
Aer: San Francisco-based Aer fills a specific niche: they make unobtrusive backpacks for urban professionals, with multiple compartments designed to segregate and carry everything needed for work and gym.
North Face: Alameda-based North Face makes
pretty much everything an outdoors-enthusiast could want. They also make urban-commuter backpacks. And – judging by everything I’ve bought from them
so far – they probably make them really really well.

Chrome: When I lived in the real Bay Area (i.e., the Bay Area in which you can see the Golden Gate and/or Bay Bridge with minimal effort), Chrome was the most ubiquitous brand of messenger bags and backpacks. I've never heard a Chrome owner complain about his or her bag. Now, they've started doing custom work.

Volcom: Orange County-based Volcom is a one-stop shop for skater/surfer/snowboarder fashion, from streetwear backpacks and totes to board shorts to two-piece suits. Because they target skaters – who shred clothes quickly, no matter how high quality – I did not expect Volcom to put much effort into the second-thing-to-go elements of clothing construction. After all, why double-stitch a garment that’s going to be rags within weeks regardless? But I was pleasantly surprised. A few years back, I bought a Volcom button-up. It was a good purchase. The shirt had a clean silhouette, but with slightly skewed seams that bent people’s eyes just enough to prevent them from looking past me. And – because I do not lead a tear-through-fabric lifestyle – it lasted for years.
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