how to do fork bags?

[sparky33]

Tell me about how you are using fork-mounted bags for bike-camping.
...either the cage-mounted (Swift, etc) or the direct-mounted (e.g. Ortlieb, Tailfin).

What are you packing inside?
How heavy is too heavy (or too big)?
Do these play nice with other front baggage?

Tell me the things I should know!

[Alistair]

I use Tailfin mounts, King ti cages, and Revelate bags.

Usually put hammock/tarp/stakes in one side and kitchen and a few odds/ends in the other leg. Like a bar bag, you need to be careful with overloading and impacting steering feel. Less so since the weight is low, but still need to put the heavy stuff inside the frame or saddlebag (as close to front as possible).

Plus…
Small cage on bars for camp chair and sandals.

Saddle bag with sleep system, food, and camp clothes.

Half frame bag for 3l water bladder.

Longer trips, the water goes into a backpack. Frame bag gets more food/snacks and tools.

[JAGI410]

Cage mounted for me, as they allow me to strap my shelter to each leg, and quickly remove for setup. Hammock/straps on one side, and rainfly/stakes on the other.

Sleeping pad and Quilt (or bag depending on temps) on handlebars, then seatbag for clothes, pillow, extras. Frame bag holds stove, food, flask, tools.

[farmerjosh]

Not unlike Alistair I mount my kitchen (stove, pot, lighter, dehydrated food pouches, etc) on one side and my big agnes bikepacking tent on the other side. Tent has it's own packing system so I only need one fork bag and it comes in at just under three lbs, so I try to get my kitchen side to about that weight (at least at the beginning of the trip and I make guesses along the way). I'm using topeak versa cages because they're plastic and are easy to drill/modify for forks that don't have the bottle cage or 3 bolt mount options.

Photo is when I was fully loaded for a 6 day trip with unknown refill options (aka carrying more than I needed).

https://imgur.com/a/WBakGzz

[litcrazy]

I've used the Salsa Anything cages with Roadrunner buoy bags to good effect. I have King Manything cages but prefer the fuller enclosing with stuff sacks vs water bottles.
When bikepacking with family, I've put a sleeping bag on each side for balance. I've also done a tent on one side and bag on the other when the tent poles either in the frame bag of strapped on the fork next to the buoy bag.
For the cooking kit to fit, you have to make sure your pot diameter is right for your bag. I just got a new pot to enable this option.
Because of the multiple bags involved, I've found it takes more time to dial a bikepacking setup vs a backpacking set up. A pot being 1cm to big in diameter tends to matter a lot more with bikepacknig.
Depending on the frame size and bags, the right items for the frame vs saddle vs handlebar bag seem to vary, so there's a lot of trail and error.
Once I dial a system for a particular bike, I try to take some pictures for next time.