I am looking for an alternative to bag of holding that is simpler and provides the weight reduction benefit without all the extra baggage from creating extradimensional spaces.

> 
> **Sack of Carrying**   
> 
> *Wonderous Item, Uncommon*
> 
> 
> This item appears like a normal, large sack that weighs 5 pounds. It can hold 12 cubic feet or 360 pounds, without changing its total weight. Creatures in the sack can breathe normally. You can put objects or creatures into the sack or take them out with a normal object interaction.
> 
> 
> 

Are there any balance, mechanics or wording issues this item would have?

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**Background**:

The [bag of holding](https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/4581-bag-of-holding) creates a permanent, extradimensional space and a portal effect to access it, quite the exotic effect for an item that is merely *uncommon*, too exotic for my tastes. It also has lots of additional clauses about bad stuff that happens if you put it into another extradimensional space (or vice versa), which for me makes it [unneccesarily complicated](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/search?q=%22bag%20of%20holding%22%20%5Bdnd-5e%5D).

While characters mostly use it to lug around equipment and loot, they can also can use it to hide items from divination spells that are limited to the same plane, which is an unrelated effect to providing carrying capacity. I am looking for a simpler item to add to the game.

I have no problems with bag of holding *per se*. Its a cool item I love like the next guy. I also have no issue with it being used with all its features, when the characters have one. But for tier one play, I feel a simpler item would be a better fit, and am looking to create one. Think of it like I'd like the option of a +1 sword, rather than just having a flametongue.
['https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/201308', 'https://rpg.stackexchange.com', 'https://rpg.stackexchange.com/users/75095/']
Just tell your players to stop it.
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You're making a solution that isn't needed to fix your problem.

Your problem (X) is that players are using mechanics to do things that you don't want them to do. You've come up with a new magic item (Y) as a solution and are asking about that. I'm telling you that isn't solving your problem, and suggesting how you can solve your actual problem.

If the problem is players having the bag do more than it really intends, then the solution is asking the players not to do those things. We're clever people and we'll figure out things no one has thought of. If that thing is disrupting the game, you simply ask for that thing to stop.

You've stated that there is a small problem in the mis-use of additional clauses - so just ask them not to do that. Don't create a new item that is specifically created for them not to do that - just talk to your players.

We're all playing a game together and if someone is doing something that is ruining the fun for others, then it's best to talk about it and find a solution there rather than stick a band-aid on the issue and hope it doesn't come up somewhere else.

### If you really want the bag, then talk to the players

If the bag is the solution, then talk with your players about what their needs are for the bag and what you're actually willing to give them. You'll find a balance between the two only by communicating with the whole table. You'll also likely uncover more things about what everyone would like clarified about mechanics at your actual table.
Your wording will be confusing to anyone used to D&D's ubiquitous 'bag of holding' and similar items.
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Instead something like this will make it clearer to your players what you are aiming for.

> 
> **Sack of Lightness**
> 
> 
> *Wondrous Item, Uncommon*
> 
> 
> This item appears as a normal, large sack with a weight of 5 pounds. It can hold an amount of goods typical for a large sack, 12 cubic feet or so. Items placed entirely inside the sack no longer have weight, allowing the wielder to carry the sack without adding the weight of the items inside it to their carrying capacity. Although the weight is not added, the sack if filled with its full allowance of space is still quite large, so an adventurer carrying multiple of these sacks may look quite comical, or run into problems squeezing through tight spaces.
> 
> 
> Although used for a similar purpose to a bag of holding, the sack of lightness does not make use of extradimensional spaces and retrieving or adding an item to the sack functions as it would with any nonmagical sack of non-lightness.
> 
> 
> 

Wording is a bit colloquial/chatty there, but it should provide a guide. Provided you make it clear that this isn't a sack of holding or carrying or whatever, it's just a sack that makes items inside not weigh anything in the title and spell it out a few times in the text, your players should get the message. If you don't, they might just assume based on similarity of purpose to another, extremely well known item.