About SKÖ Gear

Built from a need for better waterproof gear

SKÖ Gear started in Utah in 2020 with a simple idea: outdoor gear should make adventure easier, not give you one more thing to worry about.

Founder Larry Andrew and his family spent years hiking, canyoneering, traveling, and exploring around water. Those experiences exposed a recurring problem. Gear designed for the outdoors did not always provide the protection, durability, or practical features they wanted when conditions became wet, rugged, or unpredictable.

What began as an idea became a project. The project became a prototype. And the prototype became the beginning of SKÖ Gear.

Canyoneering with Karpathos 34L in slot canyon

From Amphipak to SKö

We originally launched as Amphipak, a name that fit the first chapter of the company and our earliest waterproof products.

As the product line grew, so did our vision. We were no longer designing around a single type of pack or adventure. We were developing waterproof gear for kayaking, boating, canyoneering, fishing, travel, beach days, and everyday life.

The name SKÖ represents that next chapter.

The name changed, but the purpose did not. We are still the same independently owned Utah company, building gear around real problems encountered outdoors.

Designed around real adventure

Every SKÖ product begins with a question:

Will this make the next adventure easier?

Our ideas are influenced by the people around us, including canyoneers, skiers, photographers, anglers, travelers, and other outdoor enthusiasts who understand what gear needs to do when conditions are less than ideal.

We take those problems through research, design, prototyping, material selection, and real-world use. We pay attention to the details that matter when gear is actually being used, from waterproof construction and durability to access, comfort, versatility, and storage.

Tested where it matters

Utah gives us no shortage of places to put gear through its paces.

Water, sandstone, narrow canyons, changing weather, heat, and rough terrain quickly expose what works and what needs improvement.

That is why we believe products should be designed to be used, not simply look good sitting on a shelf.

We expect SKÖ gear to get wet. We expect it to get dirty. We expect it to travel, get dragged onto boats, carried down trails, packed into luggage, and taken somewhere worth remembering.

When we find something that can be better, we keep working on it.

Where we are going

What started with one product has grown into a line of waterproof backpacks, crossbody bags, pouches, and accessories built around the same purpose: protecting the things you want with you while giving you the freedom to focus on where you are going next.

And we are still getting started.

Customer feedback and real-world use continue to shape how we improve existing products and decide what to build next.

Because our goal is not simply to make another outdoor bag.

It is to make gear you stop thinking about once the adventure begins.

Meet the people behind SKÖ


SKÖ remains independently owned and operated in Mapleton, Utah.

Meet Our FounderSee How We Design Our Gear