Hacker EDC at DEFCON Vegas: The Ultimate Guide to Everyday Carry for DEF CON 33

What to Carry, What to Ditch & How Not to Get Owned at DEF CON

You've prepped your badge. Booked your room. Practiced your alias. But what about your pockets?

DEF CON isn’t just another tech conference. It’s a high-stakes playground where even your EDC can betray you. After 13 years as a vendor - including last year's surprisingly smooth ride at the Las Vegas Convention Center for DEF CON 32 - we’ve seen it all: cloned badges, rogue cell towers, and “free” USB drives that are anything but. Your gear should be as stealthy and secure as you are. Whether you’re blending in at DEF CON Vegas or stepping into a car hacking village, smart everyday carry keeps you operational and under the radar.

This year’s DEF CON theme is “Access Everywhere” and if you’ve ever relied on the wrong gear in the wrong place, you know access isn’t just digital. Your everyday carry is what bridges the physical and the operational.

If you're hitting DEF CON 33 in Vegas, swing by the Keyport booth in the Vendor Area - where you can grab exclusive merch you won't find online.

We've been a DEF CON Vendor Area mainstay for 13 years, learning directly from red teasers, badge makers, and con veterans. Our EDC approach is forged from real-world experience, not Reddit threads.

This guide is built on firsthand DEF CON intel - lessons from the floor, drawn from operators, engineers, and long-timers who’ve seen it all: the badge clones, honeypots, rogue wi-fi, and “totally safe” USB drops.

Our rule is simple: your gear should work quietly, modularly, and without selling you out.

This isn’t a listicle. It's a survival manual.

DEF CON rewards discretion, not gear flex. The right loadout isn't flashy. It's functional. Quiet. Untraceable.

We've organized this guide around the gear, mindset, and tactics that help you operate clean. Whether you're blending in at DEF CON Vegas or ghosting a hallway con, your EDC should work without drawing attention.

Everything you'll see here is modular, practical, and field-tested by real attendees. No theory. Just tools that pass the sniff test.

Let’s start with the first principle of Hacker EDC: less signal, more sense.

DEF CON is where “smart gear” goes to die. Sometimes it takes your data with it.

Bring something cloud-connected, and you’ve basically put a “root me” sticker on your hoodie.

The gear that survives DEF CON isn’t smart. It’s clever.

The Keyport Pivot, for example, doesn’t sync. Doesn't chirp. It just works. Silent. Modular. Metal. If your pocket isn’t giving you away, you’re doing it right.

The best modular everyday carry system is offline, app-free, and built like it owes you nothing. Great DEF CON gear doesn't squeal. It just works.

Tools can help. But mindset wins.

At DEF CON, the most dangerous thing you can carry is a bad decision. The smartest EDC starts before you even open your bag. In fact, the gear you leave behind is just as important as what you bring.

Here's what veteran hackers pack mentally:

• Threat Modeling – Who’s watching? What’s valuable? What's exposed? What’s vulnerable?

• Situational Awareness – Everyone’s watching someone. Don’t be too  interesting.

• Discretion – Bragging is bait. Humility is armor.

• Exit Plan – Don't bring anything you can't afford to lose. Never log what you can’t plausibly deny.

Your mindset is your most powerful tool at DEF CON, and the best EDC starts between your ears. Gear just follows orders. Everything else is just a protocol layer.

You’ve got your phone. You’ve got your wallet. But the most underrated piece of your loadout? Your keys.

Unless they jingle, poke you in the thigh (or worse), snag, or scream "janitor from 1997," in which case... not helpful.

A modern modular key organizer like the Keyport Pivot upgrades those old-school keys into functional infrastructure:

• NFC Faceplate: Share contactless links without leaving a cloud trail

• YubiKey Insert: Secure logins with zero trust required

• USB-C Drive: Sneakernet supremacy with no “Oops, wrong cloud” moments

• MOCA Multi-Tool: Tighten, pop, scrape, and pry without TSA drama

Your EDC isn’t complete without a secure, modular key system. It’s belongs right next to your phone and wallet.

Here’s your minimalist, modular, and no-regrets loadout. Every piece earns its spot.

Access & Identity

• Keyport Pivot – No batteries, just brains

• YubiKey – Auth like a pro, no app required

• RFID Wallet – Block scans without looking like a dork

Tools & Ops

• MOCA Tool Insert – Ten tools, zero fuss

• Mini Flashlight – For dark hallways and darker intentions

• Pen Module – Because sometimes analog is your only friend

Comms & Data

• NFC Faceplate – Share contacts that disappear after use

• USB-C Flash Module – Local, portable, plausible deniability

• Notebook or Burn Card – Note-passing that never pings the cloud.

