Until this overnight bikepacking trip, I’d never carried anything on my forks.
Most of my packing revolved around finding space elsewhere on the bike, so trying the FAIRWEATHER Fork Pack opened up a whole new option.
First, I needed a way to mount it on my Midnight Special.
The Fork Pack uses a three-bolt mounting system, so I had to figure out a setup that would work with my bike.
I’ve seen backpackers visiting from overseas with Old Man Mountain Elkhorn racks, using the mounting points on the rack to carry cargo cages.
That gave me the idea. I also liked the rack’s simple appearance and could picture it fitting nicely on my Midnight Special.
With the Elkhorn fitted, I could mount the Fork Pack to the rack’s mounting points.
I chose the larger 5L version.
Adding that storage meant I could bring my tent, sleeping pad, cooking gear, and the smaller things I couldn’t fit into my Handlebar Bag ADV.
Packing everything up, I was surprised by how much the Fork Pack could hold. It felt roomier than I’d imagined from the 5L capacity.
What stood out most, though, was how the bike felt once I started riding.
With some of the load carried lower down on either side of the front wheel, the steering felt smoother and more settled than I expected. I’d been unsure about carrying luggage there, but I really liked how this setup rode.
The lightweight Dyneema fabric kept the bags themselves light, and the bolt-on mounting felt secure throughout the trip.
For my first time using fork-mounted luggage, it made a bigger difference than I expected—both in how I packed and how the bike felt on the way to camp (It also looks freaking good). It’s a setup I’m looking forward to using again.
