How to Use Backpacks in Project Red Exploration

Crafting and Coloring Backpacks

Project Red Exploration adds backpacks in sixteen colors: black, blue, brown, cyan, gray, green, light blue, light gray, lime, magenta, orange, and more. Each color is a separate item, so you can craft multiple backpacks and assign them to different purposes. The color is purely cosmetic and organizational — it does not change capacity or function. Craft one using the standard backpack recipe, then craft additional ones in other colors as your storage needs grow.

Organizing Your Inventory

A practical approach is to dedicate each colored backpack to a category. For example, use a green backpack for plant drops and seeds, a gray one for stone and ores, and a blue one for tools and crafting materials. Because each backpack is a distinct item, you can carry several at once and quickly tell them apart by color without opening them. This is especially useful on long mining or exploration trips where your main inventory fills up fast.

Tips for Efficient Use

Keep your most-used backpack in a hotbar slot for quick access. When you return to base, empty backpacks into labeled chests rather than leaving items inside, so you always start trips with full capacity. If you play with others, color-coding also helps prevent mix-ups about whose backpack is whose. Treat backpacks as portable chests you carry with you — they are the mod's main quality-of-life feature for inventory management.