With an emphasis on community, Kemp also makes an effort to donate his time and abilities to advocate for underrepresented groups in the outdoor space. “The outdoors are truly so special for all people, it's crazy that these activities have traditionally been only for people of privilege,” he says. An example of his efforts is a chalk bag design he created in 2020 in collaboration with climber Marina Inoue to raise funds for WeClimb, a Tennessee-based group that makes rock climbing accessible for underserved youth of all backgrounds.
Today, Kemp doesn’t have dreams of scaling FSP Outdoors into a multimillion dollar outdoor company. He prefers to keep designing versatile, well-made bags and gear, the kind that can be mended over and over again, collecting stories along the way.
“I like the idea of having a backpack with memories tied to it,” said Kemp. “Being able to fix it so that it can last forever is pretty cool.”
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For more gear upcycling, check out Greater Goods, a London-based company revamping the everyday tote.