ANTHROCON WAS COOL!

Julia and Emily had a blast at Anthrocon 2024!! Thank you to all the Furries who came by our booth and chatted with us, purchased a ThermApparel Cooling Vest in the Dealer's Den, and attended our talk, How To Keep Cool in Your Fursuit. 

What is Anthrocon?

Anthrocon is an annual furry convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, held in July. It caters to furries who are fans of fictional anthropomorphic animal characters in art and literature.

The convention is held at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. Since moving to Pittsburgh in 2006, the convention has drawn millions in financing to the local economy and is among the most attended furry conventions in history, peaking at 17,639 in 2024.

ThermApparel (TA): How long have you been wearing the vest?

Cheesecake The Cat (CTC): All day today, the humidity here is insane, and I gotta tell you, it has been a godsend!

TA: Excellent. So, are you brand new to the vest, or have you had it for a while?

CTC: The vest is brand new today. I knew I wanted something to keep me a little bit cooler, and I'd heard good things about cooling vests, but when I saw your booth, I was like, "Let me give it a try." And then you were so helpful.

TA: Thank you very much. We try. So now remind me, which one did you get? Did you get what I have on the UnderCool, or the the UltraCool? 

CTC: I bought the UnderCool. 

TA: Excellent. So wearing the UnderCool that has the cooling on the back.

CTC: UnderCool is perfect for me because the front of my suit is a little bit tighter. But you know what I noticed is like, the back doesn't add any bulk. It's been really, really good. Yeah, yeah.

TA: Have you had to refreeze them yet?

CTC: No, actually, and this is going on, what, like, two and a half, two-ish hours. I mean, like, it's been really good. And, like, every now and again when you move, or you're, like, going in for a hug, you get a little burst of coolness.

TA: So do you really feel like it's cooled down your core temperature?

CTC: Just having it, like, on my spine, on my lower back, like, it definitely feels like it's keeping me cooler. Oh, yeah. yeah. 

TA: Is there any advice that you would like to give out to anybody out there that's on the fence about getting one. 

CTC: All I say is, do all the things you normally do. Stay hydrated, make good choices. But this is a game changer. 

TA: You heard it here first, folks, it's a game changer.

Why was ThermApparel at Anthrocon?

Many of the 17,639 attendees dress in Fursuits and, as a result, experience overheating. All of our cooling gear helps furs stay cool.

UltraCool and RallyWrap are the most popular because they provide 360 degrees of cooling, and we recommend them for Fur's that wear full Fursuits and Plush Suits.

Luminer: Yeah, I'm actually wearing it right now. Walked out of my hotel about eight this morning, freezing. It's a wonderful thing that I feel everyone should at least take a look at. It can keep you cool on unexpected hot days like it's been this entire weekend. It's been abysmally hot. And I don't think I would be able to last as long if I didn't have this UnderCool on my back.

Extra Cooling

Remember, you can add extra cooling with our Cooling Accessories, CoolSleeve, Grab-n-Go, and Headband. These offer short bursts of extra cooling power, especially after fursuiting. They are great for pre-cooling and post-cooling. Use them while preparing to suit up and after you are done fursuiting for the day. These products will increase your performance by reducing fatigue and speeding up recovery. 

Q. Why should I only use it for pre- and post-cooling?  Can't I wear them while I am fursuiting?

A. Great question! We don't recommend using them while in-suit because the cooling time is 30-45 minutes. Remember, the Cooling Packs act like a heat sink. Once they deplete entirely, they will put heat back into you, making you hotter. Here is our recommendation:

1. Use your Cooling Accessories to cool yourself down while you are getting ready. If you have a cooling vest with extra packs, put it on now.
2. Before zipping up, take off your Cooling Accessories and put them in the freezer.
3. Put on your Cooling Vest - or switch out the Cooling Packs if you have an extra set (put the other set in the freezer) 
4. Zip up and have a fun time!!!!
5. When you're finished fursuiting, unzip and get your Cooling Accessories from the freezer and put them on. If you have an extra set of Cooling Packs for the Cooling Vest, switch them out. If you don't have an extra set, get the Cooling Vest off.
6. Get some airflow going. Sit in front of a fan, drink cold water, and cool off.

ThermApparel (TA): Alright, so we're here with anarchy star. And remind me what you purchased yesterday from firm apparel. 

Anarchy Star (AS): I got the vest with the cooling around the back,

TA: Cooling All the way around? 

AS: No, just the back. 

TA: So you have the UnderCool. How did it work for you? 

AS: Best investment, I've put it into first suiting since 2007 when I started suiting.

TA: Excellent, so you wore it yesterday. Tell us a little bit about that. 

AS: I wore yesterday for the parade, and it did a fantastic job at least four hours plus. And it's very simple to freeze. 

HOW TO KEEP COOL IN YOUR FURSUIT

Julia gave a great talk to a packed room on How To Keep Cool In Your Fursuit. Check the schedule at the next Fur Con you go to, she might be presenting. If you can't make it or missed the talk below are some highlights. 

Our own body is a massive source of heat. As your body produces energy to make your body work the by-product is heat. But when we put ourselves in clothing, it traps all the excess heat with no way to escape, creating sweat that makes a high-humidity environment.

What that means for Furry's is that if your Fursuit does not allow your sweat to evaporate, it's going to make you hotter every time, and with the way that many of the Fursuits are made, they can trap even more internal heat. 

So the math tells us that your body is sitting at 98.6˚F / 37˚C, and as you sweat, the humidity inside your Fursuit goes from 20% to 40% to 100%. At 100% humidity, there is no possibility of evaporation.

Remember - no evaporation = no cooling.

Heat Stress Threshold

Did you know that the human body has a Heat Stress Threshold of 85˚F / 30˚C? Above that, our bodies can no longer dissipate the heat fast enough to keep our core temperatures stable, and doing pretty much anything becomes more difficult. When temperatures reach 95˚F / 35˚C, our work output drops by 45%.

Temperature Regulation

The human body is like a fine-tuned machine that needs to operate within a specific temperature range for optimal performance. It's like a Goldilocks situation, not too hot, not too cold, but just right! 

Anything outside of the 92˚F to 104˚F / 33˚C to 40˚C range can lead to some wonky or dangerous symptoms.
At 80°F, the heart and lungs cease to operate.
At 109°F, the brain shuts down. 

Internal Heat Generation

Your Fursuit is a huge source of Internal Heat Generation, and without proper cooling, you can quickly overheat and reach Hyperthermia, otherwise known as Heat Stroke.

Check out these thermal images of Fursuiters and how hot they are in their Fursuit!

This image was taken right after a Fursuiter took off their head. The head is radiating 92.4°F / 33°C heat into the Fursuiter and will quickly increase when the head is back on. 

Heat Stroke Happening

Remember - Heat stroke begins at 104˚F / 40˚C, and at 109˚F the brain shuts down.

This Fursuiter is experiencing temps of 105˚F / 40.5˚C!!!  He wasn't dancing. He was walking around the Dealers' Den. He will get hotter when he dances.