History Main / BagOfHolding

--->'''Arthur:''' What a way to pack!\\

* A justified example in ''VideoGame/{{Stray}}'': While the cat's backpack is physically only large enough to carry their companion B-12, the latter can "digitize" items into virtual storage. Hence, the cat can run and climb freely without worrying about being weighed down with such items as energy drink cans, notebooks, an entire container of detergent, or even an atomic battery.

* The two ''Literature/JoesWorld'' novels offer an interesting variant: The wizard Zulkeh and his dwarven apprentice Shelyid construct a sack out of fish-leather that is enormous, heavy and bulky, but nevertheless holds the former's lifetime collection of building-filling sorcerous bric-a-brac, which Shelyid somehow hauls around with them on their travels.

* ''Fanfic/NotTheIntendedUseZantetsukenReverse'': Soma has a longboat of holding, in that he can shove just about anything in the Fiat's pockets. This includes an entire school desk. Apparently prior to the events of ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaAriaOfSorrow'' it never occurred to him that this was a supernatural ability.

** In another strip, Daryl goes through his pockets looking for something. One RummageFail later, and there's a massive pile of stuff, and Daryl remarks that his pants fit much better.

* Played with in ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx''. The titular heroine can carry a theoretically unlimited amount of ammunition and resin in her backpack, but nothing else - weapons, grenades and single-use healing syringes are instead stored in the tiny capacity of her portal-generating gloves.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLifeAlyx'' lets the titular heroine carry a theoretically unlimited amount of ammunition and resin in her backpack, but nothing else - grenades and single-use healing syringes are instead stored in the tiny capacity of her portal-generating gloves.

* The protagonists of the ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' series carry a surprisingly amount of artillery and gear on them at all times. Later games refer to this mysterious storage space as their "backpack", though they're never seen actually carrying one.

'''Whitley:''' Actually it's a [[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons D&D]] thing.

** It basically won't allow water in except under specific circumstances (must be bottled, as part of a soaking-wet object, etc.). This allows it to be used underwater without sucking up whole lakes and oceans - and also means it's machine-washable. Same goes for vaccuum or atmosphere; they can all come in as part of a solid object, or contained by one, but generally not on their own.

** The idea was later expanded into the concept of "Bag Wurld". A certain percentage of "large capacity storage items" do not open onto individual storage spaces, but onto an otherdimensional planet, where items from individual bags and devices rest in "Bag Zones" separated by many miles. Once a character is aware of this, the option is available to enter a bag and travel to other Bag Zones for various purposes (most often theft of other bag holders' property, but at least one recurring antagonist was established to be using travel via bag as an escape route, and in fact had built his own hideaway within Bag Wurld). Another twist is that the usual dimensional-explodey badness does not happen when you put one Bag Wurld-connected item inside another; while the storage item placed inside is destroyed (and its Bag Zone is disconnected permanently), the other bag and all other Bag Wurld-connected bags have their Bag Zones shuffled. (The good news? Your stuff isn't "lost" as in "destroyed for all time". The bad news? It ''is'' "lost" as in "million-to-one odds of ever finding said stuff again".)

* In one folktale from Myth/BrazilianFolklore, the [[NatureSpirit Curupira]] helps a misafortuned fisherman after the latter explains he was trying to feed his family. The Curupira catches lots of fish, and then crafts a small panacu (a kind of wicker basket with two handles, used like a backpack) that magically held all of them to help the man, though he warned he shouldn't open it until he got home. The fishermen gladly agreed, but wondering how the Curupira would be able to put so many fish inside of something so small half-way, checked the panacu, only for it to be dismantled and all of the fish to fall on the ground.

* ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'': One episode dealt with Helen having a primal desire to go shoplifting when she becomes pregnant. After a sgnificant amount of stuff is extracted from her coat, Brittas asks if there is anything else stored there.Helen lifts her coat up from the back and...

