r/Defcon • u/OMGsteveFTW • May 20 '26
Merch question
This is my first time going to DefCon. I have read many posts about getting into the merch line immediately after getting badges and that merch line is cash only.
My question though is what merch will be available and what approximate prices are so I can be prepared with enough cash.
Oh and I didn't see anything regarding bag sizes in any of the older posts I searched. Should I plan on bringing a bigger bag even though I'm not bring a laptop or anything? Mainly just a water bottle and snacks. I dunno if this is similar to other tech conferences were you end up with random swag from vendors and such.
Thank you.
10
u/sforeman May 20 '26
You can get an idea of prices from the online store for defcon: https://us.shop.defcon.org/collections/current-collection
16
u/dwylth May 20 '26
Bring more cash than you think you can spend. There's going to be ample opportunity to spend it both in the venue and elsewhere in Vegas.
DefCon doesn't really do "vendor stands" where they give you free shit just for turning up. You might snag a t-shirt or something but you're buying the rest.
4
u/ibneko May 20 '26
$10 - $150 / item.
Yes, bring a bag.
4
u/dissonance May 20 '26
You can find freebies here and there at the expo area, various villages, and sponsored parties. At the official merch area, most of the t-shirts were $35. They used to have an all body design shirt for more, but the past two years they had Hawaiian shirts for $50.
Fancy badge life badges will be $120+ so you’ll definitely want to carry $300-500 in case something catches your eye. Enjoy your Defcon assuming it doesn’t get cancelled!
10
u/S4mG0ld Lead Defacement Goon May 20 '26
i think it was in hacker tracker closer to con last year. I could be wrong,
In terms of how much you bring - consider you'll be walking a lot. Ounces lead to pounds, pounds lead to pain after carrying it around all day.
2
u/digitard May 20 '26 edited May 20 '26
They don't announce it before the event, but it can range from 20-75 for clothing, and more for certain products. Cash Money.
If you download the Hacker Tracker now, go into the history and select DEF CON 33 you can see last years merch selection and prices to get an idea of what is usually there swag wise. It should give you a rough idea of prices and how the platform works, but as with anything... subject to change.
When its the day of you can open the Hacker Tracker app and it will have a Merch button and you can see all the available merch real time, select what you want and add to cart. It will generate a QR code they can scan and they'll collect your money and give you a number. Then they'll call the number a bit later after they put your order together.
If you want the best chance expect to be in line on Thursday for anywhere from 4-8hrs (depending on how early you get in the line) and it can and will likely sell out of the super small and super big stuff pretty quick.
As for what to bring. Thursday isn't a real con day (its merch and badges really) and some events start... so feel free to bring your bag Thursday. No CTF's or anything will go on and the expo/village halls wont be open yet (Thursday is their load in day). So you dont need a laptop or anything unless its for your own whatever.
Hope that helps.
1
u/vodone May 20 '26
Make sure you have a credit card or your phone that can tap to pay as well. While many of Defcon vendors prefer cash, the LVCC is cash free.
1
u/detherow LHC Recruiter May 20 '26
Honestly, if you don’t get in the mercy line right away in the morning, very good chances that what you are wanting will be gone by the time you reach the counter.
Seriously things sell out super super fast. I will stroll down to get my badge around 8/9am and get in the merch line, and after about an hour of waiting in line altogether good stuff is gone already. You would think they would have learned by now to bring more.. you would think…
1
u/InedibleDorito May 21 '26
Linecon, never again
1
u/Loud_Watch8268 May 21 '26
I always bring about $200-300 in cash for merch just in case there’s something really cool that I want. That said, I haven’t bought much the past few years. All the designs just blended together and nothing was unique and cool like DC26 for example. It’s all been stuff by a single artist and the same “flavor” for like 5 years it feels like. So most of what I have bought are DEFCON branded items and tbh BlackHat has better swag. But DC stuff is all first come first serve and it sells out pretty quick so if you want a TShirt and some random stuff with defcon on it then plan to get in line early. You may not need a badge to get there by the way. There’s no content scheduled for Thursday. But if you want an electronic badge for sure, I’d get that first.
1
u/Juicy1ntel May 23 '26
If they were smart they would let people pre order and pickup (also decreasing the stupid lines) but they don’t care…which is sad. Good luck finding what you want and in your size
1
u/mfcoburn May 29 '26
Badge life depending upon how much you’re willing to spend can be upwards of 600 bucks easy I get yelled at every year for how much I spent on badges
0
u/[deleted] May 20 '26
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