Custom-made in San Francisco

When you walk in through the front door of the Timbuk2 headquarters at 583 Shotwell St. in San Francisco's Mission District, you're faced with what looks like a standard tech start-up. The cavernous room has bicycle racks in the front, a meeting room, showroom, dining area, and kitchen on the left, and a handful of desks for employees on the right. It's only when you walk toward the back of the building that you enter the manufacturing room, shown here.

Timbuk2 makes its custom bags by hand here, while its ready-made bags are produced in China, Korea, Indonesia, and Vietnam. According to the company's Web site, Timbuk2's factories "have the highest ethical standards, production expertise and are accredited by the CSC, Bureau Veritas, Level works, and numerous top US retailers. In addition to regularly visiting our factories, Timbuk2 employs two full-time people who work on-site at our factories in Asia."