Hacky Sack Equipment

Below is an exhaustive list of equipment needed to play the game of Hacky Sack. Items marked with an asterisk (*) are not essential.

  1. Hacky Sack *

A note on terminology:
A Hacky Sack is also referred to as a "Hacky" or a "Hack."
The game of Hacky Sack is also referred to as "Hacky" or "Hack."
A "Hack" is the term used for one of the objectives of the game.
In the USA everything is called "Footbag."
To avoid confusion, this document, from here on, will refer to the game as "Hacky Sack", the thing you kick around as a "Hacky" and the objective as a "Hack."

Hackys come in two types: panelled and crocheted. In the USA the panelled Footbag is generally considered superior for reasons not worth mentioning here. Below is a picture of a typical crocheted Hacky. All of the most important features have been meticulously labelled.

Crocheted Hacky

A Hacky is approximately 6cm in diameter and usually filled with plastic pellets. Crocheted Hackys become looser with use, so a new one will be small and firm providing a more challenging game of Hacky Sack. In Australia you can buy one for about $5.

Consulting the exhaustive list of equipment above you will notice that the Hacky is one of the items marked as not essential. In the case that there are no Hackies at hand then it is possible to use anything that can be kicked around as a substitute. If you are indoors a screwed up piece of paper works fine.

Although Hacky Sack can be played in bare feet (and often is) I find it much easier to play with shoes, and some shoes are better to play in than others. It is generally the case that a shoe with more wide, flat surfaces will give you more control over the Hacky. Also a shoe with a low front makes a popular foot-serve much easier. Having said that, there are some foot serves that are only possible with bare feet. Skate shoes usually make good Hacky Sack shoes. An example of a good Hacky Sack shoe is pictured below.

A good Hacky Sack shoe

Last updated: 24/02/03