The Witcher 3 Saddlebags: How to increase carry weight capacity

Getting The Witcher 3’s saddlebags should be high on your list of priorities when you’re first starting out. They cost a fair bit of coin and at a time when money is scarce, but the benefit far outweighs the cost.

Saddlebags are one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your carry weight. That means you can hoard more equipment and items without walking as if Geralt tied lead weights to himself just for fun.

Later in the game, you can shell out more money for even better saddlebags, though if you’re after top-of-the-line horsewear, you’ll need The Witcher 3’s DLC or the game’s complete edition.

The Witcher 3 saddlebags: How to increase carry weight capacity

Where to get saddlebags in The Witcher 3

In The Witcher 3, you'll begin life as Geralt with the carry weight capacity of 60, but this can be increased to a maximum of 250 using the right saddlebag, or a certain decoction... If you choose not to increase it by purhcasing a better Saddlebag, you'll find poor Geralt over-encumbered quickly, meaning he'll move slower and be less capable during fights. But where do you get new, better saddlebags in The Witcher 3?

You can purchase several kinds of saddlebag from certain merchants across the lands. The first one – plain saddlebags called, well, saddlebags – comes from Willis the blacksmith in White Orchard. These cost 186 coins, require you to complete the Twisted Firestarter quest, and will eventually expand your inventory weight by 30.

Alternatively, you can get them for free by heading to Crow’s Perch and beating Iron-Arse Hans in a horse race. That’s a fairly long way to go, though, so if you have the coin, it’s best to splash out for the bags – though maybe not for these.

The better early-game option is buying the Temerian Saddlebags from Bram – the man Geralt saves from the Griffin – in White Orchard. These cost roughly the same amount as the regular bags and increase your carry weight by the same amount. However, they only weigh 0.51, where the regular bags weigh 1.26.

That might seem irrelevant, but it means you can fit that much more in your bags before getting bogged down.

The next set you should aim for is the Nilfgaardian Saddlebags, which you can buy from the Quartermaster at Crow’s Perch for roughly 175 coins (their location is marked on the below screenshot). He’s nestled in the settlement’s upper areas near the armorer. These increase your weight capacity to 70 and only weigh 0.51 themselves, making them a better option than the Rugged Saddlebags, which cost the same, weigh 1.51.

The next recommended upgrade won’t come until quite a bit later in Skellige, Kaer Trolde specifically. Purchase the Undvik Saddlebags from the armorer in the citadel there for 359 coins to bump your weight limit up to 100.

If you want the increase and don’t mind a bit of extra weight, you can also buy the Zerrikanian bags from the merchant in Novigrad’s Putrid Grove. These cost the same as the Undvik bags and also increase your weight limit by 100, but weigh 1.76.

Finally, if you have the Blood and Wine DLC, you can buy the Beauclair Saddlebags in Toussaint for roughly 100 coins from the armorer in the Tourney Grounds. These bump your weight capacity to 110 and weigh 1.26.

Can you equip more than one saddlebag in The Witcher 3?

Geralt can work magic, imbibe potions, and mutate himself, but he never mastered the art of putting more than one bag on Roach. You can only equip one set of saddlebags on your loyal horsey, so feel free to sell or otherwise dispose of the less spacious bags once you find something new.

Even with the larger bags, you’ll still need to manage your inventory space carefully to avoid getting stuck in an awkward situation. Sell or break down old equipment as soon as you find something better.

How to increase carry weight capacity in The Witcher 3

Aside from using saddlebags, you can also make the Fiend Decoction potion. This potion increases Geralt’s max carry weight by 20 for 30 minutes. You can find the recipe in a random chest, similar to the Albedo recipe, or you can purchase it from the herbalist on Kvalheim in Skellige.

Another, permanent method to increase carry capacity is by investing points in the Strong Back skill of Geralt’s skill tree, in the “General” category. Strong Back permanently increases your weight capacity by 60.

Last, but not least, if you'd rather not spend your time searching for Saddlebags or brewing up decoctions, you can use The Witcher 3 mods to increase your carry weight capacity. The 'Over 9000' mod is a popular choice over on NexusMods, and as you might've guessed it, it'll bump Geralt's carry weight capacity up by a gargantuan amount.

Whether you're just starting The Witcher 3 for the first time or need a refresh after a long time out of the saddle, check out our Witcher 3 walkthrough for all the essential info, including how to get the best ending and which quests you should actually do in the wide, open world.