The best backpack in Enshrouded is the Large Backpack, which adds 32 slots to your inventory for a total of 56, and you get it by rescuing Valory the Bard and crafting it from 5 Leather and 5 Linen. Every smaller backpack is a stepping stone toward that one, so the real question is how quickly you can reach the Bard and set up a leather supply.
We checked every number here against the Enshrouded Wiki, Keen Games' official changelogs for Update 8 and version 1.0, and a 1.0 game-file breakdown published by PinDrop in November 2026.
How Backpack Extensions Work in Enshrouded
Your character starts with 24 inventory slots. Backpacks are not separate bags you carry around; they are extensions that go into a single "Backpack Extension" slot on the character screen, and each one raises the size of your main inventory. Because there is only one extension slot, backpacks never stack. Equipping a bigger one simply replaces the smaller one, so a Large Backpack gives you 56 slots in total, not 56 plus whatever you had before.
That single-slot rule matters when you plan your crafting. There is no reason to keep an old backpack once the next tier is equipped, and there is no reason to hoard materials for two of the same tier. The extension also has no stats beyond capacity, so the choice is simple: craft the largest one you can, equip it, and move on.
One quirk explains a lot of confusion online. PinDrop's breakdown of the 1.0 game files found three backpack rows that no recipe produces, with smaller slot counts (8, 16 and 24) attached to the Small, Medium and Large names. The craftable versions are the ones that count, but those leftover rows, along with Early Access guides written before the numbers changed, are why you still see people insisting that the Large Backpack only adds 24 slots.
Every Backpack Tier and Its Recipe
There are four craftable backpacks as of November 2026. Each recipe unlocks automatically when you pick up a key material for the first time, so you will often see the next tier appear in your crafting menu before you realize you are ready for it.
| Backpack | Slots added | Recipe | Crafted at | Recipe unlocks when you obtain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny Backpack | +8 | 3 Torn Cloth, 5 String | Hand crafting | Torn Cloth |
| Small Backpack | +16 | 1 Torn Cloth, 4 Dried Fur, 1 String | Workbench | Dried Fur |
| Medium Backpack | +24 | 6 Reptile Leather, 6 Linen | Valory the Bard | Linen |
| Large Backpack | +32 | 5 Leather, 5 Linen | Valory the Bard | Leather |
The Tiny Backpack is a one-row upgrade you can make by hand in the first hour. The Small Backpack follows as soon as you have a Workbench and some Dried Fur from hunting. Both are cheap enough that you should craft them immediately rather than waiting for something better, because an early game spent juggling 24 slots costs far more time than the materials ever will.
The two big upgrades both come from the Bard. The Medium Backpack needs Reptile Leather, which you make at a Drying Rack from 1 Reptile Hide and 3 Salt (each craft yields 3 Reptile Leather). The Large Backpack swaps that for regular Leather. If you reach the Bard and already have Leather, you can skip the Medium tier entirely and go straight to 56 slots.
Rescuing Valory the Bard
Valory is the survivor who crafts backpacks, and nothing above the Small Backpack is possible until she lives in your base. According to the wiki, she is rescued from an Ancient Vault in the Sunken Ancient City during the quest Follow The Melody. Like the other craftspeople, she only starts offering recipes once you have brought her home and given her a place in one of your bases.
Once she is home, her crafting list covers more than storage. Valory also makes musical instruments, cosmetic armor, wall decorations and banners, so she is worth recruiting early even if you are not yet ready for the Large Backpack. Several of her items help with the comfort side of base life, which pairs well with the rest of your storage setup.
A practical tip: rescue her before your first long trip into the Nomad Highlands. Leather is a Nomad Highlands material (the wiki lists it at item level 18), and having the Bard already in place means you can turn your first batch of Leather into 32 extra slots the moment you return.
Gathering Leather and Linen for the Large Backpack
Leather comes from the Tanning Station. One craft takes 10 Dried Fur, 20 Salt and 2 Ammonia Glands and produces 10 Leather in 15 minutes of station time. That single batch is enough for two Large Backpacks, which is handy in co-op when a friend also needs one.
Linen comes from processing Flax, and you have three stations to choose from:
- Hand Spindle: the fastest option, making 1 Linen from 2 Flax every 10 seconds, but it burns the most Flax.
- Spinning Wheel: slower at 30 seconds per Linen, but it only uses 1 Flax per Linen.
- Spinning Machine: makes 15 Linen from 10 Flax in a 4-minute batch, the most Flax-efficient choice once you have it.
The Hand Spindle recipe is tied to the quest The Hunter's Hand Spindle, so most players will have it long before they need Linen for a backpack. If you are short on Flax, the Spinning Wheel is the better choice even though it is slower, because the Large Backpack only needs 5 Linen and the wait is short.
