diff --git a/src/interface/data_collection.cpp b/src/interface/data_collection.cpp
index 53dd6d8cc968..e1173b68bee9 100644
--- a/src/interface/data_collection.cpp
+++ b/src/interface/data_collection.cpp
@@ -60,10 +60,55 @@ std::shared_ptr<T> &DataCollection<T>::AddShallow(const std::string &label,
                                                   const std::vector<std::string> &flags) {
   return Add(label, src, flags, true);
 }
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &
+DataCollection<T>::Add(const std::string &name, const std::string src_name,
+                       const std::vector<std::string> &field_names, const bool shallow) {
+  return Add(name, containers_[src_name], field_names, false);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &DataCollection<T>::Add(const std::string &name,
+                                           const std::string src_name,
+                                           const std::vector<std::string> &field_names) {
+  return Add(name, containers_[src_name], field_names, false);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &
+DataCollection<T>::AddShallow(const std::string &name, const std::string src_name,
+                              const std::vector<std::string> &field_names) {
+  return Add(name, containers_[src_name], field_names, true);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &DataCollection<T>::Add(const std::string &name,
+                                           const std::string src_name) {
+  return Add(name, containers_[src_name], {}, false);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &DataCollection<T>::AddShallow(const std::string &name,
+                                                  const std::string src_name) {
+  return Add(name, containers_[src_name], {}, true);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &
+DataCollection<T>::Add(const std::string &name,
+                       const std::vector<std::string> &field_names, const bool shallow) {
+  return Add(name, containers_["base"], field_names, false);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &DataCollection<T>::Add(const std::string &name,
+                                           const std::vector<std::string> &field_names) {
+  return Add(name, containers_["base"], field_names, false);
+}
+template <typename T>
+std::shared_ptr<T> &
+DataCollection<T>::AddShallow(const std::string &name,
+                              const std::vector<std::string> &field_names) {
+  return Add(name, containers_["base"], field_names, true);
+}
 
 template <>
 std::shared_ptr<MeshData<Real>> &
-DataCollection<MeshData<Real>>::GetOrAdd(const std::string &mbd_label,
+DataCollection<MeshData<Real>>::GetOrAddByPartition(const std::string &mbd_label,
                                          const int &partition_id) {
   const std::string label = mbd_label + "_part-" + std::to_string(partition_id);
   auto it = containers_.find(label);
diff --git a/src/interface/state_descriptor.cpp b/src/interface/state_descriptor.cpp
index 3ab618a722d1..74d922b6ecbc 100644
--- a/src/interface/state_descriptor.cpp
+++ b/src/interface/state_descriptor.cpp
@@ -530,4 +530,37 @@ StateDescriptor::GetVariableNames(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags) {
   return GetVariableNames({}, flags, {});
 }
 
+// Get the total length of this StateDescriptor's variables when packed
+int StateDescriptor::GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names,
+                                      const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags,
+                                      const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids) {
+  std::vector<std::string> names = GetVariableNames(req_names, flags, sparse_ids);
+  int nvar = 0;
+  for (auto name : names) {
+    const auto &meta = metadataMap_[VarID(name)];
+    int var_len = 0;
+    if (meta.Shape().size() < 1) {
+      var_len = 1;
+    } else {
+      var_len = meta.Shape()[0];
+    }
+    nvar += var_len;
+  }
+  return nvar;
+}
+int StateDescriptor::GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names,
+                                      const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids) {
+  return GetPackDimension(req_names, Metadata::FlagCollection(), sparse_ids);
+}
+int StateDescriptor::GetPackDimension(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags,
+                                      const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids) {
+  return GetPackDimension({}, flags, sparse_ids);
+}
+int StateDescriptor::GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names) {
+  return GetPackDimension(req_names, Metadata::FlagCollection(), {});
+}
+int StateDescriptor::GetPackDimension(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags) {
+  return GetPackDimension({}, flags, {});
+}
+
 } // namespace parthenon
diff --git a/src/interface/state_descriptor.hpp b/src/interface/state_descriptor.hpp
index 06537a87d88a..a53a69245e6e 100644
--- a/src/interface/state_descriptor.hpp
+++ b/src/interface/state_descriptor.hpp
@@ -272,6 +272,16 @@ class StateDescriptor {
   std::vector<std::string> GetVariableNames(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names);
   std::vector<std::string> GetVariableNames(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags);
 
+  int GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names,
+                       const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags,
+                       const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids);
+  int GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names,
+                       const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids);
+  int GetPackDimension(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags,
+                       const std::vector<int> &sparse_ids);
+  int GetPackDimension(const std::vector<std::string> &req_names);
+  int GetPackDimension(const Metadata::FlagCollection &flags);
+
   std::size_t
   RefinementFuncID(const refinement::RefinementFunctions_t &funcs) const noexcept {
     return refinementFuncMaps_.funcs_to_ids.at(funcs);
diff --git a/src/mesh/mesh.cpp b/src/mesh/mesh.cpp
index 8eb59faf8a60..f87223546c2f 100644
--- a/src/mesh/mesh.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh/mesh.cpp
@@ -96,9 +96,9 @@ Mesh::Mesh(ParameterInput *pin, ApplicationInput *app_in, Packages_t &packages,
       // private members:
       num_mesh_threads_(pin->GetOrAddInteger("parthenon/mesh", "num_threads", 1)),
       tree(this), use_uniform_meshgen_fn_{true, true, true, true}, lb_flag_(true),
-      lb_automatic_(),
-      lb_manual_(), MeshGenerator_{nullptr, UniformMeshGeneratorX1,
-                                   UniformMeshGeneratorX2, UniformMeshGeneratorX3},
+      lb_automatic_(), lb_manual_(),
+      MeshGenerator_{nullptr, UniformMeshGeneratorX1, UniformMeshGeneratorX2,
+                     UniformMeshGeneratorX3},
       MeshBndryFnctn{nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr} {
   std::stringstream msg;
   RegionSize block_size;
@@ -541,9 +541,9 @@ Mesh::Mesh(ParameterInput *pin, ApplicationInput *app_in, RestartReader &rr,
       // private members:
       num_mesh_threads_(pin->GetOrAddInteger("parthenon/mesh", "num_threads", 1)),
       tree(this), use_uniform_meshgen_fn_{true, true, true, true}, lb_flag_(true),
-      lb_automatic_(),
-      lb_manual_(), MeshGenerator_{nullptr, UniformMeshGeneratorX1,
-                                   UniformMeshGeneratorX2, UniformMeshGeneratorX3},
+      lb_automatic_(), lb_manual_(),
+      MeshGenerator_{nullptr, UniformMeshGeneratorX1, UniformMeshGeneratorX2,
+                     UniformMeshGeneratorX3},
       MeshBndryFnctn{nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr, nullptr} {
   std::stringstream msg;
   RegionSize block_size;