A little unbrushed due to fursuiting for 2~3 hours in 90°F heat and nearly direct sunlight; I had to literally peel myself out of it without any feeling in my fingers or toes ~10 minutes after this picture. Picture taken on the midway at Wild Nights 2015, Robber’s Cave State Park, Wilburton, Oklahoma.

Made sometime circa 1996 (around a year before I found the fandom!) and previously owned by it’s builder until I acquired it in 2002, this could be the oldest surviving fursuit from Creatures & Creations of Crown Point, Indiana, and will probably build it’s replacement.

Other than having my feet stolen in a Portland, Oregon home burglary (that prefers to keep it’s crime stats low by just not taking police reports if it’s not likely to make a headline; and I just haven’t found a new set of feet at a reasonable price), I’d say my suit’s held up pretty well.

Usually makes at least 8 appearances a year, the minimum being half the Tulsa Area Furs furmeets, Wild Nights and Oklacon. Occasionally makes appearances at renaissance faires, Texas Furry Fiesta, and exactly one appearance at Conifur Northwest, and one in my old hometown of Portland (mostly me on a poorly thought out solo fursuit walk around downtown not long after I got it in the fall of ‘02).

Body and paws get machine washed in “cold-delicate” mode in a front-loading 5 or 8 load Speed Queen commercial washer, with the body zipped, inside out, brushed while still wet, and hung up inside out about once every 12-15 hours of wear, when it starts to get gamey, or when I get ground cover caught in the fur, whichever comes first (seriously, first sign of wear is the key). Liberty Laundry on Sheridan in Tulsa knows the routine well enough now that they could probably wash it for me, but I’m not letting them do that until they teach me the secrets of folding a fitted bedsheet…

Inside of the head gets a Windex wipedown regularly (if I see sweat on the inside, it’s getting wiped down at the end of the day) and the outside gets shampooed with Resolv carpet cleaner as needed.

Since the fur “sets” in a relatively brushed out position and stays that way once it’s inside out, usually doesn’t take a whole lot of prepwork to get it ready-to-go once it’s on me (quick brushdown with a water spraybottle spritz (to not rip out the fur that’s still attached) and good to go).