Backpacks are one of the few ways you can increase your Carry Weight in Fallout 76, making them universally useful if you need to lug a lot of equipment around. Players need to complete an optional questline to access the regular Backpack, but they can also stumble upon the smaller version for minor bonuses while exploring the map.
Once you’ve unlocked the Backpack, you can craft upgraded versions and modify them according to your needs. Here’s what you need to know about getting a Backpack in Fallout 76.
Getting a Backpack in Fallout 76
If you want to get a proper Backpack that increases your Carry Weight up to 60 on its maximum level, you’re going to have to work for it. The only way to obtain the Backpack and the plans for crafting it is to complete the “Order of the Tadpole” questline. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Go to the Pioneer Scout Camp (Camp Lewis) in the Toxic Valley. You can find its location by picking up any flyer that mentions the Pioneer Scouts, which updates your quest log and effectively starts the questline.
- Once in the camp, speak to Scout Leader Jaggy to officially become a preliminary member (Tadpole) and receive your quests.
- Use a Stimpak to revive a downed player character. For best results, we recommend you to find a friend to complete the questline together since you can revive each other to complete this part.
- Speak to Scout Leader Pompy.
- Pick up five pieces of Mutagenic Waste from around the camp.
- Deposit the Waste pieces in a Containment Barrel in the camp, near the middle three cabins of the Kiddie Corner.
- Speak to Scout Leader Treadly.
- Gather the following loot items in any order: Bloatfly Gland, Bloodbug Proboscis, Radroach Meat, Stingwing Barb, Tick Blood Sac. The aptly-named insects can be found around the camp, and you’ll need to kill them to get the drops.
- Return to Treadly with your loot.
- Collect three Tadpole Badges. Open your Challenge log to locate the Badges’ locations and requirements on the map.
- Return to Jaggy (or any other Scout Leader) to complete the questline and get the title of Possum.
Once the questline is finished, you’ll receive a standard-sized Backpack, a plan to craft more of them later, 200 caps, other camp-related items, and a legendary armor piece at random.
The Backpack obtained during the quest depends on your level, and you’ll have to craft additional ones once your level gets higher to improve your Carry Weight further. You can also apply one of several modifications to the Backpack (or its smaller cousin) to improve how it fares in the wild or how much it can carry.
Getting the Small Backpack
If you don’t need to lug heavy equipment around, a Small Backpack will do the trick. This item provides half the Carry Weight of a regular Backpack. You’ll need to find the plans for the Small Backpack to be able to craft it. Luckily, these plans can be found regardless of questlines in the Morgantown Airport area. Here’s what you need to do:
- Get to Morgantown Airport. We recommend using fast travel, as that puts you reasonably close to the Small Backpack’s location.
- Go into the building to the left. It’s full of Scorched enemies, so you’ll need to prepare to fight through it.
- Once you clear the enemies, go down into the section labeled “Restricted Area.”
- Walk through the corridor, fighting more enemies along the way.
- At the end of the corridor, you’ll see a crack in the door with a corpse on the other side.
- Search the corpse for a Keycard, grab it, then use it in a nearby terminal.
- Go through the opened doors, walking up the staircase inside.
- Push a big red button to open the sealed doors.
- Go to the hallway on the right, fighting more enemies on the way.
- Use the Keycard to open sealed doors.
- Find a room named “Command Post” on the floor above.
- Inside the room, you’ll find a Small Backpack and the plans to craft additional copies.
The Small Backpack has the same modifications available, but only half of the Carry Weight capacity.
Pack Your Bags in Fallout 76
With a Backpack on your back, you can carry more and last longer in the wilds of Fallout 76. Getting the Backpack is relatively simple, and we thoroughly recommend it to make the subsequent quests a bit easier to manage.
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