Slot based encumbrance options have become very popular in the OSR movement, and it isn't hard to see why. When looking at the tedium of keeping up with equipment minutia it is easy for it to either drain the fun from a game or to be ignored all together.
And yet many slot based encumbrance options are just a number of things equal to this or that stat that you can carry, that make very little distinction between the objects.
I have developed a more nuanced slot based system which, though it has a little more front end work for the GM, is pretty satisfactory overall in that it covers variations on bulk and weight but keeps a simplicity.
This system imagines a human sized character as able to carry a certain number of objects fit into Body Slots, some of which are containers with things in them. Two Bulky Body Slots the size of backpacks as well as four Standard Body Slots the size of belt pouches. This system focus mostly on bulk rather than weight.
It is unlikely a character would need be covered with pouches, but this gives us two designations for objects, Bulky and Standard.
A Bulky object is any object that would take two hands handle if not strapped to the body, but still could conceivably be strapped the body. Backpacks, as already mentioned, longbows, crossbows, two handed melee weapons, all polearms, any shield larger than a buckler, and large sacks would all count as bulky.
Standard objects can be managed with one hand with little effort. These include belt pouches, one handed weapon sheaths, quivers, bucklers, unlit lanterns or torches, winter cloaks, and small sacks.
Each object on the list takes up one Body Slot on the body if Standard and two if Bulky. As mentioned before only two Bulky Body Slots are allowed before a character becomes encumbered, but Bulky Body Slots can be exchanged for 2 Standard Body Slots.
Backpacks, belt pouches, quivers, small and large sacks all count as Containers, which are special in that the can hold smaller objects collectively in Container Spaces. To simplify matters a small container can old 5 lb (or 50coin) which gives it 5 Container Spaces. A large container can hold 20lb (or 200 coin) of weight, which gives it 20 Container Spaces. Small objects like coins have a collective weight (10 coin = 1 lb) but any 1 coin counts as the collective till filled taking up one Container Slot in the container. Each object or group of objects takes up 1 slot.
A small sack or belt pouch has 5 Container Spaces
A large sack or backpack has 20 Container Spaces.
Any Container with 1 slot filled counts as a whole Body Slot.
So one coin in a backpack counts as 2 Body Slots, even if the rest is empty.
Some object can't be strapped to the body in any reasonable fashion, and yet we can still carry them. These objects are Awkward. There are two qualifications of Awkward: 1 Handed and 2 Handed. A torch, a lantern, a ten foot pole, or a case with an easy handle can all be carried in 1 hand. These take up a single body slot, but must be set down or dropped before that hand can be freed to do anything else.
Large chests, extremely large sacks, the bodies of companions, or anything else that can only be handled with two hands count as bulky items in addition to being awkward. Likewise them must be relinquished to free the hands.
A DM must assign rankings to objects when encountered. This is the front in work for the GM. An object will need to be assigned a Body Slot rating (S, B, or CS) [this is given to objects like coins or whet stones or jewelry that reasonably should go into a Container and denotes the amount Container it would take up), a Container Space rating (fraction or 1-20), and an Awkwardness Level (NA, 1, or 2). It is worth noting that some things like piles of coins and a suit of armor can be changed from Awkward 2 to Awkward NA by putting them in a Container.
Readied Objects: Any object not in a Container is considered readied and can be used with no time penalty. Any object in a Container requires a movement to remove it from the Container. Sheaths as mentioned before do not count as Containers. Quivers are a special exception. Though they do hold many objects like a Container here they count as sheaths and not Containers (unless they are holding objects other than arrows designed for the sheath).
Effects of Encumbrance: If a character is over encumbered then they are slowed by the bulk of their gear. Up to 1 bulky slot over (or 2 standard) they have their movement halved and a -1 penalty to all non saving throw rolls and AC due to distraction. (if the save is vs dragon breath or something else that requires high tailing it don't penalize the roll but feel free to scatter their goods all over the place).
If the character is over 1 bulky slot then but less than over by 2 they are very encumbered. They movement is reduced to 1/4 of normal and they have a -3 penalty to all rolls and AC except saves (see above). If they are over 3 bulky item slots and the GM decides they can still move at all (GMs decision) they have a movement of 1 (foot or yard) and a -5 to all rolls and AC.
Optional Rule: Character size.
Halflings and Gnomes (as well as all other small size characters) lose one Bulky Body Slot to account for they smaller size. This leaves them 1 Bulky and 4 Standards Body Slots
Larger than human sized creatures (like Ogres) gain 1 Bulky Body Slot for a total of 3 Bulky and 4 Standard body slots, with the same option to convert a Bulky Body Slot into 2 Standard Body Slots.
Long animals such as horses work a bit differently. First decide the size of the creature. A pack dog small, a pony is medium, a horse is large, and an elephant is huge. These, and other similar, creatures only have Bulky Slots equal to the number of slots for the same sized creature converted to Bulky slots. A human (medium sized) had 2 Bulky and 4 Standard. This means a pony can carry the equivalent of 4 Bulky items. A pack dog can carry 3, and a horse can carry 5. An elephant can carry 8 (but drag much more probably).A human rider on an animal trained for riding counts as 3 Bulky items. On a pony sized beast (the smallest animal that can carry a PC) the appropriate sized rider (a halfling) counts as 2 Bulky items and a human sized rider as 4. On a huge sized animal an appropriate sized rider (an ogre) counts as 4 Slots, a human sized rider as 2, and a halfling sized rider as 1. Here the is isn't really the weight as the bulk so a riding harness could provide more passenger space.
Options Rule: What has it got in it's Pocketses?
People have pockets. Thieves have secret pockets, rangers love bandoliers, and every wizard has something up their sleeves. To reflect this 1 Standard Body Slot container can be the various objects secreted around the body. These count as Readied (unlike other containers) some maybe over looked in case of a search (at the GMs discretion) As a rule of thumb nothing bigger than a dagger can be secreted in this fashion, and we suggest it be a small dagger.
Optional Rule: Thews of Steel.
Strong and enduring people can carry more things. Add the Str and Con bonuses and penalties together. For every two points of positive bonus give a bonus Standard slot. If there is a total of four bonus give a bonus Bulky slot. For every two points of penalties though remove a Standard slot. For every 4 points of penalty remove a Bulky slot.
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