Not heading to las Vegas for DEF CON 33?

You can still build your own Hacker EDC online in our DEF CON Collection for work, travel, or just keeping a low profile in a high surveillance world.

Pro Tip: DEF CON gear should reduce your digital footprint, not broadcast it. If it syncs, scans, or updates itself… leave it in your hotel room. The only thing that should reboot at DEF CON is your situational awareness after a social engineering fail.

DEF CON is the Olympics of “I told you so.”

Want to make Hacker News? Bring a Bluetooth tracker.

Want to survive DEF CON? Don’t.

Here’s what not to carry unless you enjoy becoming an example:

• Bluetooth Trackers – Congrats, you’re now locatable in 3D

• Cloud-Dependent Devices – DEF CON Wi-Fi is where dreams go to die

• “Smart” Anything – You’re not the only one listening

• Unfamiliar Tools – If you didn’t configure it, someone else already did

• Startup Prototypes – Cool concept,  but also a liability waiting to happen

True story: In 2017, a DEF CON speaker got flagged at the airport after TSA noted “suspicious electronics.” He was carrying a basic dev board and two RFID coils.

Less gear means fewer questions. Especially from people in latex gloves.

Because nothing ruins your Vegas weekend like a surprise Level 3 TSA deep dive that ends with someone saying, “You’re gonna feel a little pressure…”

DEF CON isn’t just a tech test. It’s a people puzzle.

Think your gear is locked down? Cute. Hacking people is still the easiest vector.

Here's how not to get socially owned:

• Talking shop in line – That friendly “newbie” might be running a honeypot

• Plugging into “Free Charging” stations – Welcome to Juice Jack City

• Oversharing on your badge profile – Your GitHub is not your alibi, it's a roadmap

• Wearing branded swag – Nothing screams “phishable” like a corporate polo

DEF CON doesn't just hack devices. It hacks you.

That “harmless” badge volunteer? They might now own your hotel room, your LinkedIn, and your cat’s name.

1999 – Zip disk, lockpick, pager

2005 – Palm Pilot, Ethernet spool, CAT5 cable belt

2012 – RFID blockers, Faraday bags, burner phones

2025 – Modular, low-profile, offline-first. Access Everywhere, minus the breadcrumbs.

From chaos to curation, EDC at DEF CON has gone from bulky to stealth.

Today, it’s all about modularity, security, and deniability.

Also 2012 footnote: First known use of a sock as a signal jammer.

(We don’t recommend it. For reasons.)

Whether you’ve been visiting us since DEF CON 21 or this is your first time making the pilgrimage, make sure to swing by the Keyport booth in the Vendor Area.

Every year, we roll out something exclusive for the DEF CON crowd. In the spirit of this year’s theme, Access Everywhere, we’ve built gear that works wherever you are, with zero reliance on apps, cloud, or signal.

This year's mix includes:

• Titanium - because plastic never survived a red team test

• Glow-in-the-dark - because you shouldn't need a flashlight to find your flashlight

• NFC tech - for burner links, contacts, or tasteful mischief

• USB-C flash drives - because Sneakernet still beats sketchy hotel wi-fi

Come say hi. Pocket something smart.

And yes, we’ll be keeping an eye on the "free" USB pile too.

Here's a little something 👆 from DEF CON 32 you might enjoy. We are looking forward to 33! 

If you’ve made it this far, congrats—you’re clearly not just here for the badges and chaos. You pay attention.

So here’s your challenge:

When you reach the front of the line at the Keyport booth, look a team member dead in the eye and say:

“This is my social engineering voice.”

First to drop the phrase wins something quietly awesome.

No hints. No spoilers. Just plausible deniability and a damn good story.

DEF CON isn’t just a conference. It’s a proving ground.

A gathering of misfits, makers, and minds that don’t take things at face value.

DEF CON doesn’t just test your tech, it tests your tactics. 

The right EDC isn’t about showing off; it’s about staying operational, adaptable, and under the radar.

Whether you’re in Vegas or watching from afar, building your own hacker EDC is a signal:

You see the world differently. You think three layers deep.

Build your loadout with intent, and remember: Carry smart. Stay sharp. And leave no trace.

Remember: DEF CON doesn't give second chances. Pack like it matters. See you in the shadows - or at the Keyport booth in the Vendor Area. You don’t need to log in to carry smart. “Access Everywhere” starts in your pocket.