Billingham Hadley Pro is amazing

[dave lackey]

About a year into ownership now and I can only say how amazing the Hadley Pro actually is...I have worked an amazing number of variations into whatever kit requirement I have needed.

Anticipating the Asheville RFF meet, I thought we might get a group camera shot with all the gear on the table. But, nooooo, the food was way too good and the conversation was better!🙂

The bad news is, I had the M3, IIIF, X1 and the R4 w/ motor drive and all the various tools, cleaning supplies, film, batteries, notebooks, etc. and that bag was some kind of heavy for walking around the hilly streets in Asheville. After 10 hours on the road and lugging that much gear, it is no wonder I was in terrible back pain for 5 days after that!😱

It is not normal for me to have back pain....because:

1. I don't carry more than two cameras at a time.
2. I am usually in better physical condition (but have lapsed lately)
3. The Pro bag generally stays in the trunk of our car because I am never very far away when shooting.

So, today, I have again re-configured the bag for the M3 and the X1 only. Both cameras have their brown full cases and the X1 has no strap, only the finger cuff while the M3 has the silk strap. Very compact setup and can be carried and used simultaneously with the bag storing all the other stuff safely in the trunk (base camp).

When I tried the bag with the M3 only (and the X1 around my shoulder), the bag molded to the body and was very comfortable. It was even lighter with the M3 around my neck and the X1 in the bag alone, of course.

So, while the bag will accommodate 5 cameras and everything else including an iPad, it stays at the "base camp" when shooting. Unless I want to go with the lightweight kits. Or, at least until my newly re-started weight-lifting gets me back to a fitness level befitting that of a 90-year old country gentleman.😛

 

[Pastor Chris]

+1 on the Hadley Pro Dave. I have also has mine for about a year it it was my basecamp and everyday bag in Africa this past spring. M8 and M6 with lenses, film, batteries, iPad and Canon G10 as a backup. I seldom carried everything all at once except for the travel to and from. Comfortable, adaptable, secure, and fairly weatherproof. It also takes to wear and getting a bit grubby with great grace. It may sound strange, but it is a fairly big bag that adapts well to being small.

I ended up getting a good deal on a Billingham Leica bag as well and is great when I want to go really small but I carry the Hadley Pro almost every day.

 

[dave lackey]

+1 on the Hadley Pro Dave. I have also has mine for about a year it it was my basecamp and everyday bag in Africa this past spring. M8 and M6 with lenses, film, batteries, iPad and Canon G10 as a backup. I seldom carried everything all at once except for the travel to and from. Comfortable, adaptable, secure, and fairly weatherproof. It also takes to wear and getting a bit grubby with great grace. It may sound strange, but it is a fairly big bag that adapts well to being small.

I ended up getting a good deal on a Billingham Leica bag as well and is great when I want to go really small but I carry the Hadley Pro almost every day.

Hi, Chris! Hope all is well up your way...🙂

I sold my D40 to pay for this bag and it was a wise decision. I am happy to keep all of my gear in a "base camp" bag, or go light, either way it is a joy. Shame it won't handle my barbells...😛

 

[rxmd]

I second that, Dave. I got one of these now and it was a good decision. It fits a good spot between being light and easy to carry and being large enough to work fully out of it. I can put a laptop and an SLR and four lenses in there and work out of it, and I can also just use it as it is as a day bag, and either way it feels comfortable.

 

[robklurfield]

Great bag. I've had mine for eight or nine years now. Fully loaded with gear and assorted crap, it can certainly deliver a back ache. I carried it in Paris and London last month often with an M2, M8 and Nikon S2 plus a few lenses and film. It traveled to Europe with all that plus an iPad, 15 rolls of film, maybe three or four lenses, spare M8 batteries, an iPhone, Kleenex, etc. Glad when we arrived where we were staying that I could leave half of the gear behind each day. I stuffed a Crumpler Two Million $ bag empty into my suitcase, knowing the Billingham was more than I'd want to lug around on foot all day. I generally had two bodies, one around my neck and one in the Crumpler for day travel.

Enjoy the bag. It will outlast both of us.

 

[dave lackey]

HI, Rob...+1 on everything you said.

This bag has gone through my 2011 documentary and here it is, Fall, 2012 and still looks brand new! Granted, I take care of my gear but I would have expected worse for the looks with all the packing, re-packing, use and mis-use over the last year.😎

Really don't know what I would do without it as a "base camp" bag, my old Domke backpack would not hold nearly as much half as elegantly or functionally.

In this heat, I found a great mini waist bag from the MBCA which holds just one camera, the X1 and all it needs for a day or two of shooting. Does well with the IIIF too! So, my one camera bag is perfect and only cost $12.

Now, to find me a Rugged Wear 5XB for two cameras.

Then, I am done with bags...😛

 

[dave lackey]

Hey, has anyone used the shoulder strap pad? I am finding that it may be necessary to get one but hate to drop the coins on it only to find out it is not going to be comfortable. I hope it is or I will resort to a sheepskin seat belt cover or something.🙂

 

[JayC]

I have it on, but sometimes do not use it (slide it away). When I carry the bag on the same-side shoulder, it is very helpful. when I carry the bag with the strap across my chest, it is more comfortable with just a bare strap.

