Billingham Camera Bags

I’ve tried all sorts of camera bags over the years. Backpacks, sling bags, shoulder bags and they all have their good and bad points. I found that sling bags were too small and quite frankly, didn’t ever sling properly. Backpacks were useless for the general walkabout photography I like. Overall, I came to the decision that shoulder bags suited me best.

So, about ten years ago I decided to invest in a good quality shoulder bag which, after reading numerous bag reviews, was going to be a Billingham Bag. I decided that I needed a largish bag as I was shooting with a Canon 5D at the time. That was a heavy camera with heavy L series lenses. So, Billingham wise, a Hadley Large bag was best for me, but at that time they retailed at just over £200.

I started researching prices and suppliers and found a new, but damaged, Billingham bag in the Warehouse section of Wex, a large photography retailer here in the UK. The leather trim stitching was broken over a small section of the front flap so the bag was reduced to £120. I decided to go for the bag regardless and what a brilliant buy it’s turned out to be.

I’ve been using the same bag regularly since I bought it. The stitching problem causes no problems, it’s never got any worse and the exposed section of fabric hasn’t frayed. It’s been a great bag for travelling. I take it with me as hand luggage and it can easily accommodate two mirrorless camera bodies, a collection of vintage lenses and my Sony RX100. Yes, it’s heavy but my gear is safe and secure and it stays with me, not in an aircraft hold, until we get to wherever we’re going.

I also use it as a walkaround bag if we’re out all day. I tend to carry my camera on a strap over my shoulder but resting on the top of the bag. That leaves plenty of room for my lenses, a drink, my phone and anything else I don’t want to carry in my pockets. There is room to put the camera away should I need to.

I do also have a Billingham Hadley small, (an Xmas present), which is great for a mirrorless camera and two zooms although space is tight. However these days, where I’m shooting with prime lenses, I need a bag with more space.

The Billingham bags are expensive but they are a quality item. They’re made from a 3-layer waterproof fabric and real leather. I’ve been out in some good rain storms with mine and I’ve never had a problem with water getting inside the bag. The fabric can be cleaned with Nikwax which adds another degree of waterproofing.

The bags are really well padded internally and come with padded Velcro separators so you can create a custom internal layout to suit your gear. The carry strap is nice and wide and you can buy a padded shoulder pad to make the strap a bit more comfortable. The shoulder pads are an expensive addition at nearly £50. I’ve managed for years without the Billingham shoulder pad.

I find the bag is well balanced and sits nicely against my side. The thick internal padding means nothing is ever digging into you. I regularly carry mine all day and, although your shoulder can become weary as the day goes by, the bag itself never gets uncomfortable.

Since I purchased the Hadley Large, Billingham have released several updates and improvements. The basic design is the same but with a few more colour and trim options. However the Hadley Pro and Hadley One are additions to the range and offer some useful tweaks to the original Hadley design.

I thought, with the new features, either of these new bags would be a good upgrade to my original bag. The Hadley One offered the most for me as it was slightly larger overall but it’s certainly wider, allowing for more interior layout options. It has a rear pocket for a tablet or laptop, a carry handle and a strap on the back which can slide down over a suitcase pull along handle. It also comes with the Hadley shoulder strap as standard. Here’s a link to a review of the bag in 2020 – Hadley One Review. However it’s expensive. The current price in the UK is £350.

Although I wanted the new features the Hadley One offered I found it hard to justify that price for an upgrade to my existing bag I was still able to use. So, for several months I searched second hand sites like Vinted or eBay. Eventually, Facebook Marketplace came up trumps with the beige bag in the pictures above. I bought it for £100 and it’s in like new condition. No postage was offered so I had to drive a hundred miles to pick it up. We turned that drive into a day out visiting Tavistock, Devon after collecting the bag.

The Hadley One is a lovely quality item and the extra handles are really useful when travelling. It’s also great for getting gear to a location for a photo shoot but, as a walk around bag, I find it too big for my needs. You also have to consider the weight you’re carrying. The vintage prime lenses I’m currently using are mostly metal bodied and heavy. A bigger bag means I can pack more lenses and there’s always the temptation to overload myself. Ok when I set off, but not so good five or six hours later.

I’ve come to a happy compromise these days. I use the Hadley One for getting my gear to wherever we’re travelling and take the Hadley Large with me, but squeezed into a suitcase, normally loaded up with my chargers and other camera bits and pieces. The Hadley Large then becomes my carry around bag whilst we’re away. If we go out from home for a day the Large is my go to bag.

I think it’s testament to my original Billingham Hadley Large that I’ve had it such a long time and I’ve grown to like it more and more. It’s been well used and is still in great condition. I’ve never been tempted to move away from Billingham since I first bought one.

All images: ©Stephen Hyde 2007-2026 – All rights reserved.