** The eponymous example is a sack that does pretty much exactly what the intro describes, with a few caveats. A ''bag of holding'' has a finite space and weight limit, and sometimes comes in different sizes[[note]]250 pounds/30 cubic feet, 500 pounds/70 cubic feet, 1,000 pounds/150 cubic feet, and 1,500 pounds/250 cubic feet[[/note]]. Another quirk is that a ''bag of holding'' always has a ''set'' weight, so even empty it might weigh more than a normal satchel with something in it. They're also essentially a portable PocketDimension with a burlap border, so overloading or putting something sharp or spiky into one can rupture the bag and cast its contents into the inky void of infinity. You ''can'' crawl into one if you can fit, but you'll only have about ten minutes of air before you start to suffocate. Finally, ''do not'' try to put one ''bag of holding'' or similar extradimensional storage device into another, doing so will destroy both items and create a short-lived rift to the Astral Plane that will suck in everything within 10 feet of the anomaly. Though this hasn't stopped some parties from using such ludicrously expensive magic items as "void bombs" to try and blast enemies to another plane, or make a desperate escape from certain doom.
** Beware the cursed ''bag of devouring'', which looks like a ''bag of holding'' but is actually the orifice of an extradimentional monster. Any organic matter placed inside one is consumed, while if a living creature tries to reach into the container, there's a good chance the monster will try to yank them inside and eat them. This is a OneHitKill that destroys the victim's body, making it all the more difficult to bring them back with resurrection magic.

* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate2'', being ''Dungeons and Dragons'' videogame, gives you a Bag of Holding sometime after you find Imoen again. You'll need it.

* PlayedForLaughs in VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry - Mion can apparently stuff way more boardgames and accessories than physically possible in her school locker.

* ComicBook/SpiderMan's foe the ComicBook/GreenGoblin carries his pumpkin bombs and other weapons in a shoulder bag that he calls his "bag of tricks" which seems far too small to hold them all.

* There was a period where [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]] of the ''ComicBook/{{Avengers}}'' wore a trench coat that acted as a Bag of Holding because he had used "Pym Particles" (the same ones previously used to make him into Ant-Man/Giant Man/Yellowjacket) to shrink all manner of useful gadgets so that they fit in his pockets.

* In ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' Bing Bong, Riley's old Imaginary Friend, has a small bag that he stores a mountain of memory spheres along with some random stuff, including [[KitchenSinkIncluded the kitchen sink]]. When he dumps it all out to stick the core memories in it he explains that "it's imaginary."

* In the second book of the ''[[Literature/ForgottenRealms Finder's Stone]]'' trilogy, ''The Wyvern's Spur'', Olive (a halfling) tries to hide in a miniature bag of holding. It doesn't work, though, because it's too small.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', Hermione creates one of these out of her handbag using an Undetectable Extension Charm.
** And in a similar vein, the Weasleys borrow a pup tent that is the size of a 3-bedroom apartment on the inside.
** This is an ever-present theme in ''Literature/HarryPotter''. The Ford Anglia in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Chamber of Secrets]]'' was magically expanded, allowing 6 or 7 people to fit comfortably in the back seat and all their luggage in the trunk. Also, the tiny pouch that Hagrid gives Harry shrinks ''both'' itself and the objects it contains, as it is made out of a lizard that can shrink completely if it feels in danger.
** Mad-Eye Moody has a trunk with seven different locks revealing different interiors that all co-exist with each other. The last is [[spoiler:big enough to fit Moody himself, and he spends most of the year there while Barty Crouch Jr. impersonates him.]]

* Nakor the Blue Rider from Raymond E. Feist's ''Literature/TheRiftwarCycle'' always carries a rucksack that looks empty, but seems to contain infinite oranges. He says it's just a regular rucksack with a portable rift hidden inside it, with the other end located in an orange storeroom, but [[TheTrickster this is Nakor we're talking about]], so that may be true, or it may be part of the truth, or it may be a convenient lie. On the one hand, he does pull a lot of oranges (and on a few occasions, apples) out of that empty rucksack. On the other hand, he also pulls out things that no fruit merchant would have in his warehouse - a swarm of angry hornets, a male falcon of the type prized by the Keshian nobility, even a live snake [[spoiler:which is really just a piece of rope - one of Nakor's "tricks"]].

* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' has a fourth-dimensional pocket for this purpose. Unfortunately, he's horrendously disorganized, so often times he can't [[RummageFail find what he wants in a pinch]]. For all intents and purposes, the Fourth-Dimensional Pocket is the TropeCodifier in Japanese media. And as was typical for the author, the specifics and pitfalls of such a handy accessory are thoroughly explored.
** It basically won't allow water in except under specific circumstances (must be bottled, as part of a soaking-wet object, etc.). This allows it to be used underwater without sucking up whole lakes and oceans - and also means it's machine-washable.
** Doraemon has a "spare pocket", a second one that shares the same pocket dimension (pun almost certainly intentional on the author's part). Losing it would be catastrophic for the owner, after all, so why ''not'' have a backup? It also acts as a failsafe against theft and misuse.
** The pocket dimension has or can sustain a breathable atmosphere, and time proceeds as normal inside. It's entirely possible to transport living or non-vaccuum-packed things in it, and use each pocket as entrance and exit if necessary. (Which rarely happens, as there's devices that provide far more comfortable ways to traval long distances.)

** However, it ''does'' require some human-level strength to transfer an item. A RummageFail in {{Doraemon}} is always treated as physically exhausting if it goes on for long enough... and in a NonSerialMovie, Doraemon will reliably be seen with ''piles'' of unsuitable devices around him.
** Because of how utterly useful it is, as much as the devices in it, there tend to be stretches of time in the [[NonSerialMovie Non Serial Movies]] where it's not available, to prevent the story from resolving ''too'' quickly. Sometimes it's stolen, sometimes it's set aside so as to not ruin the experience, and in [[DoraemonNobitaAndTheTinLabyrinth one movie]] Doraemon's brief ''death'' and disappearance with it on have a huge effect on the story.

* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' has a fourth-dimensional pocket for this purpose. Unfortunately, he's horrendously disorganized, so often times he can't [[RummageFail find what he wants in a pinch]].

* In ''[[Franchise/WinnieThePooh Pooh's Super Sleuth Christmas Movie]]'', this is how Santa is able to carry all of his presents at once - he has a magic bag that holds them all. The main thrust of the film is journey to bring it back to him after he accidentally drops it while flying over the Hundred Acre Wood.

* One of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutron''s inventions (the Hypercube) is a small box with infinite space inside. He uses it as a Bag of Holding in some episodes.

* Ninja Ninja from ''Anime/AfroSamurai'' lampshades this when he and Afro come across Brother 6.

* The "Hoi-Poi Capsules" ("Dyna-Caps" in the dub) of ''Manga/DragonBall'' are small enough to fit a dozen in your pockets and can contain anything from cars to aircraft to entire reservoirs of water. Understandably, this has made their inventor, Dr Briefs (father of main character Bulma), one of the richest people on Earth.

* In [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Golden Wind]] of ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'', the heroes eventually get a hold of a turtle with a Stand called Mr. President, which causes the turtle's shell to become a PocketDimension in the form of a small living room. It's even stocked with a fridge, which is a source of confusion for more than one of the heroes, who wonders where everything goes.

--> '''Soul''': Good, you're up. I've put everything in the bag. Ready to go?
--> '''Luigi''': Oh, yeah, of cor-
--> ''[[{{Beat}} [Beat] ]]''
--> '''Luigi''': ''Wait.'' Are you telling me that you put ''all'' of the contents of the box, as well as ''everything else'' that was sitting around, ''inside this bag?''
--> '''Soul''': Yep.
--> '''Luigi''': ...

* In one folktale from Myth/BrazilianFolklore, the [[NatureSpirit Curupira]] helps a misafortuned fisherman after the latter explains he was trying to feed his family. The Curupira catches lots of fish, and then crafts a small panacu [[note]]a kind of wicker basket with two handles, used like a backpack[[/note]] that magically held all of them to help the man, though he warned he shouldn't open it until he got home. The fishermen gladly agreed, but wondering how the Curupira would be able to put so many fish inside of something so small half-way, checked the panacu, only for it to be dismantled and all of the fish to fall on the ground.
* In "All-Kinds-of-Fur," a fairy tale similar to ''Literature/{{Donkeyskin}}'', the princess can store her three [[ImpossiblyCoolClothes beautiful dresses]] in a nutshell.
* OlderThanPrint: Myth/CelticMythology has a couple:
** There's the crane bag of Aoife, owned by Manannan Mac Lir. In one story ("Manannan at Play"), he pulls out of it a long string of silk, a hare, a dog, [[FridgeHorror a boy, and a woman]]; and you can figure out [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_rope_trick what happens next]]. In some stories, Fionn Mac Cumhaill ends up with the bag, and how full it is corresponds to the sea, as Manannan is god of the ocean. At high tide, it holds almost anything one could need; at low tide, it's nearly empty.