When people ask me what are the best hacky sacks and footbags, I have a few “go-to” bags that I know will fulfill their needs. In the list below are these footbags that have the right weight, filling level, and diameter suitable for both beginners and experienced players.
If I had to recommend one bag that is extremely good for beginners, it’s the Sandmaster 14 panel. This bag is both kickable and stallable from the moment you take it out of the package.
My Personal Experience
I based my suggestions on my personal experience and chose bags that are versatile enough that you are able to engage in both solo and group play without having to sacrifice one for the other. Keep in mind that the bags are better after a few sessions of play and a few washes.
- Read what you should consider before buying a new footbag and understand how weight, number of panels and diameter will affect your overall footbaging experience.
11 Best Footbags For Beginners in 2023
I focused my recommendations on weight, filling type, and the number of panels combination that I find good to begin footbaging with. Without further ado, let’s have a look at them!
1. Sandmaster 14 panel (Best Footbags for Beginners)
- 2 ¼ inches
- 14 Panels
- Medium fill
- 30 grams
- Filled with sand
The Sandmaster is at the top of my list because I think it’s the best footbag for beginners. It has become the standard by which I judge footbags.
The Sandmaster is about 2 ¼ inches in diameter, medium fill, and weighs about 30 grams. As its name indicates, it is filled with sand.
This bag is both kickable and stallable from the moment you take it out of the package. Over time and through use, this bag becomes perfect for working on tricks and improving juggling. Read more reviews.
2. World Footbag DirtBag 8 Panel
- 8 Panels
- 2¼ inches
- Sand filler
- 50-60 grams
The DirtBag 8 panel is one of the best to begin with because it retains pop while being easy to stall. This is a versatile bag that every freestyler should have in their arsenal.
The DirtBag 8 panel is a standard size footbag with 8 panels measuring about 2¼ inches and weighs between 50-60 grams
What makes this one of the best bags for beginners is the large 8 panels. This bag weighs between 50-60 grams which provides stability when learning the game. Read more reviews.
3. Mighty Mite
- 1.8 inches
- 50 grams
- 14 Panels
- Sand and steel pellet
Mighty Mite is the smallest of the bunch at 1.8 inches. It provides enough weight and big enough panels that, once broken in, is easy to stall and easy to kick.
Mighty Mite bag is small but heavy. It’s measuring about 1.8 inches (smaller than standard) and weighs 50 grams.
This bag combines sand and steel pellets, weighing in at 50 grams. It has enough weight for control and enough “Pop” to keep it exciting. Read more reviews.
4. Assassin
- 32 Panels
- 50 to 80 grams (depends on the filler)
- 2 inches
The Assassin 32 is the quintessential (classic) footbag. It comes filled with your preference of metal, plastic pellets, or sand.
The Assassin has 32 panels, Its weight (depending on the filler you prefer) ranges from about 50 to 80 grams. The diameter is around 2 inches.
This bag is good for both kicking and stalling. This one takes a few sessions to break in, but once you do, this is an amazing bag for solo or circle play. This bag is one of the best footbags for beginners because it will help you hone your juggling and stalling skills. Read more reviews.
5. Quad 4-panel metal/cork
- 30 ish -50 ish grams (depends on the filler you choose)
- Fill-level medium to high
- The filler is either cork/metal or foam/metal
- 4 Panels
What makes the Quad 4 a good bag for beginners is the large 4 panels. These provide enough surface area for the bag to collapse, which is great for stalling. This is a standard size footbag measuring about 2 ¼ inches.
Depending on the filler you prefer, the weight of this bag is anywhere from 30 ish -50 ish grams. The filler is either cork/metal or foam/metal and the fill level is medium to high.
6. Clipper 24-Panel
- 24 panels
- Loose metal fill
- 54 grams
The Clipper won’t retain its shape and roundness as well as the 32-panel Assassin, so it won’t be as good for kicking. However, this hacky sack will still offer decent kicking ability thanks to its relatively high panel count.
As for stalling, expect this hacky sack to be a better choice than the Assassin. And this isn’t only due to the lower number of panels.
The Clipper footbag has a loose fill that won’t retain round shape well but will allow the hacky sack to sit on your foot better. Not only that, but the filling here is a metal pellet, which tends to deliver better control and accuracy than sand.
