Encumbrance

Encumbrance is a player statistic that represents the total amount of weight the player can carry and how it effects their movement speed in the world.

Players can see the total weight of the items they are carrying on the Backpack screen from the Status Survival Menu. This will include items they have equipped as well as those carried in the inventory. The Backpack screen truncates the amount of weight to two decimal places.

Mechanics

Baseline Capacity and Increasing Carry Capacity

The player's normal carrying capacity starts at 30kg (66lb). This baseline can be increased by:

Image	Name	Carrying capacity increase	Requirments	Expires
	Moose-Hide Satchel	5.00 kg (11 lb)	Wear Satchel	Satchel is taken off or ruined
	Well Fed	5.00 kg (11 lb)	Avoid starvation for 72 hours	When Calorie Store reaches 0
	Technical Backpack	5.00 kg (11 lb)	Acquire Backpack	Never
	Unburdened	3.00 kg (6.6 lb)	Consume:  Ptarmigan Pie  Rabbit Pie Venison Pie	3 hours
	Travois	75.00 kg (165 lb)	Carry Travois	When put down

These effects can be stacked, meaning that the player can increase their normal carrying capacity by up to 15kg (33lb). However, since there is a limit to how many satchels/backpacks the player can equip (only one of each can be equipped at a time), 45kg (99lb) is the highest-possible carrying capacity in the base game.

If Tales from the Far Territory has been purchased, players can temporarily increase their normal carrying capacity by an extra 3kg by achieving the Unburdened Affliction, gained by eating Ptarmigan Pie, Rabbit Pie, or Venison Pie. Unburdened only lasts for 3 hours but if all other ways to increase max carry weight are acquired, this extra 3kg creates the highest-possible carrying capacity in-game at 48kg (105lb).

Using a Travois does not directly increase a player's carry weight, but it's capacity to carry up to 75kg while also being dragged behind the player is a notable addition to the carry weight formula. Keep in mind that more weight on a Travois will slow the player down.

Decreasing Carrying Capacity

The amount of weight the character is carrying increases the rate of Fatigue. When Fatigue reaches 50%, the max carrying capacity will begin to decrease at a rate of 0.30kg for every percent closer to 0. Encumbrance penalties apply as normal as a survivor becomes more drained. Once the 'Exhausted' Fatigue state is reached, the max carry limit will be half the normal value (15kg becomes 7.50kg). The fatigue meter is primarily restored with Sleep, and, once the player has regained at least 50% of their fatigue, (equivalent to 6 hours of sleep) the maximum carrying capacity is restored. Coffee may also offer minor relief from a low fatigue meter.

Broken Ribs from a Moose Struggle will remove 25kg of carrying capacity until healed. Scurvy will also weaken a survivor to the point where they will lose 5kg of carrying capacity until healed. If the Burdened Affliction is gained, then max carry capacity will be reduced by 3kg for 1 hour.

If all previously mentioned prerequisites are acquired, this makes the maximum temporary carrying capacity decrease without dropping items -40.50kg (-89.10 lb).

Image	Name	Carrying capacity increase
	Low Fatigue	-0.30kg to -7.50kg kgs (0.66 - 16.50 lbs)
	Burdened	-3.00 kg (-6.6 lb) for 1 hour
	Broken Ribs	-5 kg (-11 lb)
	Scurvy	-25 kg (-55lb)

Movement Thresholds

Carry Weight Over-Encumbrance

Detrimental effects to movement do not occur linearly relative to the amount of weight over capacity, but at thresholds of 5kg (11lbs). This means that a player with exactly 10kg (22lbs) over capacity can still sprint, but a player with 10.10kg cannot. Same goes for slowing down or increasing sprain chances. A player with exactly 15kg (33lbs) over capacity can walk significantly faster than a player with 15.01kg. Being aware of these thresholds is important to properly select the amount of loot you can carry.

The baseline Carrying Weight for this example starts at 30/30kg. For every 1kg over Carry Weight, -3.3% movement penalty is applied.

Carrying Capacity	Movement Penalty	Effect
30/30kg	0%	The maximum weight a player can carry without penalty. The maximum weight for Rope Climbing.
31/30kg	-3.3%	Slight slowdown. Player can no longer Rope Climb. Sprain Risk appears.
40/30kg	-33.3%	The player can no longer Sprint.
50/30kg	-66.6%	The player's walking speed is significantly decreased to a crawl.
60/30kg	-100%	The player is completely immobile, and can no longer walk.

Wind and Terrain

Harsh winds and the terrain directly effect a player's movement as they traverse the world, slowing or speeding the player when encountered.

Terrain	Max Bonus	Max Penalty
Roads	15%	0%
Slopes	-100%	-20%
Heavy Wind	20%	50%
Indoors	0% (Outside)	33% (Inside)
Blizzard	0%	0%
Crab Walk	3-21%	0
Sprinting	45%	0

Travois

The Travois will apply a penalty to the player's movement speed when dragged behind them. This penalty increases as more items are added to the satchel. Putting items into the Travois instead of carrying them on player's person is always the better choice, as it does not slow the player down as much.

Maximum weight	Movement Penalty
0/75 kilograms	0%
25/75 kilograms	-4.9%
50/75 kilograms	-19.2%
75/75 kilograms	-50.3%

Strategy

It is very easy to exceed your carry capacity in The Long Dark, especially on more loot-rich game modes such as Voyageur or Pilgrim. A well equipped character carrying minimum reserves of food and firewood, a basic assortment of tools and a weapon will almost automatically exceed the base capacity. It is hence not always desirable to stay within capacity. Especially when transporting greater amounts of loot, like after successfully hunting an animal, or when moving acquired loot out of a region, exceeding capacity often cannot be avoided.

However, aware of this limitation, a player should carefully consider what equipment to bring, and what to leave behind at a shelter. This especially includes tools and weapons, as those usually weigh in very heavily, but also food and firewood. Even the selection of clothing can be put to question. Balancing the amount of equipment you deem useful against your desired mobility is a key strategic element of The Long Dark.

• Within carry capacity: desirable, but with good equipment can be hard to achieve without adding to it with the Well Fed buff or the Moose-Hide Satchel.
• Up to 5 kg (11 lbs) above capacity: adequate if Rope Climbing is not on the player's route as the slow down is negligible. It is advisable to stay within this limit for tasks that require substantial mobility and carry reserves, such as exploring and looting part of a region.
• 5 kg (11 lbs) to 10 kg (22 lbs) above capacity: generally acceptable as the amount of slow down is moderate, chances for sprains are still within reason, and sprinting for emergencies is still available. This is the sane maximum of equipment a player should bring for any task other than reallocating loot to a different shelter.
• 10 kg (22 lbs) to 15 kg (33 lbs) above capacity: still within reason for hauling loot over relatively safe and open terrain, but the inability to sprint must be kept in mind to properly alter behavior towards predators.
• 15 kg (33 lbs) to 20 kg (44 lbs) above capacity: generally inadvisable as the slow down is very pronounced, and even bears can no longer be escaped. At this point it is probably faster and definitively safer to take a route twice with considerably less weight.
• More than 20 kg (44 lbs) above capacity: the player is so slow that dropping excess loot becomes inevitable. Highly dangerous, and in any case inefficient.

Character quotes

• "This pack is gettin' kinda heavy!"
• "This pack is getting too heavy to carry!"
• "I might have to drop something."
• "Not sure I can carry much more."
• "MMMGH, somethin's gotta go."
• "Feels like a lot of gear."
• "I'm not going to be able to carry this load for much longer."

Totally encumbered

• "Too heavy, can't move."
• "TOO, MUCH, TO CARRY!!!"