OUR MISSION
TRULY HANDCRAFTED GEAR.
In our small workshop, we design, build, and ship each piece of outdoor gear that bears our name. Our products are used by adventurers all over the planet.
Our mission is building handmade bags for bikepacking, bicycle touring and commuting; magnetic insulated window shades for van campers; organizers and gear for 4x4 enthusiasts; and other-category items as we choose. We’re one of the longest-running bikepacking gear manufacturers in the world - but we’re always open to new ideas!
With a deep background of mountain, desert, river, and coastal travel by bike, foot, 4x4, and raft, we know the backcountry - and we know the demands made on outdoor gear. This direct experience means we design for real-world needs. When we set literal pencil to paper (no CAD here) to create something new, we’re truly drawing from experience.
KNOWN FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE.
In business, we’ve learned over the years, two things matter most: great product, and great customer relations. (Paying the rent and taxes on time helps too.) That’s why we’ve made sure we’re known for not only the stellar gear we make, but also for how we treat our customers.
This doesn’t mean we kowtow to your every whim. It does mean that we’re very responsive to your questions, that we follow through on promises, and that your business matters to us regardless of the size of your order.
WHAT SETS US APART?
There’s no shortage of gear makers out there. Some of our competitors do great work. Some outsource poor designs to overseas factories with poor build quality. A few have copied specific ideas we’ve introduced and claimed them as their own.
What sets Freewheel Mission Gear apart isn’t anything flashy or viral. Instead, our business mission is focused on timeless principles: Quality. Hands-on craftsmanship. Originality. Honesty. These principles may seem cliche, but we strive to uphold them in everything we do. It’s simply who we are as people. If that resonates with you, then we’ll get along just fine.
OUR SHOP
We welcome visitors to our shop, small as it is! It serves as the entire base of operations for our design, production, and shipping, as well as a small photographic fine art gallery. We don’t have standard hours but we’re often here:
311 Mulberry Street
Madison, Indiana 47250
(970) four-zero-three 5772
info@freewheelmission.com
OUR
HISTORY
2025: Bedrock Bags and Nightfall Overland become Freewheel Mission Gear, with refined designs and a new approach.
2025: We leave Colorado in the face of unfortunate massive statewide changes, setting up shop in the hills of Kentuckiana.
2025: After a decade as co-owner, Joey becomes sole owner of the business, committed to building in the USA, product development, and sustaining the business.
2022-2024: The outdoor industry rolls over hard after the COVID boom, settling in for a multi-year bust which sends many companies into bankruptcy and threatens Bedrock and Nightfall’s existence.
2020-2021: COVID hits and after a very brief freefall, the outdoor industry explodes as people are effectively told “go outside or die.” During these years we’re just trying to keep up with demand!
2016-2019: Nightfall Overland is founded (2018) to build vehicle products. Bedrock Bags launches several groundbreaking designs, including the first non-rack-based dropper post seat bag, the first (and still only) swept-shape handlebar bag, and more.
2015: The bike industry discovers bikepacking. Joey joins Bedrock Bags as a 50% partner.
2012: Joey’s bikepacking pursuits draw the attention of a local sewing and bike enthusiast, and Bedrock Bags is founded. Many of Joey’s original concepts are included in the first designs.
2011: The rough-lookin’ but effective gear Joey builds for his first Colorado Trail Race succeeds in making the self-supported, as-fast-as-possible trek from Denver to Durango with no problems. Future odd-year CTRs begin at Joey’s shop in Durango!
2010: Joey Ernst, an MTB World Cup mechanic, Durango bike shop founder, and endurance athlete, begins making his own bikepacking gear with a yard-sale sewing machine, salvaged Cordura, and secondhand GoreTex.