Weight-wise, the Clipper hacky sack is pretty balanced. 54 grams, in my opinion, should be a decent weight for most people out there, including beginners.
What I also like about this bag is that it has a synthetic suede cover that allows it to be used outdoors. But of course, it’s perfectly suitable for indoor playing as well. Read more reviews.
7. Paradox 14-Panel
- 14 panels
- Medium purified sand fill
- 59 grams
The Paradox 14-panel footbag from Dragonfly Footbags should offer better stalling performance than the Clipper. This hacky sack footbag has 14 panels, so it won’t retain roundness as well as the Clipper hacky sack. And this is exactly why it is better for stalling than the Clipper.
The filler of the Paradox hacky sack is traditional – you are getting medium-fill sand. It is partly thanks to this filler that Paradox delivers good stalling performance but had it had a metal filling like the Clipper, it would have been even better.
In terms of weight, the Paradox hacky sack is on the heavier end – 59 grams. Although this isn’t that heavy on the footbag market, I should warn you that the weight may make the Paradox painful to play with, though it will also make this hacky sack more stable and stall-able.
Like the Clipper hacky sack, Paradox also has a tough synthetic suede cover for both indoor and outdoor use. Read more reviews.
8. Jester (Best Fabric Hacky Sacks)
- 12 panels
- Loose sand filling
- 2.25-inch diameter
- 42 grams
Now this one’s pretty interesting. The Hacky Sack Jester is made from corduroy fabric, which implies a whole bunch of benefits.
The surface of the Hacky Sack Jester features channels – a typical feature for corduroy fabric. What’s nice about this rough channeled surface is that it will increase grip, which will be helpful for both stalling and kicking (though this hacky sack is more for stalling).
On the other hand, I suspect that the Hacky Sack Jester will be a dirt magnet precisely due to the channels.
From what I’ve gathered online, Hacky Sack Jester weighs a mere 42 grams. It should thus be light enough not to hurt you while playing – perfect for newbies.
The diameter in Hacky Sack Jester is 2.25 inches – a little larger than the typical footbag. The large size paired with the loose filling and the 12 panels should make this hacky sack pretty nice for stalling. Read more reviews.
9. Stally (Best Hacky Sacks For Stalling 3-Pack)
- 4 panels
- Sand filler
- 2.25-inch diameter
- 55 grams
With its 4-panel build, the Stally footbag is an excellent choice for stalling. As you can see, this footbag is pretty cube-like – just what you want to stall like a champ.
The product listing I based my review on included 3 Stally footbags. In fact, this is a pretty cheap 3-pack – for a little more money than you’d pay for something like the Clipper footbag, you are getting not 1 but 3 footbags.
Of course, this implies lower quality. I wouldn’t expect the Stally hacky sacks to live for too long. I’d guess that this whole pack will last as long as a single but more pricey hacky sack, which is fine for the price.
Size-wise, Stally footbag should be pretty beginner-friendly – measuring 2.25 inches in diameter, they are large and should be easy to stall and control. Weighing 55 grams, these hacky sack footbags will be stable as well, and they shouldn’t hurt you while playing.
One thing I wish this 3-pack had was a choice of colors. You can’t select colors on your own – instead, colors are randomly assorted. Offering colorful hacky sacks but not allowing you to pick your own colors seems a bit weird to me. Read more reviews.
10. Stellar Staller (Best Hacky Sack for Night Play)
- 12 panels
- Medium sand, steel ball-bearing, and plastic pellet filling
- 2.25-inch diameter
- 65 grams
Are you going to play with your footbag in the dark? Well, then the Stellar Staller hacky sack is a nice option. This thing glows in the dark, and its glow is probably the most unique and even bizarre feature on this list.
The glow is sure nice, but I think that its cool factor is stronger than practicality. Still, the low-light glow does make this footbag stand out from others.
What’s also very interesting about the Stellar Staller hacky sack is that its fill combines plastic pellets, steel ball bearings, and sand. Thanks to the plastic, this footbag may have a good bit of kick-ability, while the steel bearings and sand will improve stalling. But overall, this footbag will be better for stalling than kicking. Read more reviews.
