Jetskigunner
Active Member
I just finished my first suit and since I live in Florida it heats up pretty quick. So I was wondering what anybody recommends for keeping cool in the suit.
Recommendations on keeping my body temperature down...
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Chernobyl
Sr Member
Welcome to a question cosplayers have been asking since the first guy took up the first costume and stood under the heat, cursing the harsh glare of the sun as he melted into a puddle of sweat and gross.
There are as many opinions on how to do this as there are people willing to offer one for you. It all really depends on how much space you have under the armour itself, and how much you're willing to spend, but the generic go-to answer is usually going to be some sort of cool vest or variant thereof. The main issue is going to be keeping your core temperature down, so cooling your head and torso are key.
Other than that, the best I can suggest is nothing more complex than taking frequent breaks and sucking down plenty of good, old-fashioned two-part hydrogen, one-part oxygen while languishing under the AC. Most conventions are good enough to have some sort of 'suiter lounge' where you and your handler can go to take breaks now and then.
There are as many opinions on how to do this as there are people willing to offer one for you. It all really depends on how much space you have under the armour itself, and how much you're willing to spend, but the generic go-to answer is usually going to be some sort of cool vest or variant thereof. The main issue is going to be keeping your core temperature down, so cooling your head and torso are key.
Other than that, the best I can suggest is nothing more complex than taking frequent breaks and sucking down plenty of good, old-fashioned two-part hydrogen, one-part oxygen while languishing under the AC. Most conventions are good enough to have some sort of 'suiter lounge' where you and your handler can go to take breaks now and then.
Chernobyl is certainly right. Water is very important. Lots of it. Also, having a handler that knows to look for signs for dehydration and/or heat stroke. They'll see it before you'll start to register that something is wrong.
When the 501st does Star Wars Weekends in Orlando, the routine is to load them up with lots of water while they wait to go out and be ready on the other side to give them water again immediately. The get geared up as close to needing to be ready as possible and stay in the shade whenever they can. You actually have to force people to drink sometimes but it's really very necessary.
When the 501st does Star Wars Weekends in Orlando, the routine is to load them up with lots of water while they wait to go out and be ready on the other side to give them water again immediately. The get geared up as close to needing to be ready as possible and stay in the shade whenever they can. You actually have to force people to drink sometimes but it's really very necessary.
Chernobyl
Sr Member
Of course, then there's the inevitable 'oh god I need to go pee every twenty minutes' issue, but I'd rather be racing back and forth to the bathroom more frequently than I would toppling over and spending the rest of the con on the sidelines.
Sithslayer78
Active Member
I always like to carry a camelbak in my armor to keep cool. Something to look into could be a Peltzier personal cooler, as described here:
I made one, and I think it works a little bit, but I've also heard that this can cause heart attacks (completely unsubstantiated claim, but ehhh) I use it when It gets REALLY toasty and I think that it helped. Also, look into Columbia's Omni-Freeze clothing line. The cloth actually cools down when it gets wet (with adequate airflow). If you're wondering what the "pros" use, often racing suits have some sort of cooling vests that operate on the basis of circulating or evaporating water, but these are typically very costly.
Something I've found that helps immensely is to segregate the airflow from the visor. That is, do everything in your power to keep the air you exhale from reaching your visor. For my Mk VII helmet, I installed the guts (and more importantly the valves) from an old 3M respirator, made air channels so that air intake is on the side, installed a fan to eject all exhaled air out of the front, and sealed everything off with expanding foam. For my ODST helmet, I've added an exhaust channel powered by one fan placed directly in front of my mouth so that I can at least try to direct airflow away from the visor. It doesn't work as well as the Mk. VII, but it does ok.
I made one, and I think it works a little bit, but I've also heard that this can cause heart attacks (completely unsubstantiated claim, but ehhh) I use it when It gets REALLY toasty and I think that it helped. Also, look into Columbia's Omni-Freeze clothing line. The cloth actually cools down when it gets wet (with adequate airflow). If you're wondering what the "pros" use, often racing suits have some sort of cooling vests that operate on the basis of circulating or evaporating water, but these are typically very costly.
Something I've found that helps immensely is to segregate the airflow from the visor. That is, do everything in your power to keep the air you exhale from reaching your visor. For my Mk VII helmet, I installed the guts (and more importantly the valves) from an old 3M respirator, made air channels so that air intake is on the side, installed a fan to eject all exhaled air out of the front, and sealed everything off with expanding foam. For my ODST helmet, I've added an exhaust channel powered by one fan placed directly in front of my mouth so that I can at least try to direct airflow away from the visor. It doesn't work as well as the Mk. VII, but it does ok.
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