Increasing carry weight in Escape from Tarkov. A guide.

 

Increasing your carry weight in Escape from Tarkov can make a big difference in how much loot you can extract with, giving you more flexibility and profit in raids. By default, every PMC (your character) has a base carry weight determined by their gear and attributes, but you can enhance it in several ways. Here's a breakdown of how to increase your carry weight capacity and maximize efficiency in your raids. Thus, to increase the carry weight, I have listed 8-solid points that may level up your gaming experience, so let's dive in!

1. Level Up Your Strength Skill

The Strength skill in EFT directly impacts your ability to carry more weight. As your Strength level increases, your maximum weight limit also increases, along with bonuses like reduced stamina drain when running or jumping.

• Key Strength Benefits:

  • Increased carry weight.
  • Reduced stamina drain when overloaded.
  • Higher jumping height and faster sprinting speed.

• How to Level Up Strength:

  • Overweight Raiding: Go into a raid carrying more than your weight limit (you'll see a yellow weight icon). Moving, sprinting, or jumping while overloaded will passively increase your Strength.
  • Throw Grenades: Throwing grenades also levels up Strength, though it’s a slower method compared to moving overweight.
  • Melee Hits: Using melee weapons like knives during raids can provide small Strength experience gains.

Tip: Progression slows as Strength levels up, so focus on consistent practice in every raid. Combine leveling Strength with looting heavy gear or items to maximize efficiency.

2. Equip a Rig or Backpack with High Weight Reduction

Some tactical rigs and backpacks come with ergonomic weight-reduction properties, allowing you to carry more while staying under the weight limit. Pay attention to the following:

• Tactical Rigs: Look for rigs with a balance of capacity and weight efficiency, such as the BlackRock Chest Rig or TV-110, which offer good storage for their weight.

• Backpacks: Larger backpacks like the Beta 2, Tri-Zip, or Attack 2 allow you to carry heavier loot without becoming overloaded quickly. However, they also add weight, so be mindful of your loadout balance.

Tip: Keep a smaller, lightweight rig and backpack for quick raids but upgrade to larger gear when you expect to loot heavily (like on Interchange or Reserve).

3. Wear Lightweight Gear

While heavier armor provides better protection, it can also quickly put you near or over your weight limit. Consider wearing lighter armor to free up carry weight for loot.

• Light Armor Recommendations:

  • 6B5-15 Zh-86 Uley: Lightweight and affordable, with decent protection.
  • Trooper Armor: A popular lightweight option with Level 4 protection.
  • PACA Soft Armor: Lightweight but only Level 2 protection, ideal for low-risk runs.

• Light Helmets: Choose helmets like the SSH-68 or LZSh Light Helmet, which provide protection while keeping your weight manageable.

Tip: Customize your gear for the raid’s expected difficulty. High-risk PvP zones might require heavier armor, while loot-focused scav runs can benefit from lighter setups.

4. Utilize Stimulants (Stims)

Certain stimulants (stims) in Escape from Tarkov temporarily boost your carry weight and stamina, making them invaluable for extracting with a heavy haul.

• Stimulants to Increase Carry Weight:
  • Mule Stimulator (MULE):
    • Temporarily increases carry weight by +50 kg for several minutes.
    • Extremely useful when extracting with a heavy load.
    • Use sparingly as it can have negative side effects after it wears off.
  • SJ6 TGLabs Combat Stimulator:
    • Increases stamina and reduces stamina drain while running, helping you move faster when overweight.

Tip: Always bring a MULE stim when you expect to loot large, heavy items like GPUs, military tech, or barter goods (fuel cans, motors, etc.).

5. Manage and Optimize Your Loadout

Careful planning of your loadout can save you significant weight, leaving more room for loot:

• Ditch Unnecessary Gear: Don’t bring extra magazines or grenades if you don’t need them. These items can add up quickly in weight.
• Use Armor Loadouts Wisely: Heavy-duty armor (e.g., Fort) is great for protection but will eat into your weight capacity. Choose lighter alternatives if you’re going on a loot-heavy run.
• Offload Loot: Items in secure containers (e.g., Gamma, Beta, or Alpha containers) don’t count toward your weight limit. Use them for heavy, high-value items like gold chains, bitcoins, or valuable barter goods.

Tip: Always review your loadout before deploying. Min-max your setup based on your goal—combat or looting.

6. Utilize Hideout Upgrades

Your Hideout’s upgrades can indirectly help you increase your carry weight by improving physical skills and enabling better loadout choices.

• Strength Training:
  • Build and upgrade your Weightlifting Bench (Gym) in the Hideout when it becomes available. This helps improve Strength skill progression faster.
• Better Stimulant Crafting:
  • With a fully upgraded Medstation and Intelligence Center, you can craft stims like MULE or SJ6, giving you consistent access to carry-weight boosters.

7. Choose Your Loot Strategically

Not all loot is equal in weight-to-value ratio. Picking the right items can help you maximize profit without exceeding your carry weight.

• Focus on High-Value, Low-Weight Items:
  • GPUs, bitcoins, flash drives, and keys are worth more Roubles per kilogram than bulky items like weapons or armor plates.
  • Use backpacks to hold lighter, stackable items like medical supplies or valuable barter items instead of heavy junk.

Tip: Use loot filters and value guides from tools like Tarkov Helper or Tarkov Market to prioritize what’s worth carrying.

8. Drop Unnecessary Loot in Raid

If you become overweight, don’t hesitate to drop low-value loot to lighten your load. Items like lower-tier barter goods (wires, screws) or cheap ammo can be sacrificed in favor of high-value finds like GPUs or rare keys.

Key Takeaways

• Leveling your Strength skill is the best long-term way to increase carry weight. Stay overweight in raids to passively improve this skill.
• Bring a MULE stim to handle heavy loot when you’re planning to haul large amounts of gear or barter items.
• Optimize your loadout with lighter gear and prioritize high-value items to maximize profit.
• Regularly upgrade your Hideout to enhance Strength skill progression and craft useful stims.

By combining these strategies, you’ll be able to haul more loot, increase raid efficiency, and come out of Escape from Tarkov raids with even bigger profits. Stay efficient and loot smart—good luck out there, Operator!