You could run rear panniers at the front of your bike. But some factors come into play. And it will depend on the size of the pannier, your bikes front geometry and how much gear your plan to pack in the front.
I have personally considered running my Ortlieb Back Roller Classic 20L panniers in the front. As I made the change from a more traditional touring setup to bikepacking. Some people swear by having panniers up front compared to running in the rear. Saying that it makes the bike feel more stable and control much better.
My plan though with the rather big 20L panniers for the front. Was to not pack them completely and only packing gear that is bulky but lighter weight.
Ideally if you have the money to spend on some smaller panniers. I recommend this the most. The best front panniers are either micro panniers and smaller front panniers. Like the Ortlieb Gravel panniers which have a 12.5 L capacity per pannier. Typically if you are only running front panniers you have a bikepacking seatbag and other bike bags too. So this is heaps of space for gear!
But If you want to save money and you already have rear panniers that are over a 25L combined storage capacity. You need to be careful that they are not going to run too big and you are going to hit them when pedalling.
Ideally your bike should have a mid-range trail around 60 mm to 70 mm which will make steering predictable to being stable which is a range more suited for running extra weight over the forks.
Also make sure that your bike has a decent front centre length. Depending on the size of bike (for example 54 cm frame) over 600 mm front centre seems good for running front panniers.
The reason why front panniers are smaller is because too much weight at the front of the bike can mess with how the bike rides, but having panniers upfront and because they are balanced around the steering axis, lower to the ground. It is a better solution for storage up front compared to a huge handlebar bag. This is where handling is affected the most.
The other reason why you may want to consider running panniers at the front is because your bike has a short chainstay. Ideally you want something that is 435 mm or more for heel clearance.
If you choose to run rear pannier up front, you may run into some issue, as the panniers are generally larger then what is recommend for front panniers. When packing make sure that the shape of the pannier is not bulging out sideways. As this can have an effect on the aerodynamics up front.
If you are going to chuck some rear pannier on the front. Make sure that they are compatible with the racks you have. For example the Ortlieb Backrollers work find with the Tubus Tiara rack.
Also has to do with the shape of the pannier, it is best to have a pannier with a deep bottom, so you storage the heavy stuff down the very bottom even closer to the ground. Making the bike feel safe and stable, like the front wheel is glued to the ground. Going with panniers that are symmetrical and don’t use very wide panniers.
Some people have good luck fitting the Back Rollers on the front rack of their bikes. And this would be probably the largest capacity panniers I would personally run up the front.
But you best bet is to give it a try and see how the ride feels. And if you have enough clearance to pedal. It might get a little getting used to but having some weight at the front actually makes the bike ride so much better. Especially for touring and bikepacking on mostly roads.
I probably would not recommend running larger panniers at the front if you plan to ride single tracks and mostly off-road. As these panniers are generally bigger than normal front panniers you may have difficulty navigating around trees and cornering sharply.
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