Container capacity, weight reduction and single-item limits in Casualties: Unknown, with the best backpack, belt and pouch for each stage of a run.
Casualties: Unknown Best Backpack and Containers
Carrying capacity is the quiet stat that decides runs in Casualties: Unknown. Every container has four numbers that matter: capacity, maximum single-item size, weight reduction and its own weight. The best bag is not the one with the most slots; it is the one that lets you carry medicine, water and a spare light without becoming too slow to fight.
Official source: Casualties: Unknown on Steam ↗
Container comparison
| Container | Capacity | Max item | Weight reduction | Own weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Backpack | 7.5 u | 5 u | 45% | 1.0 u |
| Trauma rig | 6.0 u | 5 u | 70% | 0.2 u |
| Duffel bag | 5.0 u | 2.8 u | 45% | — |
| Material pouch | 5.0 u | 0.25 u | 80% | — |
| Sling bag | 4.0 u | 2.5 u | 40% | — |
| Belt | 4.0 u | 4 u | 60% | — |
| Leg pouch | 3.8 u | 3 u | 75% | — |
| Small backpack | 3.25 u | 2 u | 50% | — |
| Bandolier | 3.0 u | 0.05 u | 90% | — |
| Jetpack | 2.5 u | 2 u | 70% | — |
| Hoodie | 2.0 u | 2 u | 85% | — |
| Fanny pack | 2.0 u | 0.8 u | 65% | — |
Capacity (u) is the total volume. Max item is the largest single object the container accepts. Weight reduction applies to the contents, not the container.
The ranking
1. Trauma rig
The trauma rig is the best container in the demo: 6 u capacity, 70% weight reduction, and it weighs only 0.2 u. That combination is absurd. A backpack carries 1.5 u more but weighs five times as much and reduces weight by 25 percentage points less.
If you find a trauma rig, wear it. If you can buy one, buy it. The only reason to prefer a backpack is the extra 1.5 u for bulky loot.
2. Backpack
The backpack is the volume king: 7.5 u capacity, 5 u single-item limit, 45% weight reduction. It is the bag you want when you are hauling ore, a rifle and a full medical kit at the same time.
Its weakness is its own weight. One unit is not much, but on a character with low Strength and Resilience, it is real. The trauma rig is the better combat bag; the backpack is the better expedition bag.
3. Material pouch
5 u capacity at 80% weight reduction, but a 0.25 u single-item limit. It is a dedicated ore and material bag. You cannot put a weapon in it, and that is fine: put the ore in the pouch and keep the medicine in the main bag.
4. Leg pouch
3.8 u at 75% reduction and a 3 u item limit. A good second container: it holds a weapon, a splint or a water bottle without competing with the main bag's volume.
5. Belt
4 u at 60% reduction, with a 4 u item limit. The belt is the best "small but flexible" container. It holds a canteen, a bandage stack and a knife, and it does not occupy the back slot.
6. Bandolier
3 u at 90% reduction, but a 0.05 u item limit. This is an ammo-only container. If you run a rifle, the bandolier is how you carry 30 rounds without doubling your weight.
7. Hoodie
2 u at 85% reduction. The hoodie is armour that happens to have pockets. In cold layers it is a legitimate container choice because you are wearing it anyway.
8. Jetpack
2.5 u at 70% reduction, plus mobility. It is a niche item: the capacity is small, but vertical movement is valuable in Crystalline Hollow and any layer with a long shaft.
9. Duffel bag, sling bag, fanny pack, small backpack
These are early or situational. The small backpack (3.25 u, 50%) is the best of them; the fanny pack (2 u, 0.8 u item limit) is a pocket, not a bag.
Capacity is not the only number
A container with high capacity and a low single-item limit cannot hold the thing you need. The clearest example is the material pouch: 5 u of space, but nothing larger than 0.25 u. A rifle, a splint or a water jug will not fit.
Before you commit to a bag, check:
- Can it hold your longest item? A rifle or a pickaxe needs a 4–5 u slot.
- Does it reduce weight enough? 40% is the floor for a main bag.
- How much does it weigh empty? A heavy bag eats the capacity it provides.
- Can you wear it with your armour? Back slots compete with scuba gear and the jetpack.
Bag progression
| Stage | Bag | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Foliage bag | 1 rope + 2 canvas, cheap and immediate |
| Early | Small backpack or sling bag | Real capacity before the first trader |
| Mid | Backpack | 7.5 u and 45% reduction |
| Late | Trauma rig | 70% reduction at almost no weight |
| Specialist | Material pouch + belt | Ore and medicine in separate containers |
The Foliage bag is craftable in the first five minutes and should never be skipped. It is not a long-term bag, but it is the difference between a 20-item first trip and a 6-item one.
What to carry in the bag
A working loadout:
- Medical: 2 bandages, 1 dressing, 1 splint, 1 antiseptic, 1 painkiller.
- Water: canteen plus one bottle.
- Light: spare fuel or 2 Glowplant fruits.
- Tools: pickaxe, whetstone.
- Weapon: machete on the belt, rifle only if you have ammo.
- Loot: ore in the material pouch, not the main bag.
That list is about 4 u. A backpack leaves room for loot; a trauma rig leaves room for more medicine. Both are correct depending on the layer.
Weight reduction explained
Weight reduction lowers the effective weight of the contents. A 45% reduction on a 5 u load means you carry about 2.75 u. The exact interaction with capacity and encumbrance is shown in the inventory panel; the important part is that reduction applies to contents, not to the container.
This is why the trauma rig beats the backpack in combat: 70% of 6 u is 1.8 u effective, versus 45% of 7.5 u at 4.1 u. The rig carries less raw volume but far less effective weight.
Do not stack containers inside each other. The game does not support bag nesting, and the UI will not let you put a backpack in a backpack.
A trauma rig carries less than a backpack but reduces 70% of the load. Effective weight is what slows you down.
FAQ
What is the best backpack? The trauma rig, for 70% weight reduction at 0.2 u. The backpack has more capacity.
Can I wear a backpack and a belt? Yes. Back and waist slots are separate. A belt is the best second container.
Do bags have weight reduction for themselves? No. The reduction applies to contents. The bag's own weight is added to your encumbrance.
What is the max item size? Backpack and trauma rig accept 5 u items. Smaller bags cap at 2–4 u.
Is the Foliage bag worth crafting? Yes. It costs plant fibre and solves the first hour.
Sources and further reading
Related guides
More Casualties: Unknown Guides
Casualties: Unknown item tier list for the demo: the best tools, weapons, armour, containers and medical items, ranked by how much they change a run.
A practical start for Casualties: Unknown: controls, first crafts, health panel reading and a safe route through the five demo layers.
How blood volume, bleeding rate, tourniquets and transfusions work in Casualties: Unknown, and the order to treat a bleeding limb.
The three playable characters in Casualties: Unknown, what Experiment can do in the demo, and what is actually confirmed about Milky and Dune.
How crafting works in Casualties: Unknown: the five tabs, Intelligence requirements, failure tiers, blueprints and the recipes worth making first.
What the free Casualties: Unknown demo includes, how long it takes, where it ends, what carries over and how to install it on Steam.
All six Casualties: Unknown presets plus the 41 custom run settings, with defaults, ranges and the options that actually change survival.
Casualties: Unknown endings explained: the confirmed story goal, the unreleased final layers, what the demo does at layer 5, and what is still speculation.