Inventory Management or How to pack your pack

[Nerezza]

Rather than ask a question about game mechanics, I'm here to ask the experienced players how they do inventory management. By inventory management I mean how do you maintain a light load for travel? I'm sure the answers to this will vary a lot by the situation and goals players have so feel free to provide multiple answers with context.

Among the information I'm looking for I'd like people to include a 'golden' pack weight and possibly some rules of thumb to go by when picking out your priority items.

I look forward to the answers I get and hope this discussion thread might become a good reference for people like me who have troubles with overloaded packs

[Patrick Carlson]

17 minutes ago, Nerezza said:

Rather than ask a question about game mechanics, I'm here to ask the experienced players how they do inventory management. By inventory management I mean how do you maintain a light load for travel? I'm sure the answers to this will vary a lot by the situation and goals players have so feel free to provide multiple answers with context.

Among the information I'm looking for I'd like people to include a 'golden' pack weight and possibly some rules of thumb to go by when picking out your priority items.

I look forward to the answers I get and hope this discussion thread might become a good reference for people like me who have troubles with overloaded packs

This is an interesting question, and one I'm always pushing up against in my own playthroughs. I tend to want to have "one of everything" when I am travelling around, but then again I normally have a pretty nomadic playstyle and rarely set up long-term bases. Because of this I'm usually hovering around 30 kg of gear in my pack. This means I'm always playing a bit of a mini game with my fatigue, but it's one I enjoy and have a high tolerance for. 

That being said, you can for sure get by on much much less. For me the most important thing for travel is to have a reliable means to make a couple hour's campfire out in the wilderness. But also make sure you carry enough fuel to make it hot enough to counter the temperature. Nothing worse that getting a nice fire going in a blizzard and realizing it's not nearly hot enough. Hypothermia awaits! Just my two cents.  

[Nerezza]

54 minutes ago, Patrick Carlson said:

This is an interesting question, and one I'm always pushing up against in my own playthroughs. I tend to want to have "one of everything" when I am travelling around, but then again I normally have a pretty nomadic playstyle and rarely set up long-term bases. Because of this I'm usually hovering around 30 kg of gear in my pack. This means I'm always playing a bit of a mini game with my fatigue, but it's one I enjoy and have a high tolerance for. 

That being said, you can for sure get by on much much less. For me the most important thing for travel is to have a reliable means to make a couple hour's campfire out in the wilderness. But also make sure you carry enough fuel to make it hot enough to counter the temperature. Nothing worse that getting a nice fire going in a blizzard and realizing it's not nearly hot enough. Hypothermia awaits! Just my two cents.  

Two cents well appreciated

I have a question though; do you prefer the wilderness areas or do you prefer the urban areas? From the sound of things you're often wandering in the wilderness (though I guess it's hard not to!)

I also want to note this question's inspired by real life as there's a bit of science behind packing a pack for a long trip into the wilderness. I've never had the training, so I'm curious if someone in the community has received it and if they're applying this knowledge to the game. I haven't found anyone divulging some golden pack management rules for this game yet, so might as well make the opportunity!

[cekivi]

Pack management when in the bush is more about making sure what you need is accessible in the order you need it (e.g. water at the top) and that the weight is well distributed. Since the game doesn't simulate either than all you need to worry about is number of items (more options when playing) versus stamina drain (more items = higher drain when moving). I personally aim for 2 old man's beard bandages, 2L water, some food, some drugs, a bedroll and basic tools and you're essentially set. For more details, see the following forum:

 

[Patrick Carlson]

17 hours ago, Nerezza said:

Two cents well appreciated

I have a question though; do you prefer the wilderness areas or do you prefer the urban areas? From the sound of things you're often wandering in the wilderness (though I guess it's hard not to!)

I also want to note this question's inspired by real life as there's a bit of science behind packing a pack for a long trip into the wilderness. I've never had the training, so I'm curious if someone in the community has received it and if they're applying this knowledge to the game. I haven't found anyone divulging some golden pack management rules for this game yet, so might as well make the opportunity!

While I've certainly been known to hunker down in a shelter for a while as a blizzard rages, yes, I'm definitely a wanderer in the game. Because of that I tend to try and carry everything I want/need with me, whether I'm in Coastal Highway or some remote Corner of Timberwolf Mountain. And yes, as cekivi mentions, there are some tips and threads scattered about the forum which can be super helpful. And the beauty of the Sandbox at the moment is you can also get out there and experiment a bit with what works for you. 

