First Time Suiting

I know of a hazard you should watch out for. Touchey-feely furfans swarming you!

...I may or may not be relating this information to you as myself being part of the problem...>.>

There is no truth

As colorfully as Exkhaniber put it, there is a concern there, not so much with individuals but with crowds.

It is advisable to have a non-fursuiting friend go out with you to act as a spotter. It can be a lifesaver if there is someone behind you that you do not see, and you are about to back into them. There are also thousands of tripping hazards that your limited field of vision may render even more...er, hazardous.

We will have a green room, the "Headless Lounge", in the Convention Center, and likely one in the hotel as well. You should be certain to know where these are, so if you need to pop out of sight to cool off for a few minutes you know where to go.

We ask people to give priority on the elevators to fursuiters, but not everyone at the convention is so polite, much to our regret, so do not count on being able to dash up to your room on short notice.

You may want to attend a coupole of panels that may help you. If you've not been in full suit before, look into one of the intro performance panels. They can give you some good tips on basic movement and getting familair with the limitations of your costume.

Also look into the "So This is Your First Con" panel. Granted you may have been to AC before, but there is a portion that usually deals with fursuiters. It'll help you get perspective from in and out of suit (you can see what others are going to be made aware of an apply it to your own situation).

*jumps into the thread* I as well am a Furst time Full suiter.. going ot be attending AC in my Full suit that just got done... I love the information your giving here, it helps me out a lot, I wore a partial last year but this is completly different im sure... I remember it was way hot in the partial, i cant imagin what its going to be like in a full suit...

well is there anything else i should know about Suiting besides the stuff you already mentioned?

ohh and this is what it turned out like so you may see me at AC

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/4176/dwheadbflyxe4.jpg

1) Before you put on the suit, make a point to walk all over the convention area, and get "the lay of the land" settled in your mind. Does your suit have a tail or wings? Walk about as though you have a natural tail and wings, and make notes of what you can see when looking up, and how much room there is to pass or close a door behind you. You won't be able to do this when you actually have the suit on, and would be otherwise distracted, anyway.

2) You are new to this? Pretend that you are a SCUBA diver! You have only so much air to breathe, only so much time to get where you wish to go, do what you wish to do, and return - and don't forget pausing to "decompress" along the way back!

This means - pacing out the distances, keping track of how long it takes to get from point A to point B, with your refuge/safe point being the "Headless Lounge". Try to learn the layout of the place, know where the escalators are, any steps, (in)conveniently-placed wastebaskets or benches (which you won't see in-suit), a dozen different things that we normally see and dodge around without any conscious thought given to the matter.

The point is: 1) You have to think and make decisions differently when wearing the suit, and 2) You have to do it with information that you have collected or observed beforehand, because of limited vision, hearing, and tactile senses.

...And still take a "spotter", who's voice you can recognise while in the suit. Your spotter can also carry a sportsbottle full of water and with a long straw for you.

I think that one of the biggest things that is often overlooked is the fact that drinking cold water during all the physical activity of fursuiting is incredibly dangerous because it can actually put your body into shock. If all that is available is cold water, make sure that you take small sips. Another good habit to get into is to drink lots of water before the con to flush your system out and get hydrated. Most of the fluid you will have to replace will come out as sweat during the con, so remember to drink lots of water and try to shower at least once a day!

Know your limit! Know when it's time to take a break from suiting to cool down. Remember, if anything happens to you while you're in suit, it's very likely that the paramedics will have to cut your suit off of you (which is another reason you should wear something underneath it).

A little more on the performance side, be alive! Keep your head moving so that you don't look like a statue (this also helps with your vision, as you can see more of your surroundings if you keep changing your field of vision). Everything that you do in suit should be ten times what you would do out of suit. No one can see your face, so any facial expressions you make are worthless, but this makes your body language exponentially important.

As mentioned before, spraying the inside of your suit with something like Febreeze helps kill the sweaty smell somewhat, but wait until after the con to do the inside of your head! The chemicals in some products can be potentially hazardous for several days after spraying them. Also, another way to keep your suit dry(ish) is to bring along some sort of fan to blow air through your suit when you're not wearing it.

And have fun! :3

Dark Tiger,
Wearing a fursuit for long periods of time is surprisingly very physically demanding. I suggest lots of rest, which is nigh near to impossible while there! Vitamins. Lots of water. not gatorade, not soda, WATER and eat well. You will be physically exhausted when you take it off at night too. You might do as UnkleKage says, take a friend to spot you. If you are going with another suiter then you too should alternate whenever you are in suit. It worked for me and Deviant_Coyote.

DO NOT drink much alcohol the night before you suit. You will dehydrate and can pass out. This has happened to a friend. He was getting weak-kneed and passed out in suit. Luckily I am large and strong enough, I picked him up, in his suit, and carried him back to our hotel room, removed his head and got him some water.

