i magically had a badge for 5 minutes (i dont own the equipment, just some ape)

Yeah, initially it was for anyone who had APE, but it was corrected to those who own equipment.

do you think it will ever be possible to get equipment without signing into the site

You can send a memo, just look at https://hiveblocks.com/@apeminingclub to see the memos. It is case sensitive though, keep that in mind.