11. Sir Hemp Hacky Sack Footbag
- 12 panels
- Medium sand filling
- 2.25-inch diameter
- 58 grams
The Sir Hemp hacky sack footbag is claimed to be among the most durable freestyle footbags out there. Besides, it’s the first hemp footbag endorsed by World Footbag.
The hemp outer cover in Sir Hemp not only seems pretty durable but is also a little textured. This should allow for better grip, though probably not as much as in Hacky Sack Jester with its corduroy channels.
What’s also nice for beginners about the Sir Hemp footbag is that it’s not too pricey.
All in all, I think that Sir Hemp will work nicely for stalling. It’s certainly not the best for stalling on this list, but the 12-panel build along with the medium filling should make it pretty good. The large diameter and weight should make Sir Hemp easy to control as well. Read more reviews.
There you have it – my full list of the 11 best footbags for beginners. These footbags are durable, relatively inexpensive, and a whole lot of fun to kick!
However, if you are looking for an entirely customized footbag and are ready to pay money to have one designed based on your needs, I would highly recommend you reach out to Hanna. She can definitely create a perfect footbag for you in case you can’t choose one from our list.
Best Footbag for Beginners – What’s Important?
When shopping for a bag, it’s important to find a balance. Consider what is too floppy or too poppy, too heavy or too light, too big or too small.
But, it really boils down to what you prefer and what is well balanced for your style of play. Having said that, I believe the sacks I listed above are great, to begin with!
I have presented a variety of hacky sacks that appeal to the different styles of play. These footbags will prove to be some of the best footbags for beginners.
What to Consider When Buying Your Best Footbags for Beginners
When shopping for a footbag, consider the number and size of panels, weight, size of the bag and filler. Each of these components factors into personal preference.
A: Best Hacky Sacks (Number of panels)
Range: 4 / 8 / 12 / 14 / 32
The more panels a bag has, the more seams and stitching it has and thus will determine how much of a ball shape it retains.
If you want to do more kicking than stalling, then consider bags with more panels and higher fill levels. If you are looking to do more stalling and tricks, then consider bags with fewer panels and low to medium filling.
B: Best Hacky Sacks (Size of panels)
Range: Small / Medium / large
The size of the panels is also a contributing factor to a bag retaining a ball shape.
The larger the panels the more the bag collapses on your foot/knee/head, so, typically, larger panels make it easier to stall. The smaller the panels and the more panels a bag has, the more of a ball shape the bag will retain.
C: Best Hacky Sacks (Weight of the footbag)
Range: 30 – 80 grams
Weight is another contributing factor that needs to be considered when purchasing your footbag.
If the bag is too heavy, then it can be painful to play with.
If it is too light, then it becomes more difficult to play with.
The idea is to find the weight that is heavy enough to maintain stability, but light enough to where it feels good to kick.
Your footbag of choice will have a unique combination of what I have highlighted above: panels (how many and how big), weight, size, and filler. Everyone has their own preference for footbags, and – like people – preferences tend to change over time.
D: Best Hacky Sacks (Diameter for beginners)
Rnge: 2-3 inches
Footbags come in different sizes and shapes. The diameter gives you a perspective of how wide the bag is while resting on a flat surface. Wider bags will be easier to stall and kick without missing but they are also a bit more clumsy at flight. The diameter should be considered together with fill-level to get an estimation of how the bag will feel.
Best Hacky Sacks and Footbag for Beginners: Reserve Judgment
Many times the footbags that we don’t initially care for end up becoming our favorite footbags to play with – this has been my experience a few times. When switching from one bag to another, there is an adjustment period.
For example, the difference is startling when switching from a medium sand-filled bag to a full pellet bag. Give each bag a chance. Play with a variety of bags.
The differences between bags strengthen different components of your game. Playing with different bags helps you to become a more well-rounded player. Footbags that are more ball-like (higher fill level, more panels, etc.) are better for developing control when juggling.
Footbags that are more collapsible (lower fill level, bigger panels, etc.) are better for learning and developing stalls.
It goes without saying important skills to cultivate include both stalling and kicking. Each factor into how you are able to link tricks together – and impress everyone around.
In this guide, I have shared with you all my footbag secrets. I hope this information will help you find and purchase your best hacky sack. If I were a beginner, I would most likely go for the Sandmaster 14 panel. As I mentioned earlier, right now this is the best footbag for beginners in my personal opinion.