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.

[Mr.Appa]

I also use the manything+revelate polecat bags. Waterproof, well built, and easy to adjust volume and take on/off.
*
What are you packing inside?

-For camping, one bag typically has my tent and ground cover, and the other has my sleeping pad.

How heavy is too heavy (or too big)?

-Both bags are a little over a pound or a 500ml bottle of water. But honestly, since the weight is right along the axis of rotation you could really load the thing up.
-I most often used it to hold a 1L insulated growler on one side that got filled up after the weekly group ride that finished at the local brewery. It was hard to notice the weight, but it was there (about 3 lbs, so about half the load rating on the fork rivnuts).

Do these play nice with other front baggage?

-No, simply put. Also, be sure to roll them down tight, you don;t want anything bouncing around. Too tall and they can also run into your DT when trying to turn.

[mlc]

Originally Posted by litcrazy

I've used the Salsa Anything cages with Roadrunner buoy bags to good effect.

I ran this setup (same cages same bags) this summer on the divide. right side had stove, first aid, and some tools. Left side had food that i wouldn’t need on bike through the day (dinner/lunch) with some layers. Honestly, in hindsight I packed heavy. If I do the divide again, I’ll be riding without a stove, and likely migrating some sleep kit down from my handlebar roll (I used a sweet roll) into my fork bags, as they proved to be exceedingly waterproof—significantly better in rain than any of my revelate gear (sweet roll, frame bag, or saddle mounted dry bag).

Only downside was that the side packs suck to mess with during the day due to the voile strap attachment and roll top. I lost my rain pants in southern nm after not rolling the top tight enough when putting them away (dumb mistake but I was wiped) and while it didn’t end up being a big deal, I’d definitely make sure going forward that I only pack nighttime gear there to reduce on-bike fiddling.