[Hatchet]

I'm usually always overburdened, sprinting slowly, walking very slowly, trying to get the best clothing asap and always having my, axe, rifle, prybar and knife with me once i found them, usually no food though (or its good bait), only water, i eat what i catch on the road.
Then i also always have about 10 tinder with me and about 13 sticks.
And most important, always have 1-3 torches with me and max 2 flares
Dodging wolves is a joke with a torch and for the one time it's windy and i didn't choose the non windy-route/path (which rarely happens) and my torch blows out, i still have a flare.
Or since flares are kinda rare, i resort to dropping food (eating the dropped leftover bait which a wolf chewed on seems to always give me sickness.
But then again i haven't played in over 5 weeks, had a couple of (putting it mildly) unfortunate events happen so a lot has changed since then and i might or even have to revamp my playstyle.
What was i doing all that time? Making too many arrows, too many stone tools, way too many bows, collecting enough wood to set my whole town on fire, hell even the sticks alone would do it...
In a couple of days i'll hop back on, can't wait!

Edit: And if it was too windy, i'd usually stay indoors 'till the wind was over.
But it's a neat extra challenge sometimes to do your daily route(s) in a full blizzard, can be very exciting at times.
I don't go into blizzard (and this might sound weird) because they don't last that long so the extra challenge wears of pretty quick, i would love to see storms that last for days.
 

[selfless]

I don't carry water; its already everywhere, just needs melting.  

I don't carry wood.  Same.  Gather it as I pass it then burn it off for a drink and warmup. Or drop in clumps along well-traveled paths or near caves.  Will carry an accelerant for a guaranteed start in a coldness emergency.

I don't carry food.  That's usually what I am out and about searching for anyway so why bring more?  Shoot it, eat it, carry the rest to a shelter.

I don't carry antiseptic.  If I need it I usually know where it is and can get to it in time.  Otherwise, there's plenty of mushrooms around if things get serious.  I don't harvest them unless needed.  Otherwise I will carry 12-16 rose hips if I'm out of painkillers in case I get injured and can only find two bushes nearby.

I don't carry a bedroll.  Unless I'm wandering somewhere that is not near a known bed.

So its usually clothes, a gun or bow, knife except maybe axe if it feels really cold or I passed by some saplings earlier, prybar/hacksaw if I'm going past locked containers I already know about, lantern, flare, accelerant and matches, painkillers and bandages, a stimpen if I find one and some baits.  Keep it under 15kg so I can still walk comfortably if I suddenly get tired and not agonize about what gets left behind.

Most of what I find gets left where I find it.  Really no point in hording rifles or boots.  If ever needed I know they will be exactly where I left them. #foreveralone  

PS: Inventory management is a chore.  Can not wait to get hotkeys back in inventory!  So tired of the point and click.  Find a better hat?  That's like twelve clicks across multiple menus just to don the new one and dump the the old one in a box.  No wonder everyone gets overloaded.

Oh, I guess maybe I could lose the lantern now that indoor scavenging is set on easy everywhere (-1.8kg).  Unless I know I'm going underground...

[Drifter Man]

There are as many good answers as there are players. A knife, a handful of bandages (3 for me) and a few matches are a necessity. Everything else is optional. Before I leave, I think about where I am going, how long I will stay and what I plan to do there. Also, what I want to bring back. Then I pack accordingly. When I leave in the morning to return on the same day, I usually take 15 kg and return with 30 kg. I wouldn't mind being slightly overloaded but I avoid it as much as I can because people say it makes wolves more likely to attack you.

There are ways to save weight. Some items may be used exclusively in specific places to perform specific tasks. For example, I only used the hatchet to harvest frozen rabbit carcasses - so I left one hatchet on the ground in each rabbit area rather than carrying 1.5 extra kilograms permanently in my backpack. Bedroll is also an item that you can put inside shelters in advance instead of carrying it around. This only applies when you have a long-term base and come to the same places repeatedly. Warning: terrain may get remodeled on updates and items left on the ground can become buried, inaccessible under new terrain. Also, bedrolls degrade and need maintenance even if not used.

If I get more meat than I can carry, I leave it on the ground and come back for it later.

Clothes are heavy. I prefer to wear fewer pieces but in good state of repair. I've chosen the temperature bonus I am comfortable with (+18°C) and selected a clothing mix that best suits my needs. I keep most clothing items above 90% condition. You can save up to 1 kg without sacrificing any warmth

[Ruruwawa]

16 hours ago, selfless said:

I don't carry water; its already everywhere, just needs melting.  