Dried Fur and Salt are the bulk ingredients, and you will want plenty of both because a single batch eats 30 of them combined. Ammonia Glands are the part most players run short on, since each batch needs 2, so pick them up whenever you see them and keep a small reserve in a chest next to the Tanning Station. Running the station while you explore means the 15-minute timer finishes on its own instead of holding you at home.
Making 56 Slots Go Further
A bigger backpack helps, but recent updates changed several systems that affect how much you can actually carry, and knowing them saves a lot of trips home.
- Unified stack sizes: Wake of the Water aligned resource stack sizes to the highest previous value for each resource type, and Keen noted that no stack became smaller than before.
- Water pouches no longer stack: since the same update, each pouch holds a fill level of water instead, so carrying five pouches now costs five slots. Carry one or two and refill them at lakes, wells or barrels.
- Quick Stack Station: added in Update 8 and crafted at the Carpenter, it deposits every stackable material from your backpack into matching magic chests nearby with one interaction.
- Building from magic chests: also since Update 8, you can select building materials straight from magic chests without holding a single piece in your backpack, so you no longer need to carry stone and planks around your own base.
- Auto sorting: version 1.0 made inventory sorting separate arrows, spell charges and fishing bait into their own groups, which makes it easier to see what is worth dropping.
- Loot pickup: holding the interact button now collects scattered loot around you, and a setting can make that automatic. Containers, enemy loot and quest items are excluded.
The single biggest habit change is building a proper chest wall at home. Our guide to getting larger chests covers the full magic chest ladder, and once those chests feed your crafting stations directly, your backpack only needs to hold what you are gathering on the current trip. If that trip is a mining run, our iron ore location guide shows which routes fill a backpack fastest.
Common Backpack Mistakes to Avoid
Most backpack frustration comes from a few avoidable errors:
- Waiting for the Large Backpack: craft the Tiny and Small versions as soon as they unlock. They cost almost nothing and you will use them for hours.
- Following outdated slot numbers: Early Access guides listed different values and even a different crafter. As of the 1.0 version, the Bard makes both big backpacks and the Large one adds 32 slots.
- Running a full backpack into a fight: with no free slot, new loot drops to the ground. Version 1.0 also blocks salvaging gear inside a storage chest while your backpack is completely full, a change Keen made because runes from salvaging used to vanish in that situation.
- Carrying food you cannot eat: every food recipe yields 5 portions, and you can only have one active buff per food type. Bring a short rotation instead of a full stack of everything, and read our best foods breakdown to pick that rotation.
- Hauling water by hand: if you are filling a base pond or garden, a pump or dispenser does the job far better than pouches. Our walkthrough on adding water to your base lists the tools and recipes.
Skipping the Material Run
If the Bard rescue and the leather grind are standing between you and the exploring you actually want to do, the store sells a Ghost Glider and bag bundle for Enshrouded. The item page describes the Phantom (Ghost) Glider at level 30 with 250% range and 25 speed, which matches the stats the wiki lists for the Ghost Glider, plus a backpack upgrade that the page lists at +24 cells and seller bonuses. This item is PC only. The page explains the process in four steps: you pay, receive complete instructions, wait for the order to be completed in the game, and then confirm it; it notes replies usually take 5 to 10 minutes.
The rest of the store's gear, resource and save options are collected on the Enshrouded store page, so you can compare everything available for your platform before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many inventory slots can you have in Enshrouded?
You start with 24 slots, and the Large Backpack adds 32, for a maximum of 56 as of the 1.0 version. Backpacks do not stack, so only the biggest equipped one counts.
Who makes backpacks in Enshrouded?
The Tiny Backpack is hand crafted and the Small Backpack is made at the Workbench. The Medium and Large Backpacks are crafted by Valory the Bard after you rescue her during the quest Follow The Melody.
Can you equip two backpacks at once?
No. There is a single Backpack Extension slot, so equipping a new backpack replaces the old one and the slot bonuses never add together.
Is there a backpack bigger than the Large Backpack?
Not as of November 2026. The Large Backpack at +32 slots is the highest craftable tier in the 1.0 files, and no larger extension was added with Cinder's Cradle.
Where do I get Leather for the Large Backpack?
Craft it at a Tanning Station from 10 Dried Fur, 20 Salt and 2 Ammonia Glands. One batch makes 10 Leather, enough for two Large Backpacks.
Why does my old guide say the Large Backpack adds 24 slots?
Early Access guides used older values, and the 1.0 files still contain unused backpack rows with smaller numbers. The craftable Large Backpack in the current version adds 32 slots.