, vented ears, hollow muzzle, and a moving jaw.  I'm also just shy of 100 lbs and keep my house at 80. XD

I cant find the exact type of ice packs I used, but it was similar to the one in the picture. I went to an event when it was about 100 degrees outside and stayed in suit for about 6 hours while on my feet. I fared pretty well and afterwards went to the mall and didnt have any ill side effects.

For a person with money, there is always a better option. But for someone just working a day job for a once-a-year event, I think some ice packs will work.
Thats also figuring the vest is about $100 or so. I dont know its retail value, or how much a chinese knockoff is though.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Mar 5, 2016)

Zrcalo said:


> I think it mostly comes from how big you are as a person and how your fursuit is built. I had relatively short fur which had good breathability, vented ears, hollow muzzle, and a moving jaw.  I'm also just shy of 100 lbs and keep my house at 80. XD
> 
> I cant find the exact type of ice packs I used, but it was similar to the one in the picture. I went to an event when it was about 100 degrees outside and stayed in suit for about 6 hours while on my feet. I fared pretty well and afterwards went to the mall and didnt have any ill side effects.
> 
> ...



Well, I'm 205 lbs in my skivvies and The Old Warhorse adds about close to 30 lbs to my frame. The head, although it's resin based, does not breathe. And, the Monterey Mills Seal fur is extremely dense and it doesn't breathe. My leg padding, made from reticulated foam, doesn't breathe that well either. The boot arrangement that creates my hooves doesn't breathe, either. Like I said before, I start overheating just suiting up. We keep our house at 70-ish in the winter to prevent mold formation and in the summer, we're at the mercy of the weather - no AC. I had our room at FC down to about 66 when I started to suit up but it went back to 72 real quick, once I had the vest on.

I have not yet seen a chinese knockoff (yet) but it would be not worth the money. The Phase Change Material (PCM) that is used in the inserts is the key - it's not the actual vest. You could take the inserts and tape them to your body and get the same effect. You could also make pockets in your suit for them if you wanted to. The chinese would just give you pouches made with the classic blue goo that goes in blue ice.

BTW, AFAIK the EZCoolDown Vest is $173 USD plus shipping, so figure about $200 to the USA. I think I was told it came from the Netherlands.


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## Zrcalo (Mar 5, 2016)

Kellan Meig'h said:


> Well, I'm 205 lbs in my skivvies and The Old Warhorse adds about close to 30 lbs to my frame. The head, although it's resin based, does not breathe. And, the Monterey Mills Seal fur is extremely dense and it doesn't breathe. My leg padding, made from reticulated foam, doesn't breathe that well either. The boot arrangement that creates my hooves doesn't breathe, either. Like I said before, I start overheating just suiting up. We keep our house at 70-ish in the winter to prevent mold formation and in the summer, we're at the mercy of the weather - no AC. I had our room at FC down to about 66 when I started to suit up but it went back to 72 real quick, once I had the vest on.
> 
> I have not yet seen a chinese knockoff (yet) but it would be not worth the money. The Phase Change Material (PCM) that is used in the inserts is the key - it's not the actual vest. You could take the inserts and tape them to your body and get the same effect. You could also make pockets in your suit for them if you wanted to. The chinese would just give you pouches made with the classic blue goo that goes in blue ice.
> 
> BTW, AFAIK the EZCoolDown Vest is $173 USD plus shipping, so figure about $200 to the USA. I think I was told it came from the Netherlands.




oh wow. that's not actually bad then. and man. I couldnt ever wear a suit like that. @_@ I'd die. Props to you though! I've always thought horse suits were pretty impressive.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Mar 5, 2016)

Zrcalo said:


> oh wow. that's not actually bad then. and man. I couldnt ever wear a suit like that. @_@ I'd die. Props to you though! I've always thought horse suits were pretty impressive.


This might be a "Don't do this" for new suiters - Monterey Mills Seal fur looks awesome but boy, any full suit of this stuff is gonna be very, very hot.

The Old Warhorse Ver. 2.0 will not be made of Seal this time - we are looking into having it done in NFT 4-way stretch. Yeah, major $$$ but the backing is very thin allowing good ventilation. I also need a new head lifecast done - I've lost weight in the last ten years so my old lifecast really doesn't look like me anymore. I had to add padding to take up the space the last time I wore TOW Ver. 1.0


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