Hey everyone,
As I think we all know, wearing any kind of full body costume tends to insulate the body pretty well, and thus the tempeture inside the suit tends to rise, making the person inside very warm. This is something that we all accept when we don the mantle of a character, and I certainly do not find the heat to be uncomfortable. However, the heat does produce a secondary effect of causing a great deal of perspiration as the body attempts to cool itself.
The issue with this perspiration is that it can soak into the undersuit, and as a result the undersuit tends to get a musky oder after being worn for a few hours. As these undersuits often involve somewhat more exotic materials than most clothing such as rubber or leather, they tend to need professional dry cleaning services frequently. I for one would rather not go about a convention hall smelling over-ripe after a day or two.
So I wanted to know if anyone has found any good techniques on mitigating perspiration in an undersuit. I know that fans inside helmets are always a good idea, and they do cool the whole body somewhat by pulling heat up through the head and away by convection, but I was wondering if that is enough to cut down on the sweating. For example, could vent be cut into the undersuit to allow more air flow and keep the moisture from accumulating? Or maybe a battery-powered water-block cooling system, with coolent tubes wrapped around the body under the armor?
Anyone had any success here or have other methods to recommend?
As I think we all know, wearing any kind of full body costume tends to insulate the body pretty well, and thus the tempeture inside the suit tends to rise, making the person inside very warm. This is something that we all accept when we don the mantle of a character, and I certainly do not find the heat to be uncomfortable. However, the heat does produce a secondary effect of causing a great deal of perspiration as the body attempts to cool itself.
The issue with this perspiration is that it can soak into the undersuit, and as a result the undersuit tends to get a musky oder after being worn for a few hours. As these undersuits often involve somewhat more exotic materials than most clothing such as rubber or leather, they tend to need professional dry cleaning services frequently. I for one would rather not go about a convention hall smelling over-ripe after a day or two.
So I wanted to know if anyone has found any good techniques on mitigating perspiration in an undersuit. I know that fans inside helmets are always a good idea, and they do cool the whole body somewhat by pulling heat up through the head and away by convection, but I was wondering if that is enough to cut down on the sweating. For example, could vent be cut into the undersuit to allow more air flow and keep the moisture from accumulating? Or maybe a battery-powered water-block cooling system, with coolent tubes wrapped around the body under the armor?
Anyone had any success here or have other methods to recommend?