Backpacks

All players start with one backpack in addition to the normal inventory built into Rust. Backpacks are generally protected on death — but they can drop in PVP environments and during certain events (like player-converted raid bases). Outside of PVP situations, backpack contents stay with you. Additional backpack slots are available via skills. Backpacks also have the very useful yet underappreciated ability to allow players to bind keys to fetch specific items and specific quantities straight from their backpack to their hotbar.

Gather modes

At VIP or higher (VIP unlocks at about 20 hours of playtime), your backpack can automatically pull items from your inventory. Open the backpack UI and use the Gather button to cycle modes for the current page, or set a mode with the console command below.

  • Gather: All - Moves eligible items into your backpack. Matching stacks are filled first, then leftover items can take empty slots (including item types you did not already have stored there).
  • Gather: Existing - Only moves items that already have a matching stack on that backpack page. Handy for topping off wood, stone, scrap, and similar without vacuuming everything else into storage.
  • Gather: Off - Turns automatic gathering off for that page.

Gather prefers keeping stacks in your normal inventory when a matching stack is already there, so it will not yank partial stacks out of your pockets just to restack them in the backpack.

Chat commands

  • /backpack — Open your backpack
  • /backpackgui — Toggle the backpack GUI button

Console commands

  • backpack — Open your backpack. If you have more than one page of backpack slots this command will also cycle through them.
  • backpack.open — Alternative command to open your backpack. If you have more than one page of backpack slots this command will also cycle through them.
  • backpack.fetch <item shortname> <amount> — Take the set amount of items from your backpack to your hotbar (or inventory if unable to move to hotbar).
  • backpack.setgathermode <All|Existing|Off> [page] — Set gather mode for a backpack page (VIP+).

Keybind samples

In game press F1 to open your console. You can copy and paste the keybinds below into that console or type your own. You can use any key in place of the [b] and [f] keys in the examples below.

  • bind b backpack — Will bind opening/cycling your backpack to [b] on your keyboard
  • bind b backpack.open — Will bind opening/cycling your backpack to [b] on your keyboard
  • bind f backpack.fetch explosive.timed 2 — This will bring two C4 from your backpack to your hotbar each time you press it.