getting to Anthrocon via plane/Fursuiting at the con
How would you get a partial/full fursuit through security as Carry On Baggage? If and when I go to AC 2013, I need to be able to just keep the mask and suit with me, as I do not trust baggage claim.
And another part of this thread.
How would you go in and out with a fursuit? Do you register, sneak into the lounge, slip into the suit, and walk out? Go around back? Find an empty hall or come in incredibly early and hope to god no one catches you headless?
I understand concerns about baggage claim, but a lot of our attendees find that Action Packers ( http://www.rubbermaid.com/Category/Pages/ProductDetail.aspx?Prod_ID=RP091427 ) are a secure and safe method of transporting their fursuits through checked baggage. They tend to fit one carefully folded suit and one fursuit head well.
Good of you to notice you want to register without your fursuit (We do need to see Photo ID and match it to your face, in line). The fairly standard method is that people will dress in their hotel room, walk to the programming areas, do cute suitful things, cool down a few minute in the Headless lounge, do more cute suitful things, dip into the lounge for another quick cooldown, then head back to their hotel room and de-suit.
hope to god no one catches you headless
Honestly, no one worries about it _that_ much if someone has to pop their head for a second.
--Chi
... a lot of our attendees find that Action Packers...are a secure and safe method of transporting their fursuits through checked baggage.
Action Packers and similar packing bins are designed so that they can be secured with a padlock or two, either by running the shackle through matching holes in the lid and body, or by shackling through a latching handle - usually one on each end of the bin.
If travelling by air, DO NOT USE PADLOCKS. The TSA may wish to inspect the contents of your bin, just as they may wish to examine a suitcase or similar luggage. Instead, use Nylon Cable Ties, often called "Tie-Wraps", threaded through matching holes - and in the case of latches which rely on the body of the padlock to restrain the latch from becoming unlatched, use a couple of large, flat metal washers, or a flat "button" of metal, wood or plastic with two holes in it, anything through which a tie-wrap can be threaded, but will not itself pass through the slot in the latch, to anchor down the latch.
The nylon cable ties are strong and self-locking; they won't come loose on their own, will deter casual pilferage, and if the TSA needs to inspect your bin, they can cut the cable-tie rather easily, and replace it (or them) from their own stock. If you are concerned that the TSA might run out of cable ties, include a bag with spares (you are returning home by air, right? So pack extra!) inside the bin, atop the fursuit...and while you are at it, include a sheet of paper with your name, phone number, and shipping addresses for both outbound and return destinations, just in case any external labels or tags become illegible or are otherwise lost.
When you get to your destination, use a small scissors or diagonal wire cutters - which you packed inside your checked baggage - to open your shipping bin.
Thanks, I will check them out.
Honestly, no one worries about it _that_ much if someone has to pop their head for a second.
The fact that I'm an ugly mofo. I'd rather be in mask than out of. Such the thing "Hope to god no one catches you headless," such impressions will stay.
Eh. No one will worry about your looks that much, in or out of suit; I doubt you're as ugly as you expect; but I understand. Quite a few people don't like to be caught out of suit, and that is why we have the headless lounges; but should things become critical or problematic. Don't worry. 
--Chi
Just to pipe in here, really the old taboo's of fursuiting from the 90's are pretty much dead (and thankfully they are). No one's brain is going to implode because you took your head off. (and you probably should just go to registration without it since they need things like photo id and writing things down like a signature sometimes, so not being encumbered with a suit, and being able to see, write, and have pockets, are a good thing.
I would also strongly suggest not going to the airport in fursuit....with the heightened security, especially from the new york time square bomber incident, might not be the smartest idea. I would also suggest finding the headless lounges on foot before you get into suit. AkA, know your surroundings. look at where water stations are located, and plan how to get places encase you overheat, something spills on your suit, or other emergency contingencies.
As far as carrying your suit on the plane, size is a huge issue. I know of very few suits where their heads and rest would fit in a common backpack, and even that is pushing carry-on size. you might save space, like I do, by using an action-packer stated above, but using that for 90% of all my lugage, insulating and protecting the delicate head with soft squishy clothing and such. I usually zip-tie one latch shut, and then put a TSA lock on the other. out of the 12 times i've put my fursuit on a plane, I have only had one issue with TSA and I'm pretty sure it's because i flew delta instead of my usual Midwest airlines, but who knows. ALSO a quick note about TSA, DO NOT use hand lotion before packing bags. the gelatin used in most hand lotions and other body moisturizers is the same in some house hold bombs and will be picked up by the most basic scans as a possible bomb threat. I gotta buddy who works TSA at the old KCI, he found that out when he opened a bag, expecting explosives and found a whole treasure trove of BDSM equipment...
You probably won't want to spend 100% of the con in suit either, especially if your hitting the dealers room for purchasing things. But that's the wonderful thing about fursuits, you can take them off when they become too cumbersome for what your doing.
First off, make sure that the head will fit in an overhead luggage bin. Size guidelines are available on the airline website. Remember that some aircraft have smaller overhead bins than others, especially the short-haul flights.
As for getting it through security, there's no problem, other than some possible odd looks you might get from the screeners. Just don't, for the love of Pete, try to put it on in the airport.
You can put your suit on in one of two places:
1) Put it on in the Headless Lounge.
2) Put it on in a hotel room (either yours or a friend's).
The latter is much preferred since we don't have any secure storage in the Headless Lounge for your other gear, and it is not practical for us to try to provide it. The Headless Lounge is designed to be a waystation where you can cool off; it's not meant to be a changing room.