Keeping Cool while in costume

For all of us whom wear full armour suits like vader, stormtroopers, ect. We all know first hand how hot these costumes are. I am still diggin up resources, but I found something that should help.

Please follow up on this link and post your internet finds also. This is an issue that plagues us all. Imagine being able to wear a vader costume for hours in the summer heat, and actually be comfortable for up to 3 hours!

http://store.planetcostume.com/customer/product.php?productid=39&cat=5&page=1

Ill keep looking and posting what I can find.

I hope this helps everyone!

DM

 

Along the same lines, our Chewbacca uses a camel pack water system. It's basically this little backpack you wear that contains a pouch filled with ice and water and has a drinking tube. This way you stay cool and hydrated at the same time. I think it was under $30 at Wal-Mart.

~Doc_Bev

 

Those both look like great ideas, but I'm looking for something less visible myself, since my D*C costume is gonna be hot and still needs to be sexy . . .ah well

 

My Finace sent me a link about making neck wamers for soldiers to give me something to do between classes. Part of the site also gives instructions on how to make Neck Coolers, perhaps that's something you could look into to stay cool with. and here's another link also about it.

Hope that helps

 

OK now that you have our interest, weres the picture electrakitty?

 

I've tried something fairly similar for use with my Vader - can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, and I'm currently away from home, but there was a "cooling-vest" thread here a couple of years ago that several people contributed to where it could be found. It was the same vest used by the Australian Olympic gymnastics team, supposedly. Some preferred the phase-change vest, but for my own purposes, I found that an actual ice-insert vest (mine was a DuraKool or DuraKold) worked better. Lasted longer and kept me cooler (~3 hours of COLD, versus around 2 of COOL, followed by up to 2 more hours of gradually-increasing heat buildup), plus I could get out of costume, put in a new set of frozen inserts, and get another 3 hours or so of real cold, which you can't get from a phase-change vest. I now have 3 full sets of inserts for the vest, and a freezer-chest to carry them in - not one of the cheap Wal-Mart-type cooler shests that cool to 40 degrees below ambient, but an actual refrigerator/freezer chest capable of producing internal unit temps well below freezing (and I paid a pretty penny for it, too - such a unit runs in the neighborhood of $600+ depending on size, plus shipping). Yes, it's expensive, but I can take all my inserts to a multi-day con like DragonCon for several uses of a hot costume like Vader, and I've even managed to re-freeze 2 sets of inserts at once DURING last year's DC. To me, that capability is worth the price, because it allows me to get significantly more enjoyment out of my favorite costume.

Warning - I do find that my body's temperature-regulation capability is thrown out of whack somewhat after wearing the ice vest, and I think that wearing the vest without some very hot costume to offset the cold-vest would make matters much worse, possibly dangerously so. Also, the cold vest DOES NOT prevent sweating and the accompanying need for water intake to replace what's lost. Pay attention to how you're doing in the suit!

 

the best way to keep cool is to extend your thumbs and go ayyyyyyyyyyyyy

 

The 14 year olds (heck, the 20 year olds!) are not going to get that one!

 

LOL too funny!

I doubt most ppl even know whom the fonz is lol

 

I know who the Fonz is. . . I am 31 however And pictures, you asked for. . .hmmm. . . I have nothing with me in it. . .yet. It's still in process, but my research pictures are here. http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/electrakittydesigns/detail?.dir=5732&.dnm=6bd2re2.jpg&.src=ph
There are more if you wanna scroll through. I so can't wait!!

 

Ayyyeee. :-D I've done "Da' Fonz" stance while in Jedi garb wearing shades. . It gets a laugh or two.

 

I just watched the sith apprentice movie. Apparently vader has a short in his saber. LOL I laughed out loud went he and the storm troopers did the river dance. LOL

I wonder how hard it is to make such a movie. I mean costuming for fans is one thing, and hard enough to keep cool then, but dancing??? OMG I bet he needed a serious cool down after that was taped. LOL TOO FUNNY

 

being in my max rebo costume the only thing that kept me cool was the freezing weather at C3

 

I might just try the neck cooler thing. . .that might do it. Luckily, there's a big leather backpack which is canon with that costume, so I can carry water around with me. Woot!

 

Keeping cool in the Rubies Darth Vader Supreme Costume is an exercise in extreme heat tolerance.

I've purchased 'Under Armor' Clothing to help with the relentless buildup of trapped body heat inside the suit (helps wisk away the sweat from my skin). While this has helped a bit, I have also made a custom Ice Vest, much like the ones you see online for over $200.00. I purchased two large cool packs (dry) that you keep in the refrigerator, once they are ready; I attach them to my back and chest/shoulders with a simple Velcro system to hold everything in place. It works well for a little over an hour.

I cannot stress enough to everyone how much it helps to drink as much cold ice water as you can handle before getting into costume.

I'm working on a custom jumpsuit to wear underneath that should work pretty well for keeping me cool for over two hours. I've have had a good laugh with a few of my friends about the fact that when you own a costume like the Rubies Vader, and you make the mods to it, keeping cool inside etc., you really do become similar to Vader. You really do have a 'life support system' built in under the costume. Otherwise you might just DIE of heat.

May the Force be with us all (and keep us cool in the process)
Trufias'

 

Cooling collar and vest. Not the greatest price, but a nice option nonetheless...

 

yeah kitty Im 35, and Im finding my tolerance for heat and cold, is far less then it used to be. So one way or another Im going to be working out some sort of cooling device. Maybe an O2 tank in a tent, with an a/c in it ever 15 minutes or so lol.

 

I'm just planning to be in lots of pain in many directions while in that costume. I'm gonna have my boobs bound (and taped), be wearing a wig, a full fur coat/dress, cotton lycra tights and spanks, and not to mention the boots, which will likely make my feet bleed. If I weren't so madly in love with that character, I'd think I was nuts. Maybe I am