Storage systems implementing offset erasure code stripes

A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: selecting strips from each storage unit for a given erasure code stripe such that the given erasure code stripe includes at most one strip from a high failure rate region of the respective storage unit, where each of the storage units include high and low failure rate regions. The selected strips are organized such that a number of each strip in the given erasure code stripe is offset from the remaining strips by an amount that is greater than a total number of strips in the high failure rate regions. The organized selected strips are further mapped to form the given erasure code stripe such that the high failure rate regions on each storage unit are mapped to one or more sequentially numbered strips, and the low failure rate regions are mapped to additional sequentially numbered strips.