I don't carry wood.  Same.  Gather it as I pass it then burn it off for a drink and warmup. Or drop in clumps along well-traveled paths or near caves.  Will carry an accelerant for a guaranteed start in a coldness emergency.

I don't carry food.  That's usually what I am out and about searching for anyway so why bring more?  Shoot it, eat it, carry the rest to a shelter.

I don't carry antiseptic.  If I need it I usually know where it is and can get to it in time.  Otherwise, there's plenty of mushrooms around if things get serious.  I don't harvest them unless needed.  Otherwise I will carry 12-16 rose hips if I'm out of painkillers in case I get injured and can only find two bushes nearby.

I don't carry a bedroll.  Unless I'm wandering somewhere that is not near a known bed.

So its usually clothes, a gun or bow, knife except maybe axe if it feels really cold or I passed by some saplings earlier, prybar/hacksaw if I'm going past locked containers I already know about, lantern, flare, accelerant and matches, painkillers and bandages, a stimpen if I find one and some baits.  Keep it under 15kg so I can still walk comfortably if I suddenly get tired and not agonize about what gets left behind.

Most of what I find gets left where I find it.  Really no point in hording rifles or boots.  If ever needed I know they will be exactly where I left them. #foreveralone  

PS: Inventory management is a chore.  Can not wait to get hotkeys back in inventory!  So tired of the point and click.  Find a better hat?  That's like twelve clicks across multiple menus just to don the new one and dump the the old one in a box.  No wonder everyone gets overloaded.

Oh, I guess maybe I could lose the lantern now that indoor scavenging is set on easy everywhere (-1.8kg).  Unless I know I'm going underground...

Similar for me.  I tend to have 1 or 2 bases on every map so I don't need to carry much.

I do carry food: 2-4 cattails.

I don't carry antiseptic, but I carry an old man's beard bandage. 

I often carry a bedroll, because I'm often far from a bed

I rarely carry a gun, usually it's a bow and 3 arrows for me.   It's also usually knife or hatchet for me, not both.  Same plan as selfless for the prybar/hacksaw.

Never carry a lantern or torch unless I'm going to a cave or mine or factory I know doesn't have one.  Usually I leave these behind in the dark places.

One or two flares if there will be lots of wolves during the journey.

+1 for traveling <15 kg.  It's the best 

[Tbone555]

as my basic survival kit, which is going out hunting or going on long journeys, i carry as follows:

2 cups of coffee, pre-brewed.
enough food to last for one day and night. a couple of MREs are my favorite lunch pack, though i also pack peanut butter, crackers, and condensed milk when i have no MREs.
a hatchet, because it can do anything a hunting knife and can opener can do and chop wood too.
1 flare.
1 torch.
1 bedroll.
3 pieces of firewood (cedar preferably, cause it's light)
3 coal and 5 sticks to tune the temperature of my fires
2 liters of water, which is .54 or .56 of a gallon, i believe.
3 bandages, a bottle of painkillers (6,) a full bottle of antiseptic
5 tinder plugs
1 book, for that 100% fire start chance. ensures i never waste a match.
2 packs of wood matches
a firestriker
and, last but not least. a summit soda. plus the clothes on my back.

it seems like a LOT. i know. but my survival pack usually only weighs in at half carry weight. which is 20 - 33 pounds, or 17 - 25 kg.

and it's got everything youd ever need if you were stranded somewhere without food (as long as youre willing to slaughter a wolf by hand) or caught in a blizzard.
 

[cekivi]

1 hour ago, Tbone555 said:

as my basic survival kit, which is going out hunting or going on long journeys, i carry as follows:

...

it seems like a LOT. i know. but my survival pack usually only weighs in at half carry weight. which is 20 - 33 pounds, or 17 - 25 kg.

and it's got everything youd ever need if you were stranded somewhere without food (as long as youre willing to slaughter a wolf by hand) or caught in a blizzard.
 

Basically what I have except I only carry tinder plugs and one piece of cedar. I can usually find plenty of sticks on the way to wherever I'm going to not need to worry about fire duration.

