The only official way to make a backpack in Minecraft is to craft a Bundle, which requires one piece of string and one piece of leather. This item acts as portable storage that lets you carry multiple item types in a single inventory slot, giving you the backpack functionality you're looking for without needing any mods.
How to make a backpack in Minecraft: the vanilla Bundle recipe
The resulting Bundle will appear in the output box, ready to be dragged into your inventory. This is the only vanilla recipe for portable storage that functions like a backpack, and it's far simpler than older crafting myths that incorrectly call for leather and wool.
What Bundles do and why you need one
Bundles are designed to help clear inventory space by holding multiple types of items in a single inventory slot, which means you can stuff a mix of blocks, tools, or food into one Bundle instead of letting them clutter your hotbar. This makes Bundles essential for long mining trips or exploring, where every free slot counts. Bundles were first introduced for testing in 2020 and are being implemented later in 2024, available in Java Edition snapshots and Bedrock Edition beta/preview, so you may need to enable experimental features to access them in your current game.
Getting real backpacks with Minecraft mods
If you want a true wearable backpack with a dedicated inventory screen, you'll need to install a community-made mod. Many advanced "backpack" functionalities, such as wearable backpacks with dedicated GUIs, upgrade slots, and tool slots, are typically added through community-made mods like "Traveler's Backpack" or "Sophisticated Backpacks." To use them, you'll need to install a mod loader like Forge or Fabric, then download the mod file and place it in your mods folder. Once installed, you can craft the backpack using the mod's specific recipe, which usually involves leather, wool, and sometimes iron or other materials depending on the tier.
More Minecraft storage and inventory guides
For players who want to manage their inventory without mods, the Bundle is the best starting point, but you can also build chests, barrels, shulker boxes, or even a full storage room to keep your items organized. If you're new to modding, check out our guide on installing Forge or Fabric to get your first backpack mod running. And for other inventory-related tutorials, explore our pages on building an efficient item sorter, using shulker boxes for portable storage, or creating a dedicated base storage system. Each of these options helps you carry more loot or keep your base tidy, so you can spend less time managing items and more time exploring.