This alcohol thing happened to me at my friend's New Year's Masquerade Party. I had two Champagnes but since I had been in suit sweating all night, the punch that the alcohol packed was far worse. And the hang-over the next day was FEROCIOUS!

That brings me to another point. Do not wear the suit all day. Unless you have been made tough by sitting in a sauna for long periods of time or you have a cool vest, it is a bad idea. And use the "Headless lounge" frequently. It is better to have water and sit near a fan when you need to.

As far as what to eat...I don't know. I guess since it is physically straining, like any physical activity, preparing like you are going to compete in a sports event might be a good idea.

Also build up your stamina a bit by wearing the suit around your house/apartment before you go up. Learn it. Learn your limits, learn your blindspots and KNOW your suit well before going to convention.

I hope this helps.

Sylverwolfe
The Heavy Metal werewolfe

Bang your head!!! Metal Health will drive you mad!

I speak from experience when I say this.

PACE YOURSELF and wear the RIGHT clothing under the suit

1) Pace yourself means just that.. don't push yourself too far or too fast. You're going to be HOT in this thing by just STANDING there. Believe me I know this for a fact. And if you don't feel well.. don't suit! Trust me.. nothing is worse than sneezing inside a fursuit head.

2) right clothing under the suit. Best thing is a spandex unitard.. better is those shirts that you can get at target that are of lightweight material and that breathe pretty good. True story. I suited once in jeans and a shirt for 30 minutes and went into minor shock for it as I sweated EVERYTHING into my clothes and felt like crap.

Follow those rules and you'll be fine. See ya there.

Something I would like to point out now that I've been suiting for a couple of months...

Just like with any physical excercise, you want to gradually build up to a point. I've been wearing my suit as much as I can, and gradually increasing the amount of time I spend in suit each time. By doing this, I'm building up an endurance to the heat. As a matter of fact, this past Saturday, I spent a combined 6 hours in suit. In FLORIDA. On the Beach. Then in the bowling alley.

I am up to being able to stay in suit for 2 and a half hours at a time, actively. (That means dancing, running around, chasing cars, etc.) However, I know my limits, and I can feel when it's time to sit down or even de-suit. I don't recommend that you try to push too hard, and strip down at the first sign of 'getting tired' or dizzyness. Everyone can understand your plight. Don't think that you're obligated to suit for the enjoyment of others at the risk of your own personal health.

Note: Swim trunks under a suit = major heat buildup in a bad way.

>Note: Swim trunks under a suit = major heat buildup in a bad way.

Oh man is that true! I wore a one piece swim suit under my fur for a zoo party and the weather wasn't too bad, maybe 65 degrees or so, but after about an hour, I started getting sick from the heat. Apparently, swimsuits are not designed to evaporate your sweat away from you and as a consequence, the heat just builds until you (1)pass out or (2)puke. In my case it was (3)... but we won't go into that other than to say I was running for the girl room, and it ain't easy to fur strip in 5 seconds flat but I managed somehow. Now I wear super light breathables like cheap cotton crop tops and light shorts with no belt. My new head is closed cell foam on the inside, which doesn't soak up water and has 8 permanent air channels, designed with such precision that NASA should soon be knocking at my door to hire me any day now. 3 fans direct the flow (thanks Jeefer!), and there are outlets in my ears that you can't see cause the long hair there blocks the view of the holes. I guess the thing you need to be aware of more than anything, is the MINUTE you feel imperfect... head for the headless lounge! Go to your room and shower! Take a break! You will have a lot more fun not being sick, trust me (imho)

- Tinkerbell, Space Kitty -
"To boldly go where no kitty has gone before"

FFW6m FFW6s A- C Dm++ H++ M+ P R T+ W- Z S- Sf RLS a24 c+l e++ f++ h i+ sf+

*cries sadly * the company i was ordering fur material from shutdown.. meaning i cant get my materail with enough time for con. i wont be suitning htis year like i hoped...
"The pack is everything! I live for my family.."

quick question. I only have paws, a head, and a tail. Would it be cooler (Temperature wise) if I just wore a long sleeve shirt, or if I made arms for a suit?

DEFINITLY HEAT!

half an hour under an extremely radiant sun of july and
you may very well pass out..

Drink a lot , take breaks .. kick away the fanbo.. I mean ^^;;

No .. seriously .. take care of your body temperature..

First because you don't wanna pass out

and second because overheating can make you puke ..

and you DON't wanna puke inside a fursuit..

So drinks .. breaks .. avoiding too much sun and much drinks (non-alcoholic of course) will help lots..
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I love you all ..

except for the people I don't like..