REVIEW – BILLINGHAM HADLEY PRO BAG

INTRO:

There are so many very high quality camera bags available nowadays; Artisan and Artist, Ona and the beautiful Wotancraft are just a few, but as Chris has well and truly discovered (and since hidden from his wife), there are so many more to choose from!

(Check our Chris’ article on picking the ultimate camera bag and the never ending searching for the elusive bag!)

Billingham is a bag company that has been making very high quality bags since the early 1970’s. Founded in 1973, it is still owned and run by the Billingham family who originally manufactured fishing bags. However in the late 70’s they discovered that a large number of their bags were being sold to photographers, and within a year, switched their production almost entirely to specialist camera bags.

CONTENT:

The Billigingham bags are still made in Cradley Heath, England and are notable for their process of bonding the canvass fabric to butyl rubber that makes them very durable and water resistant. The bags have been long regarded by professional photojournalists and travel photographers due to their build quality.

The Billingham bags have a very classic look, the style has hardly changed at all since the original design which just adds to the timeless appeal of the bag. They are a lot less flashy looking than many of the other high-end camera bag options available, which for me, is important when traveling. I don’t want something that advertises its contents.

The bags are so beautifully made and last forever. When I was researching the bag before I purchased one, many reviews described the years and years of ownership with very little wear. The canvas is very durable, yet soft and flexible. All the edges, handles and tabs are double stitched leather and attached with solid brass fittings. You can tell this bag is going to last forever.

This idea is something that I think Billingham is quite conscious of, to the point where any of the parts that may be susceptible to wearing out are all replaceable with the idea that bag will just keep on going. The soft insert can be removed and totally replaced if the padding starts to get too thin as can the quick release leather straps on the front if the leather wears out.

Even the carry handle on the top of the bag is designed to withstand many years of use of carrying heavy equipment. The handle is attached not just to the canvass of the bag, but to a fiberglass stiffener under the flap.

The bag is provided with four dividers that can be velcro into many different combinations. They are very well padded, so I have never once worried about the protection of my gear in this bag.

And this bag can certainly hold a lot of gear. I have been able to easily carry a Leica M240 with lens attached and another 2-3 lenses including one quite large one in the 50mm Noctilux. It can also easily fit both the M with a lens attached and the Leica Q along with other accessories or another smaller lens. Along with all the other smaller pockets and holders, you are able to fit a number of filters, spare batteries and chargers all comfortably inside.

I did have one unfortunate incident right after I got the bag. Walking around Amsterdam earlier this year, I was (lucky?!) enough to have some pigeons relieve themselves on top of my bag! I was worried it would stain the black canvass, but with some warm soapy water and a toothbrush, the bag cleaned up as good as new! This, along with being caught in rain, snow and extreme desert heat, the bag has held up to all of it and protected my gear wonderfully.

One of the key reasons I chose this bag, apart from the excellent build quality, was how light it is. I often walk around for hours on end, especially when traveling, so I didn’t want something really heavily hanging around my shoulders. I loved the look of the Ona bags, especially in leather, but they are so very heavy. The Billingham, which was quite a bit larger inside, is also less than half the weight which my back loves after a long day of photos.

However, if you do happen to really fill this bag with loads of gear and it does start to get a little too heavy, you are able to purchase an additional shoulder pad (the SP40) which is made of thick foam and leather to take some of the strain from too much gear being lugged about!

SPECIFICATIONS:

External dimensions (excluding handle):

• W390mm (15.”) x D120mm (4¾”) x H260mm (10¼”)

Internal dimensions:

• W340mm (13.”) x D80mm (3.”) x H230mm (9″)

Capacity:

• 6.00 litres (0.21 feet³)

Weight:

• 1.01 kgs (2.23 lbs)

CONCLUSION:

The Billingham Handley Pro is a beautifully made and extremely high quality bag that allows me to carry a large amount of expensive gear very comfortably all day.

It’s not a cheap bag, but our gear is expensive, be it Leica, Canon, Fuji or Sony, for around $230-$250 depending on the colors and options, its quite an inexpensive peace of mind to protect out gear.

The bag is made of the highest quality materials, excellent padding, water resistant and designed to last for many years. I can only highly recommend the Billingham line of bags. Oh, and I only had to buy three to find the perfect bag… much better compared to Chri’s 29 at last count!