[Jolan]

On 5/27/2016 at 11:10 PM, cekivi said:

Pack management when in the bush is more about making sure what you need is accessible in the order you need it (e.g. water at the top) and that the weight is well distributed. Since the game doesn't simulate either than all you need to worry about is number of items (more options when playing) versus stamina drain (more items = higher drain when moving). I personally aim for 2 old man's beard bandages, 2L water, some food, some drugs, a bedroll and basic tools and you're essentially set. For more details, see the following forum:

 

Its a good list.  The only difference for me is if I'm in a wolf rich environment I carry 2 more old man lichen bandages than the number of wolves swanning around the area - not much of a weight increase and better safe . and enough wood to burn for 1/2 hour (basically a couple of sticks).  If I'm hunting, enough wood to burn for the duration of the dressing the game

[Tbone555]

1 hour ago, cekivi said:

Basically what I have except I only carry tinder plugs and one piece of cedar. I can usually find plenty of sticks on the way to wherever I'm going to not need to worry about fire duration.

it really aint as much of an issue in ML, CH, and DP. but in PV and TWM, blizzards can start up at absolutely any point. so i wanna make sure i'm ready for it, fire wise.

what difficulty do you play on? i know that on voyageur, a fire will warm you up no matter the heat output. but on stalker, you have to match the heat output properly with the weather or it does nothing

[cekivi]

@Tbone555 Long time Voyager player but I'm closing in on 20 days in my first successful Stalker playthrough. I've made some big mistakes in my game (I'm in the process of looting Timberwolf Mountain) but so far I've always been able to find enough sticks for a good fire. My big problem is lantern fuel. I left most of it back at Pleasant Valley and I'm running out of enough to make it through the caves

Regardless, that's why I always have the 1 piece of cedar as an emergency backup. That one hour of heat plus the sticks has saved my bacon more than once!

[thinair]

lately been carryin both knife and hatchet. bow and few arrows. 4 cattails, 6 painkillers, 6 antiobiotics, 3 old man bandages, 1.5-2l water, matches, accelarant, cedar log, 5 sticks, book, 5 tinder plugs, bedroll, sewing kit, fishing tackle, and flare around 13kg. At a moment a new run, later on usualy no book, no hatchet, just cedar or 3 sticks, and 3 coals. I carry fire material in case sudden storm hits, so i dont need to pick sticks or chop wood in the middle of the storm if there are no shelter around, and have to use caves. rarely get caught in such a scenario, but better safe than sorry, and anyways overall i travel lighter than most players anyway. 11-13kg is pretty light.

[cekivi]

12 hours ago, thinair said:

lately been carryin both knife and hatchet. bow and few arrows. 4 cattails, 6 painkillers, 6 antiobiotics, 3 old man bandages, 1.5-2l water, matches, accelarant, cedar log, 5 sticks, book, 5 tinder plugs, bedroll, sewing kit, fishing tackle, and flare around 13kg. At a moment a new run, later on usualy no book, no hatchet, just cedar or 3 sticks, and 3 coals. I carry fire material in case sudden storm hits, so i dont need to pick sticks or chop wood in the middle of the storm if there are no shelter around, and have to use caves. rarely get caught in such a scenario, but better safe than sorry, and anyways overall i travel lighter than most players anyway. 11-13kg is pretty light.

I normally aim for 20 kg. Just enough extra supplies to make an emergency stop and survive an unexpected night outdoors.

[thesaver4]

How DO U STAY WARM ON STALKER 

[cekivi]

Lots of good clothes. Jacket, wool sweater, long underwear, wool socks, scarf, toque, mitts, boots, and pants. Depending on the versions you find you can easily get a +10C warmth bonus and windchill resistance.

[Skulk]

It really does depend on what your current objective is and whether or not you are nomadic or operating out of a base camp. I always have a knife or hatchet, matches, a couple of light weight food items (energy bars are great!), a flare (or some meat for wolf bait if you don't have a flare), a small amount of water, 4 pain pills, 2 lichen bandages, and a gun or bow. Any additional gear will depend on what my goal is for the day. One important tip, don't forget to bring your pry bar If you know you are going to be scavenging areas that have locked car trunks or lockers. Nothing more frustrating than getting to the hydro damn only to realize your prybar is sitting on the counter back at the camp office!

[Ruruwawa]

On 5/29/2016 at 1:29 PM, thesaver4 said:

How DO U STAY WARM ON STALKER 

On 5/29/2016 at 3:49 PM, cekivi said:

Lots of good clothes. Jacket, wool sweater, long underwear, wool socks, scarf, toque, mitts, boots, and pants. Depending on the versions you find you can easily get a +10C warmth bonus and windchill resistance.

