Fursuiter staying at the Onmi - Suggestions on trucking suit to and from convention center

Listed on the Omni Hotel's page is "Post/Parcel services". You may be able to have the fursuit sent my mail/UPS/FedEx and picked up at the Omni itself. That should be a reasonably safe option; I would imagine the Omni may charge a modest fee for storing the package before your arrival (And you should tip the person who brings it to you, in any case.)

http://www.omnihotels.com/findahotel/PittsburghWilliamPenn.aspx has contact information; I would speak with the hotel about this possibility.

--Chi

Between the topic title and what may be a mistake in the body of your message, I interpret your problem as being one of How to get the suit from the Omni to the Westin/DLCC, without wearing it for 3 blocks. Is this a correct assessment?

Just how elaborate - and how delicate - is your suit? Is it of a rabbit, or a kangaroo? What sort of tail do you have, and what sort of head?

For shipping, many suiters use a travelling plastic bin called a "packer", and this is great for shipping. Ideally you would hang the suit when storing it, to let is air out and to avoid setting wrinkles; but for short periods of travel, if the suit will stand it without losing bits of sculpting or glued-on detail, you could try a large sports-equipment bag, with the suit carefully folded or even rolled up, with the head set on top on its side, if there is enough clearance to work the zipper over it to secure the contents of the bag. If you need more room (for a head which cannot take any crushing force, or for a 'roo tail that doesn't easily fold), consider a military-style duffel bag, made of canvas. These things fold up when not in use. The top closure consists of an internal flap, and three grommeted holes or "eyelets" along the circumference of the top edge, which allows you to fold over the top, and which slide over a link-pin; an attached hook keeps the eyelets on the link, and provides a sling point, but a padlock on the link will effectively lock the duffel. Most military-style duffel bags also have a strap handle stitched into the side, so that the duffel can be carried like a suitcase, and two straps which can be run through keepers, and used to carry the duffel on you back, like a back-pack - this mode would be the one least likely to damage anything packed in the top of the duffel, like the head.

Soldiers and sailors are expected to be able to pack ALL their uniform items, including field jackets and overcoats and parkas and combat boots into these things, for quick deployment anywhere in the world, so you should be able to loosely pack a fursuit, a couple towels, a can of disinfectant, some hangars or bull-clips and clothesline, and a fursuit head (with appropriate cushioning - another use for the towels), and walk the 3 blocks to the Westin; make friends with the other fursuiters, and arrange to change into suit (and out of it) in one of their rooms, at the same time they do. That last part is important - you have to be bold enough to try to make some friends, and trust them enough to leave the duffel bag in their room. From what I've seen of most fursuiters, this shouldn't be too hard to do.

If you go the duffel-bag route - remember, for a fursuit, it is just for transport and _very_ short-term storage.

Thanks for the idea for a duffel bag. I might be able to fit it folded up in my carry-on or something. I currently have the 'fursuit standard' Rubbermaid action packer for travelling. The suit barely fits in the action packer thanks to it being a kangaroo (Livewire soda-roo) and the tail having a ridiculous amount of stuffing in it to keep its shape. The duffel will be easier to carry down the street than an action packer for sure.

Also, yes, my beef is just with getting suit to and from the Omni and what I'm going to do with it while I'm at the convention center or hotel and I'm not in suit. Lugging around a duffel with me everywhere will get old extremely fast.

I'll keep checking in with people I know locally to see if I can just stuff my action packer in a room at the Westin and keep in contact with them/get a room key just for getting in and out of suit. If not, I'll go on the room share board and post my concerns and try and find a fursuiter at the Westin like you suggest.