10 Tips for DEF CON Newbies (2024 Edition)

DEF CON is the greatest hacker convention the world, however if you're a first timer, it may seem overwhelming. Here are 10 tips for newbies, based on my personal experience attending DEF CON!

0:00 Intro
0:49 1 - Make Reservations Early
2:28 2 - Take Extra Days (If You Can)
2:54 3 - DEF CON is Best Experienced With Friends
3:39 4 - Don't Over Pack Your Case!
4:09 5 - Bring Cash, Food, & Drink!
5:12 6 - Hacker Tracker!
5:51 7 - Convention Etiquette
7:05 8 - Ignore the Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)
7:48 9 - Use Lyft, Uber, & the Monorail
8:21 10 - Plan for Plan Changes!
8:47 Outro

[properwaffles]

Also, keep your WiFi and Bluetooth off on your phone 😬

Or bring a burner and leave it open to see if you end up on the board.

[iwuvu]

I wanna go someday, even though I’m not a hacker, I’d still want to go and see what it’s like

[MarkFoudy]

These are great suggestions. I particularly like the suggestions about FOMO and getting hotel/registration settled sooner than later.

[DeputatKaktus]

For conferences and festivals alike, I highly recommend setting up all your stuff in the evening. Meaning you have your wallet, your EDC items and a hydration pack set up and refilled (and on the usual place on your bag or pockets, to avoid that frantic self-patting down later) before you conk out. That way you can make sure you are ready to go instantly, in case you overslept or are otherwise in a hurry. I like having all my stuff on a chair laid out in the order I put it on. 

Socks and underwear on the seat, sweater / jacket over the back rest, pants put over the shaft of my boots (I wear boots 80% or the time). Pro tip: place your badge on top of your boots, oriented so you can grab it easily and immediately put it on. Backpack goes next to said chair. So if I need to leave in a real hurry, I just have to put on the base layer, sit down, stick feet into boots, get up and pull pants up by belt/suspenders, throw on my jacket, grab my bag and walk out the door. If need be, within one or two minutes of waking up (though I really prefer not to be in such a hurry).

Sounds pretty weird to some, I know. But then, old habits die hard. I do not expect others to do the same, I just thought Id share.

Oh, and: Ditch all the "just in case" items you packed. Those are dead weight in 99% of cases.

[also_smidge]

Planing on going in a few years after i finish university.
Got a steadily increasing pile of scrips & loots of plans for some gadgets i need to make soon

[brohambbg]

Imagine how I felt when I slowly realized this wasn’t for DEFCON: Everybody Dies

[Tony.Vibez.]

Can we chop down on the intonation a little

[SandraWuerthner]

Hello
Thx for the video.
Its my first Def Con.
We are staying in the Linq, we booked the hotel before it changed to den LVCC.
Greetings from Austria ❤

[Sentient_Goose]

DO NOT PRE REG! The line was significantly longer than just showing up.

[codebyday]

I agree with everything except min 6:50

If you are in public, its fair game. no expectation of privacy and you do not require consent. freedom of press.