At the start of stalker, before you have good clothes, built fires often.   Use a portable heat/light source when moving to decrease the rate you lost heat.... brand, torch, lantern, flare.  I chain brands (light the new fire with my current brand) if it's super early in the game and I don't have many matches.

[thinair]

Here is my daily inventory for strolling around, picking up sticks, exploring a bit and what not. 12-12.5kg.

For longer journeys, add a bit more water, food, and instead of down ski jacket (0.5kg), either use expedition parka (2kg) or wolf jacket(3kg), and instead of cargo pants (0.5kg) use deer pants (2kg). I save quite a bit weight (3-4kg) on wearing down ski jacket and cargo pants, and still getting pretty good warmth bonuses of +15 and +9, and as yall see its not even fixed fully.

With this light setup, even if i get caught in blizzard, i'm fine, because have 600 cals on me, all types of fire starting thingies, and 4 hours of very warm fire. Plus i have a tendency of picking up sticks while walking, so by the time storm hits, i probably would have 20-70 sticks. Very compact setup, but has everything i need to survive, means to get food (fishing tackle and bow+arrows). Been playing since 2014 october, so know basically all the tricks and maps in and out... so overall i probably could shave off even more weight like no cedar, coals etc since i know how to get to safety and run around with like 9-10kg, but i threat my inventory in a safe yet compact manner.

http://imgur.com/a/ydv3T

edit: some dumb things. i have sewing kit, yet no cloths... and also fishing tackle can be used for repairing, but for me its main responsability is in case of emergency to get fish. I should get rid of sewing kit, be more precise and leave hydrated and literally 1.5l of water, get rid of magny lense... that would shave off another ~0.5 kg... to around 11.67kg. I also can drop firestriker, since my fire skill is decent to start fire 100% with sticks or cedar and wood matches... so basically from now on for daily activities i'm at 11.57. Even for hunting... i dont even need bow nor rifle, since i get food by stealing lol.

overall, game has a lot of nuances, possible to run with just literally clothes, few decoys, flare and 0.67 of water...

[Ruruwawa]

On 6/13/2016 at 8:24 AM, thinair said:

Here is my daily inventory for strolling around, picking up sticks, exploring a bit and what not. 12-12.5kg

Really interesting post, thanks for the detail.  I saw your post on the 1000 days thread where you mentioned you carry 6 decoys.  Somehow I was picturing 0.5 kg each lol... do they slow the wolf just as much when they are only 0.02 kg? 

My meds are about the same, except I carry 1 bandage, 1 old man's and one cloth.  I guess I'm trying to conserve old man's moss to postpone the day I'll have to carry disinfectant as long as possible.

Just curious, how do you steal kills on Stalker without a weapon?  I'm a stalker noob so I've been shooting an arrow to scare the wolf off his kill.  Sometimes I actually hit him.

[thinair]

1 hour ago, Ruruwawa said:

do they slow the wolf just as much when they are only 0.02 kg? 

Just curious, how do you steal kills on Stalker without a weapon?  I'm a stalker noob so I've been shooting an arrow to scare the wolf off his kill.  Sometimes I actually hit him.

Yes they do... because as soon as you drop it, wolf go towards it, giving you time to escape... and then they also eat it... not sure if they eat it as long as 0.5-1kg piece though... but its plenty of time to escape.
 

As far as kills. You steer a rabbit or deer in the direction of wolf... then it catches it... and then when wolf is feasting on it, you attract wolf attention and run to the closest hut or house.... so have to make sure you have buildings close by.... and the prey is yours. best way is that when wolf is eating, it faces you, so detects you from much farther, meaning you have more time to escape. If you approach from the back, you must have to get kind of close to attract attention, meaning wont have much room to escape, so better have buildings really close.

[Ruruwawa]

35 minutes ago, thinair said:

Yes they do... because as soon as you drop it, wolf go towards it, giving you time to escape... and then they also eat it... not sure if they eat it as long as 0.5-1kg piece though... but its plenty of time to escape.
 

As far as kills. You steer a rabbit or deer in the direction of wolf... then it catches it... and then when wolf is feasting on it, you attract wolf attention and run to the closest hut or house.... so have to make sure you have buildings close by.... and the prey is yours. best way is that when wolf is eating, it faces you, so detects you from much farther, meaning you have more time to escape. If you approach from the back, you must have to get kind of close to attract attention, meaning wont have much room to escape, so better have buildings really close.

Good tips!  I guess I just need to be a bit more crafty.  Thanks, I think you've just saved me some carry weight and arrows. \o/