Advice for first time Fursuiter/FurCon attendee

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

Hello everyone :D

So VancouFur will be my first time fursuiting as well as attending my first furcon and was wondering if you all have any tips for first timers? I know the basic stuff like keeping hydrated, breaks in the headless lounge (I think that's what it's called), no handling kiddies, ask before hugs/pictures, and the general common sense stuff.

My puzzlement is over how do you guys go about getting pictures? I don't have a handler yet and I am attending by myself so I won't have the usual buddy to snag pics of my adventures. I got a daypack I'll be using to carry my stuff but the camera has got me stumped. I really want pictures but paws and dexterity don't seem to go well together, lol.

Is there anything else you would advise that a first timer would need to know?

Thanks for any tips you guys can give (I just realised this emote was a conure bird and must use it now :birdy:)

[Tai]

Well since you are going to a furry convention you really don't need a handler (though some people do need help so they need a handler/helper). Basically all I can say is go out and have some fun. There will be lots to do and interact with at Vancoufur. Yes, there will be a headless lounge (a really sweet one too) so you can take a break whenever you need it.
As for pictures, I'm pretty sure there will be lots taken. I myself love to take pictures of suits. So I'm pretty sure I will probably have some of you after the convention is done. There will be lots of other cameras and video cameras so act it up. More people like to take pictures of exciting or funny suiters. Not to many people like to take pictures of a person just standing there like a tree. Also there might be a photo area where you can get pictures taken if it is the same as last year.
Oh and the 6-2-1 rule.
- 6 hours of sleep per night
- 2 meals (proper) per day
- 1 shower per day

Hope this helps.

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

Thanks! Yeah I was stalking some journals on FA and they mentioned how FurCon's are similar to anime conventions and yet completely different. I am familiar with the anime convention but generally got buddies with me and my hands are not covered or vision limited, lol.
Good to know a handler won't be necessary. My mask when I tested it, has good visibility and ventilation so I think I should be good exploring the convention without assistance. Just been practicing wearing it around the house so I'm used to the heat it creates despite the vents.

A photobooth would be really cool. Really good way to get a pro shot of a suit ^.^

What kind of events/panels are usually held at the con's?

[Lady Serpent]

Hey there, mate -- Sorry we missed this post -- we would have had lots to say!  How did your first con go?  (Or has it not happened yet -- I havn't been keeping up with what's going on in the world lately.)

Cheers;
-LS

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

First con went very well and I had loads of fun!

[tokar]

@ tynderfox   i try to view pic but it doesn't showe.  open in new window / tab - 403 forbidden message

size of pic is large.  might help to reduce size

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

It's just HTML code. Not sure why it disappeared. It was there originally.

[RainRat]

[mod]I think it's because furaffinity has hotlinking prevention. Some people can see it because the image is already in their browser cache. More details can be found at: http://www.random-host.com/blog/403-forbidden-fur-affinity-hotlink-protection-explained You should edit your post to avoid hotlinking: either a different site, or make it into a clickable link.[/mod]

[Jimfoxyboy]

The picture is still there in the gallery. Seems FA throws a fit when you try linking directly to the picture in someone's (including your own) gallery. I find it usually works better when you link to the submission page the picture is on, rather than just the picture itself.

[Choco]

some really helpful advise

Stint your times in and out of suit so that you can cool off and more importantly keep yourself hydrated. As you know suiting gets quite hot when wearing and it is a multi-day event so you wouldn't want to burn yourself out of energy. Tai also has some wonderful advise as well with the 6-2-1 rule. even with being able to see well having a handler or someone around to keep tabs on how well your doing is a good idea so you don't get dehydrated which is not a good thing.

If your going to suit keep yourself hydrated with lots of water. Vancoufur has been very good about having water readily available so do keep yourself well hydrated.

Hygiene is important as well for the people around you so some advise is in the evenings to at least spray and air the suit so it doesn't smell.

Some more advise is to try not to compete with some conventeners that have gone to numerous different events. Some of those guys are used to staying up long hours so things such as sleep is important.

Most Importantly is to have fun. There will be people there with cameras so act it up

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

Next year I think I'm gonna try and have a fur handler; the lack of pictures kinda sucked. Or figure out a way to have easier access to the camera for photos. Paws why you no worky XD

[Wereman]

Memory serving well you attended Rainfurrest as well?

One suggestion if to identify the individuals who took pictures, reach out to them on their respective FA account. Start building a contact/connection. Ask them in advance whether they can take pictures of you during the con. I done something similar at Vancoufur this year.

[Tynder Bluekoinu]

VancouFur has been the first and only furcon I have had the pleasure of attending. I am hoping I can attend RF2014.

The few pictures I did get were from people I met and shared FA accounts with :) However since they were only acquaintances they were not with me for the con and would not have pictures of the days adventures, only the few moments we hung out together and if I was lucky had a picture taken.