Let's make the station more maintenance intensive!

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Metal, glass, floor tiles, and rods all already stack. The problem is that carrying one stack of each already uses up most of your backpack, just like a full set of tools uses almost your entire box (unless you use a belt, but then you've got nowhere to stick an oxygen tank). Also, juggling those materials around to fix stuff isn't terribly much fun.

Exactly. The suggested backpack would stack more than 100 per item type. Also you've been able to put oxygen tanks in your pocket for ages now.

What's the point? 100 metal is plenty; the problem isn't running out but rather devoting four or five backpack slots to basic construction materials. One stack of metal, one stack of glass, one stack of rods, one stack of floor tiles.