One thing I would like to add, as this would nerf the usability of large melee weapons, they should get compensation in some way, either in damage values or by being able to block heavy attacks.

Players would with all this in mind get a choice to make: 2 guns on their shoulders + a knife that takes several hits to take out a zombie, or a gun and a good stealth zombie killer.

Ideally, swings with large melee weapons should take more stamina as well, unless this is already in the game.

Now this is kinda offtopic, but I don't feel like a new ticket is worth this:
Blocking attacks should also be reworked, blocking attacks with your fists when somebody has a knife is dumb, but blocking zombie punches with a Large melee weapons should be possible (heavy attacks from zombies shouldn't go through blocks with large melee weapons).
Maybe make it even timing based, holding block for more than a second or two shouldn't stop attacks from anything stronger than a fist (blocking normal sledgehammer attacks or knife attacks with fists...), and this would promote some more skill in hand-to-hand combat.

I think an "access Backpack"-animation would do the trick. Slightly slower than access to other clothes and shoulder slots.

Since this topic is again being discussed, this time around 1.13 experimental, I thought I'd try and revive this post. TheRunningManZ wrote this nice entry on the topic:

https://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1srnu1b

Basically, this is how I think it should work:

• Long rifles (= hunting rifles, assault rifles, shotguns) cannot be put into any kind of clothing or bag
• Fitting a rifle with folding buttstock will allow it to be put into any bag that has the inventory space
• No item inside a backpack can be bound on the hotbar

This would force the player to make some choices without adding unnecessary layers of complexity. It would also give folding and collapsible buttstocks some use beyond cosmetics. Ideally they would actually be collapsible to change the inventory size of the rifle, but this does not seem to be within the scope of the game since attachment don't affect inventory size in any case. (Camping stove, gas canister and cooking pot come to mind...)