Touring - Inexpensive bags to mount on front rack platform?

I'm doing a 6 week tour (pacific coast!) in about a month. I have a lot of stuff on my handlebars already, and therefore am choosing to just use a bag on top of my front rack and not mounting a bag on the handlebars.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions of bags that would be good for this? I read in another post that someone hacked up the nashbar elite handlebar for this and it worked well. I'm looking for relatively inexpensive items, and not a > $80 vo-style retro bag :) Preferably something that will work out of the box as I'm not skilled in sewing.

Any suggestions welcome! Thanks!

I use an old padded case for camera/ video gear on a front platform rack. I found it at a thrift shop and cut off the strap. It would work just like that if some one tied it on with a length of clothesline or a bungie, or you could break out a needle and thread and add a few straps with velcro tabs. For mine, I used a pair of Lone Peak pannier clips to clip it to the backrest on the rack. Insulated soft side luch boxes are pretty much the same thing as my camera bag and should work the same way- in fact, I think I`m going to scrounge up one of those to use as a rack trunk on my road bike.

I would suggest an inexpensive rack trunk bag. The Transit brand from Performance are cheap, but work as good as any. They are made for back racks, but no reason not to mount one on the front. They usually have a mesh panel on the top that you could slide some handy items into.

I am going on a 4 day credit card tour this spring and plan to add a front platform rack and trunk bag. I already have one on the back. I think I can pair down my outfit to fit in the two.

I am going on a 4 day credit card tour this spring and plan to have add a front platform rack and trunk bag. I already have one on the back. I think I can pair down my outfit to fit in the two.

That sounds like a fun way to travel. I keep thinking that one of these days I ought to plot out where all my relatives are throughout California and see if I could string up a workable route for a very lightly loaded couch surfing blitzkrieg tour.

You can always just go to thrift stores or army surplus stores and look for anything the right size that you could strap down/sew straps onto.

Check out dry bags used for canoeing/kyaking. They come in all sizes, are not real expensive ($20 for a size that seems about right on a front rack), and a couple of bungee cords will hold it to your rack. Bonus-- they are waterproof.