Bag of Holding: volume of items

[Milmoor]

My character is a bit of a squirrel. He recently got into some money and bought half the list of adventuring gear. The party has a bag of holding, but I don't want to overload things. Two questions:

is there a list somewhere with the volume per common item? For example, what's the volume of a folded tent?
is the volume the outer volume or the water displacement version? For example, does an open empty barrel have less volume than a closed one?

[DwarfDM]

It al depends on your DM. So just ask him/her.

[Milmoor]

It al depends on your DM. So just ask him/her.

You are right that it depends on her in the end, but I prefer do do my homework. And I prefer do to that by copying it ;). Especially the list with volumes. If there isn't one, I'll create one myself, and post it, but I'm hoping for predecessors who already did this.

[sayaijin]

I think there's also a weight limit on a bag of holding. It would be easier for you to find weights of objects.

[Milmoor]

I think there's also a weight limit on a bag of holding. It would be easier for you to find weights of objects.

Correct, i have those. But adding blankets, bedrolls and tents also add a lot of volume. I'll do a quick calculation tomorrow to find out which one is the bottleneck. It's bedtime:).

[stoutstien]

I would probably make it an intelligent check to see if they could pack it beyond a certain threshold of items if gets close to the volume max.
I would assume every adventure could pack like a moderately seasoned hiker but it takes a keen mind to go to Ulta speed through hiking or completive adventure race level of gear management.

[kingcheesepants]

If all you want is how much a bag can hold just read the description


This bag has an interior space considerably larger than its outside dimensions, roughly 2 feet in diameter at the mouth and 4 feet deep. The bag can hold up to 500 pounds, not exceeding a volume of 64 cubic feet. The bag weighs 15 pounds, regardless of its contents.
(emphasis mine)
Now lots of DMs give out bags of holding so that nobody has to worry about how inventory management and they'll let you put in as much stuff as you want so long as it's not too big. But if they actually care about inventory and you've got your standard PHB bag of holding, it's 500 pounds or 64 cubic feet, whichever comes first.

If you're using normal units and not D&D units that's about 225kg and 1800 liters.

[Milmoor]

My problem is that gear doesn't have a volume tag like it dies have price and weight.

Let's estimate:
If have 3 tents, 6 bedrolls and 6 blankets, what's the volume and weight?

Weight is (20 + 7 + 3) x 6 = 180, about a third of the max weight.

Volume estimated at (8 + 8 +6) x 6 = 132, about a tenth of the max volume. That's far less than expected. Times two because of lousy estimates is still not an issue.

Conclusion, the volume is not the limiting factor, weight will but unless you start transporting pillows.

[Segev]

My problem is that gear doesn't have a volume tag like it dies have price and weight.

Let's estimate:
If have 3 tents, 6 bedrolls and 6 blankets, what's the volume?

Tent 8 liter, bedroll 8 liter, blanket 6 liter? 22 x 6 = 132. Hmmm, that's far less than expected. Times two because of lousy estimates is still not an issue.

Conclusion, the volume is not the limiting factor.

The easiest way to abstract it is to assume that if you have weight values but not volume, you just worry about the weight. And vice-versa. There are cases where this breaks down, but for most purposes, this should work out okay. But if you are still concerned, consider that 64 cubic feet is a 4 ft.-on-a-side cube. The bag can stretch and warp (like any bag), but that's the rough size you're dealing with. If something is more than six feet long, it probably doesn't fit inside, given the "about four feet deep" listing for how big it is inside.

[Milmoor]

The easiest way to abstract it is to assume that if you have weight values but not volume, you just worry about the weight. And vice-versa. There are cases where this breaks down, but for most purposes, this should work out okay. But if you are still concerned, consider that 64 cubic feet is a 4 ft.-on-a-side cube. The bag can stretch and warp (like any bag), but that's the rough size you're dealing with. If something is more than six feet long, it probably doesn't fit inside, given the "about four feet deep" listing for how big it is inside.

Sorry, edited while you posted. Your rule of convenience is a good thought, will use this.