Tarkov's Largest Backpacks Should Work Like This

One mechanic in Tarkov that we all seem to have forgotten about, mainly because it’s so second nature at this point, is what kind of storage we want to take into a raid with us. And that comes in the form of backpacks. They are the cornerstone to what you can carry out of raids. Years ago, there weren’t that many different backpacks available in the game to use. Nowadays in 2023, there are a whole host of different backpack options. Some are just reskins of already existing sizes, but for the most part, each backpack is unique enough to warrant having in the game. However, one thing BSG has been doing with some packs, is creating different internal dimensions in backpacks; forcing the player to adjust what they are able to carry on them. The “Paratus” backpack is the oldest example of the internals of a backpack not just being one large space for storage. It has different grid sizes inside, and over the years, BSG has added more backpacks that follow this rule of having different grid sizes in the packs. Which should become the new standard for most large backpacks going forward. Emphasis on large.

Bringing a backpack is usually a go-to for many players because not having one in raid really limits how much loot you are able to carry. Even bringing just the smallest bag available can make such a difference when killing just a single scav. Granted, most scavs in the game will have a bag on them and can be taken when killed, so while not completely necessary, most players won’t load into a raid without one. The size range of backpacks in the game is insanely large between the smallest and largest ones. Going from a 3x2 grid internally, all the way up to a massive 6x8 internal grid size. The “Raid” backpack as it is called, takes the accolade for largest pack in the game. Whilst the smallest goes to the humble sling bag. But even just that alone can make such a difference while in raid. Either way, backpacks are an important angle to Tarkov and how you get loot out of the map. Whether it’s by bringing one in yourself, or taking one off a dead individual, if you’re really trying to collect loot, make money, and other player gear, a backpack is vital to your success. And while the backpacks on offer have gotten larger and broader in terms of how much they can carry, there are four backpacks in the game currently, that break the norm for how the inside of packs look.

These are all interesting because instead of just having a square or rectangle that isn’t obstructed by itself and you can just loot until it’s full, the four backpacks that require you to actually think about what you want to take out are very compelling. The four bags are the Paratus, the F4 Terminator, the G2 Gunslinger, and the Mechanism. Each of these bags have their own internal designs that differ from one another, but my personal favorite is definitely the Gunslinger. The actual design of the backpack is awesome looking, it’s not so large that it feels unrealistic to walk around with (like the couch), and the little flap on the back is a nice touch. The weight of the bag being at just under 3kgs puts it just out of the top 5 heaviest bags. And the penalties whilst wearing it aren’t too bad either. With –4% to movement speed, -1% to turning speed, and –3% to ergonomics. These numbers were a lot worse in the past, but BSG has made attempts to reduce how cumbersome backpacks can be. At one point, the numbers were removed entirely, but were reinstated at some point. But it’s the internals of the backpack that are interesting. It's divided up into three sections, which when looked at, you kind of already know what you can take out if you have player gear to loot. It basically boils down to one armor/armored rig, one gun, and either a helmet or set of headphones. Which may put people off immediately because it’s not all the loot. But seriously ask yourself how often you are walking out of a raid with more than one gun, or armor in your backpack. As someone who mainly runs Berkut’s and Scav backpacks, I’d say personally not very often. Yes, there are other bags that are larger and aren’t divided up into different sections, but what if the largest bags in the game all functioned like the Gunslinger or Paratus? How bad would that actually be?

This won’t happen of course, but let’s take a moment and think about the implications of making the biggest bags in the game, behave like these four bags currently do. I’d be generous and say from the Tri-Zip and below, these bags aren’t affected by these changes, but anything with an internal size larger than the Tri-Zip, would have its internals changed so that it is segmented up in some way. How each bag would be changed, I can’t give specifics, but we could say that the minimum would make sense to be able to carry at least one full kits worth of gear from a player. Anything after that would be extra spots that could fit misc. items or smaller pieces of loot. The F4 Terminator has interesting internals, having room for multiple guns but not much more. Maybe a combination of these two bags would make sense for something like the Trooper 35 or the Couch “Raid” bag. Speaking of, while we are talking about hypothetical bag changes, let’s address the main problem with these and some of the larger bags in the game.

Availability. Putting this hypothetical aside for the moment, the main issue with backpacks and how much people take out, is how easily the bigger bags are currently to acquire. The variety that is simply purchasable is interesting. But it’s not only which bags you can buy, but also the price of them. For years, the price of backpacks in Tarkov has always made me scratch my head. Some are a little too cheap for what they offer, others are way too expensive for what they do, and others are adequately priced for their purpose. It would make so much sense if the four bags in the game that have sectioned-up insides, should technically be cheaper than all other bags of equal sizes that are just normal squares inside. Simply because they aren’t as mindless to loot as normal bags; you need to think for a second about what you take and how you organize it so you can get the most value out of it. The best example of this would be comparing the Gunslinger bag and the Trooper 35 bag. Both have the same internal size at 35 cells, the Gunslinger is almost twice as heavy as the Trooper 35, and the Gunslinger has slightly better stats while wearing it. Now, let’s look at the prices: just over 56k rubles for the Trooper 35, and 62k rubles for the Gunslinger. Now 6k rubles are literal pennies in the grand scheme of things. But, because the Gunslinger is divided up, it would make more sense for these prices to be swapped, at the very least. Maybe make it even cheaper by a small amount, and the Trooper more expensive. Another way would be to make the Trooper barter only, like the Beta 2 or Attack 2 bags currently are. If a bag is larger than, let’s say a Tri-zip, it feels as though that bag should be barter only. The raid bag is already like that, and the fact it’s using a lion statue as the barter option means, it will cost at least 100k to run. OR, if we don’t want to go down the barter route, and leave them up for raw purchase, then maybe that’s when we start to mess with the internals of the bigger bags. And leave them alone if they are switched to bater only. Either way, the huge bags in this game are crazy strong, and if one or both were to ever actually get adjusted in the game, I’d be fine with that.

Backpacks again, are something we rarely think about. We just grab whatever we have, and load into a raid. And most of the time, if some we kill has one bigger, we swap to that bag. After all, we want all the loot, so it makes sense to switch. But what if we had to think about what we took out because all the backpacks on the ground are really big ones, but are segmented up? If you’ve rolled your eyes at all throughout this conversation, I’d ask you to try one of the four backpacks that are different than the rest. Who knows? You might find out you really enjoy using them, Like I do. I’d run the Gunslinger almost exclusively if it wasn’t so damn expensive. But what are your thoughts on backpacks and how the largest options function? Thank you for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. This is just a conversation, so be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments down below and subscribe for more videos about the more after thought aspects of the Tarkov. I hope to see you in future ones.