Dispersed Bikepacking is a project by Katie and Andrew Strempke.
Our relationship with bikes was formed on a tour from San Francisco, CA to Yorktown, VA in 2012. We didn’t know much about bikes, but we were intrigued with riding across the country. We had a lot of fun and learned a great deal about bikes and long rides. Quickly we got into cyclocross racing, road racing, and eventually gravel racing. In 2018 we toured the Great Divide route, see “Someday we’ll ride the divide” and daily posts from that trip on our blog. The Divide was pivotal for us, we returned from that tour with a new sense of awe for riding and existing in the mountains.
I started making frame bags for that trip on the Divide. The bags held up well and when we got home I was motivated to sew more. Soon all of our bikes had frame bags, and our friends’ bikes too. Now we entrust them with all our gear in the backcountry, whether it’s a burrito for a day ride or gear for racing the Colorado Trail.
We live in our van (usually dispersed camping…) and all our electricity in the van comes from solar panels on the roof. Dispersed bags are handmade with a portable but powerful sewing machine in the van. This setup has worked well, although space for material and inventory is relatively small! Being mobile allows us to explore new places and provides endless inspiration for making quality gear.
-Andrew
