A hackpack is a backpack with a set of "always carry" tools for hacking the world around us.

We are starting a project at sudo room to create ~$25 base hackpacks with optional expansion packs.

We have a mailing list where we discuss everything related to hack packs.

People currently working on project: Tunabananas, Matt, Mackenzie, Juul.

Base hackpack

Target price <= $30

This is only an initial possible version. It may be too electronics-focused. Comments/changes welcome.

A backpack (get from thrift store and wash at high temp)
Soldering iron (should be 30 watts)
Set of small screwdrivers (at least philips and flat-head)
Needle-nose pliers
Diagonal wire-cutters (these will probably suck, but maybe we can sharpen them?)
Larger screw-driver with assortment of bits
USB to 3.3v serial adapter
Multimeter

Assortment of resistors
Small assortment of diodes, caps, mosfets, buttons, switches, LEDs
Female to female pin header cables (like these)
Some male-male and female-male pin headers
USB stick (2 GB minimum) with bootable Linux and lots of libre books / learning materials.
Sharpie
List of where to buy more of everything
List of other awesome things to add to hackpack, what they do and where to buy
A sudo room sticker
An invitation to sudo room

Initial attempt at price assessment spreadsheet

Consumables

Solder
Wire of different colors and thicknesses
Duct tape
Yerba mate tea

Data

I do not think we have to worry about using CC material with the non-commercial clause, as we are not trying to make a profit (Juul (talk)).

Bootable GNU/Linux

Which distro? What should we include?

Books

Cory Doctorow's works
Most of John Sundman's works are CC, but not downloadable from his website anymore.
Others?

Comics

XKCD is cc-by-nc
Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now based on stories by Cory Doctorow is cc-by-nc-sa
There are others

Audiobooks

?

Art

We could have a set of cloth pens and let sudoers or buyers of hackpacks customize them.

Expansion packs

Essential reads

Dead-tree versions of $1 to $3 essential hacker works, e.g:

Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash or The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
please add more

Cloth

Mackenzie is working on this. Current target is $5.

Some things that may go in the pack:

Scissors - $1 at dollar store
Sewing needles
Pins
Thread
Tailors chalk
Conductive thread
Instruction manual/booklet

Gluepack

Small glue gun
Glue sticks
Electricians tape

RXpack

Target price: $16

A rtl-sdr compatible usb adapter (like this one)

Wifipack

Target price: $30

A dual-radio OpenWRT compatible router
Instructions on how to flash with sudowrt firmware and do interesting things like spectrum analysis.

Mate anywhere kit

Make tea and stay awake anywhere!

Target price: $10

Silicone travel cup - $5 (cheaper at Koreana Plaza?)
Travel water boiler - $3.38 (but meant for 220v :/)
Tea ball - $1
Ziplock of yerba mate

Hackpack

Contents