BORN FROM RESILIENCE • ENGINEERED FOR U
A Mother-Daughter Legacy
Two generations. One original vision. Built for the way you move.
UUB Gear is now Ukoala
If you know us as UUB Gear, Urban Utility Bags, or The Original Ukoala Bag, you're in the right place. Our official website is ukoala.com. Explore the current bags, sizing guides, and eight-way strap tutorials here. For help with a previous purchase, visit our support page.
Chapter 01
The Spark & The Engineering
Words by Mayan, Founder & Original Designer
“I stitched hope into a koala-inspired, body-hugging bag.”
I am Mayan, creator of the Original UkoalaBag (pronounced YOU-koala) and founder of Ukoala, LLC. My journey began in pain, grew in resilience, and stands today in triumph.
In 2007, I became a full-time caretaker for my husband as he battled cancer. When he passed in 2011, I faced a harsh reality: even with two Civil Engineering degrees and an Interior Design degree earned in America, doors were closed to me simply because I was told I was 'too qualified' or 'my English is not good enough.'
So later that year, I decided to build my own path.
As a free-spirited person, I was always losing things and hated carrying a traditional purse. The original spark came from a 2007 trip to Australia, watching a koala cling effortlessly to a tree. I wanted a bag that could naturally hold onto the body and carry everything you need hands-free.
Turning that dream into a design was both fun and challenging. I used my civil engineering background to calculate the weight-distribution curve, building the bag's foundation like a solid, tiny house. My dad once worried I was wasting my education on bags, but nothing was wasted. Every degree gave Ukoala its strength.
Rebuild / 2016—2025
The Fire & Reclaiming Ukoala
Like many designers, navigating the business side was the hardest test. From 2016 to 2019, a painful partnership shattered my original company, leaving me financially and emotionally depleted.
Sometimes, having no choice is the only choice. In 2020, I started over and founded UUB (Urban Utility Bags).
Through a grueling six-year legal battle, facing fear, uncertainty, and copycats, I kept moving forward. In September 2025, justice finally prevailed in court: we officially won our trademarks, patents, and original brand name back. After six years operating as UUB, we are proud to bring our original name home where it belongs: Ukoala.
“Copycats can duplicate a shape, but they can never duplicate the soul, the engineering, and the spirit behind the original.”
To everyone who has supported me across more than 100 trade shows across the country: many of you have met me in person. 5’ small me, my English is not perfect, but my heart is fully in this work.
To every woman who has faced loss, betrayal, or being counted out: see yourself in me. If I can rebuild from the ground up, you can too.
Thank you for carrying Ukoala with you.
The road home / 2011—Today
2011
The Whiteboard Sketch
Middle-school Xing draws the first logo & comes up with the slogan: “A bag that hugs you like a koala hugging a tree”. Mayan launches the original bag.
2020
Rebuilding as UUB
Navigating legal battles while keeping the mission alive from scratch.
Sept 2025 – Today
Court Victory & Full Rebrand
Patents & trademarks won back in court; UUB officially rebrands home to Ukoala as a mother-daughter team.
This isn't just a bag. It's proof you are heard.
Engineered for UChapter 02
Carrying the Legacy Forward
Words by Xing, Co-Owner & Brand Director
“This brand raised me. Now, it is my turn to carry it forward.”
I was in middle school when my mom and I sat down to brainstorm the name Ukoala. I drew our very first little koala logo on a whiteboard. Over the years that followed, I watched her pack her car, travel across the country, and spend days on convention floors just to put food on our table.
Growing up alongside this business, I saw firsthand that this was never just a bag. I watched people put it on, gasp as the weight completely disappeared against their body, and realize someone had finally built gear with their exact lifestyle in mind. I saw loyal customers return wearing bags they had owned for years, bringing their friends and family to get one too. Across every age group, body type, and walk of life, people fell in love with her work.
At first, it felt like magic was stitched directly into the fabric. But as I grew older and watched the countless iterations my mom sketched and refined, I realized the truth: every single update came directly from listening to her community. From outdoor adventurers needing their hands completely free, to people carrying medical essentials or navigating life in a wheelchair, Ukoala made people feel seen. It proved someone was genuinely listening and engineering a solution just for them.
That dedication is why I created our new brand promise as we step into this next chapter: Engineered for U.
My mom poured her entire life, her grit, and her brilliant engineering mind into building this American dream and putting me through college. After earning my degree in International Business and spending years working in the fast-paced marketing agency world, I realized exactly where my skills belonged.
Now that our trademarks and patents are safely back in our hands, I am stepping in full-time to lead our complete rebrand from UUB back to Ukoala. I am modernizing our systems, streamlining operations, and carrying this legacy forward so my mom can finally offload the heavy lifting and step into a well-deserved retirement.
Chapter 03
Where We Go from Here
Ukoala is remaining proudly family-owned, woman-owned, and immigrant-rooted. While we modernize our platform, introduce fresh design iterations, and expand our community, the core of what we do will never change: slow, intentional craftsmanship, unbeatable ergonomic utility, and unwavering integrity.
Thank you for trusting our family, standing with us through the fire, and carrying our story with you every single day.
Mayan & Xing — The Mother-Daughter Team Behind Ukoala
Explore the CollectionCustomer Spotlights
Carried by the U Community
Riders, hunters, hikers, builders, handlers, and performers — for over a decade, our community has taken Ukoala everywhere hands need to stay free. Every photo here was shared by a real customer.
