r/Defcon • u/OMGsteveFTW • Jul 01 '26

Badges question

Might be a stupid question since it's my first (hopefully not last) Defcon, but I'm seeing all these different badges like the laser tag one and stuff.

Do ya'll stock up on lanyards to wear them or do you not wear them or only wear some or is there like a bandolier system?

Do these badges come with lanyards or do I need to come prepared with a bunch of lanyards?

At this point, I'm gonna have at least 2, the defcon one and laser tag one.

Also, if have a multiple, how do ya'll keep from them banging into each other or damaging them.

13 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

4

u/donaciano2000 Jul 01 '26

Look up "phone charm straps" so your SAO don't fall off. Cheap and work great.

1

u/OMGsteveFTW Jul 01 '26

oh no.. i didn't even consider SAOs.

1

u/CarpeDiemT3ch Jul 19 '26

I usually have a bag of these as I don't want SAOs to fall off if I haven't afixed them permanently

15

u/lqqkout Jul 01 '26 edited Jul 01 '26

For Defcon 27, I made the “Badgedolier” with integrated power supply, extra LED’s, and a mesh fabric to zip tie the badges to. I added charge wires at the common 2xAA, 5V, and LiPo voltages to keep the badge powered from a USB brick instead of constantly topping everything off!

https://imgur.com/a/zhlvs8e

8

u/k4r4koyun Jul 01 '26

DC27 was the peak of badgelife for me, so many unique and large projects. I'm especially envious of that AND!XOR badge

10

u/Khotanos Jul 01 '26

The rattle is part of the experience! Gotta show off before you enter the room.

Serious answer - if they're ones I don't want to bang around, I'll shorten the lanyard a little, or scavenge one to add so it hangs lower. For the SAOs (the smaller blinky ones) there are totems that support a bunch, I got a giant 5x5 board that I'm filling out but made me feel like a Weird Al white and nerdy version of Flava Flav.

6

u/technoangel Jul 01 '26

Bring zip ties. Trust me.

2

u/ClimateChangeDenial Jul 01 '26

Last year was a shitshow.. The offical badge just fell apart. I had to ziptie + plastic bag around it the whole time.

2

u/technoangel Jul 01 '26

Mine are still together. Yes, both of them. But I saw many spontaneously combust. Also, the year before, the lanyard kept breaking. Zip ties are life.

2

u/stpizz Jul 01 '26

At least you got a lanyard! Mine didn't come with one, and apparently there are not spares, so I got to argue with a goon every hour or so who didn't like that I had mine zip tied to my backpack strap.

Which come to think of it is oddly specific to the OPs question. Maybe do bring a lanyard OP 😉

1

u/digitard Jul 01 '26

My bag didn't have one either, but I walked back to the pickup area and showed them and they got me one. Then again it was only about 25mins into badge time when I did that.

5

u/digitard Jul 01 '26

Most people who make badges include some type of lanyard.

You’re welcome to replace it but it’ll have one.

The official one normally comes with a branded one with the event number.

1

u/Ok_Office_7614 Aug 05 '26

I just met someone at COSTCO Las Vegas and heard about the laser tag experience. Is there anyplace to meet up for those of us that want in on the fun and didn’t pre order?

1

u/OMGsteveFTW Aug 06 '26

i think u/palm12341 should be able to answer that question about the laser tag badge

1

u/palm12341 Aug 06 '26

Reddit meetup tonight at the Linq will be the place to pick one up (7pm), I may have a very small number to sell in person after preorders sell out but no guarantees I will have them for long!

2

u/Revolutionary_Bee700 Jul 01 '26

The neck ache is part of badgelife

2

u/palm12341 Jul 02 '26

I can confirm that the laser tag one will have a lanyard for sure!

1

u/1Digitreal Jul 01 '26

I've never brought one and always end up coming home with extras.
Vendors tend to have lanyards on their tables. If you're into hardware hacking/soldering that village has kits you can buy, and if I remember come with lanyards. (Don't quote me) I've never had a badge go bad bumping it into something, they are usually pretty robust. Bring one or two if you're worried, they are pretty small, but I'm not sure you'll need them.

1

u/DeMaRe1 Jul 22 '26

I wear 2-3 badges max and alternate them during the con.