 

[gwg]

Second all the praise for the Hadley Pro. I am using the Pro and the Small for a couple of years now and have been using the Pro every day for the last two years (can't get myself to sell the beige Small as it just looks wonderful and is great for a quick outing with just one or two rangefinders) - amazingly flexible and despite being several years old, the (green) canvas is holding up wonderfully and still remains waterproof. Got my wife the black one with Fibrenyte, but in the end I find the canvas the more appealing material in terms of looks and feel. She manages to fit her MacBook Pro 13 into it with lots of other things and has taken it all over the place as a work bag, including several (hard-wearing) trips to Africa.

After learning to appreciate the shoulder pad on my air-travel Billingham 445 (contrary to the back pack straps, which work only so-so, as Billingham do point out themselves), I decided to get the smaller shoulder pad for the Hadley as well and am very happy with it - it is a noticable improvement when the bag gets heavier and also helps to keep the bag more firmly in place when riding a bike etc.

All in all, after trying many bags - including a couple of Crumplers and Domkes - I am entirely convinced and my bag-GAS has come to an end! 🙂

 

[gwg]

P.S.: I used the postal carrier shoulder pad (a left-over from a Crumpler bag) for a while, which works in terms of comfort, but doesn't much fit the style of the Billinghams...

 

[anthony_semone]

Dave,

I'd be grateful for your thoughts about your Hadley Pro carrying a G2/21, X100 w/WAC, and X-Pro1/35, and, likely, a ZF.2 50MP w/ adapter, couple spare batteries for the Fuji's and 4 rolls of film?

tony

 

[bfffer]

i have mine for about 3 years now.

its super heavy when its fully loaded.

i used to carry my Leica M + two lenses with a macbook 13 inch on the back.
(super heavy)

one leica M + 3 lenses + 15 rolls of film is ok too.

It is very nicely bulit, its indestructible under normal usage.

the only complain is that i have not found a good way to put a ice cool water bottle in the bag.

 

[rxmd]

Hey, has anyone used the shoulder strap pad? I am finding that it may be necessary to get one but hate to drop the coins on it only to find out it is not going to be comfortable. I hope it is or I will resort to a sheepskin seat belt cover or something.🙂

I find it's much more comfortable with the strap pad, especially as the bag gets heavier. Ever since I got mine, I haven't taken it off.

 

[kuvvy]

I have a Hadley Original. As far as I know it's like the Pro but without the handle. Use it mainly as a carry on bag when travelling. Must've had it for twenty years and it still looks good. I tried the shoulder pad but I didn't find it that comfortable and swapped for the Domke UPS shoulder pad. It's bulkier but more comfy.
I sometimes place a Puleme insert in which is smaller which leaves room inside for other stuff eg water bottle etc.

 

[Godfrey]

The Hadley Pro is a superb bag. I had and used one continuously for a couple of years. That said, I ultimately sold it in the last gasp of my photo business. You see, I'd taken to carrying a pro DSLR and it was simply the wrong shape and size for that genera of camera and lenses.

Not to steal the Billingham love fest (I still have two other Billys ;-) ...

Once I stopped carrying DSLRs again, I looked at the available options for the smaller, lighter equipment I had started using. I thought about buying a Hadley Pro again, but ran into the Artisan & Artist ACAM 7100 that a friend had. When I was in New York City, I stopped into Photo Village and took a look at their house brand "Black Label Bag - Oskar's One Day Bag Mark II" (Photo Village - Oskar's One Day Bag Mk II or BLBOODB), which is a development of the ACAM 7100 design with a few improvements. Bought it, been using it for every trip since May 2011.

It holds as much as the Hadley Pro, is lighter and a little trimmer, and is just as protective. The BLBOODB (LOL!) has a bit more in way of pockets and organizational bits in it. The Hadley Pro is a little more waterproof, but materials and construction-wise they are about on par. One thing I didn't like was the strap hardware ... the rectangular ladders which attach the strap to the bag sides are flimsy and tend to twist, so I replaced them with a nice pair of West Marine carabiners that shape the angling of the strap from the bag a little too.

All quality stuff. The BLBOODB is trim and light enough to carry all day if I load it sensibly (usually one camera, two-three lenses, iPad) and wears very nicely.

So ... I have a Tenba Mini Messenger B&H Photo - Tenba Mini Messenger which is an amazing deal and a capacious bag for something labeled "mini". It's what I usually stick in the trunk of the car with The Big Kit in it. The BLBOODB is usually what's on my shoulder on a dedicated photo outing with just what I want to carry.

If I'm in a one-lens/one-camera mood, well, I have a couple other much smaller, slimmer, tighter bags for just that. One of these is an ancient Tenba belt-bag that I've cut the belt off - it fits the X2, both VFs and spare cards/battery, my wallet and phone, keys, a few minor bits and pocket stuff. Nice to walk unencumbered by all the modern range of junk too.

Minimalism is more than just a description of a photo.

 

[dave lackey]

Dave,

I'd be grateful for your thoughts about your Hadley Pro carrying a G2/21, X100 w/WAC, and X-Pro1/35, and, likely, a ZF.2 50MP w/ adapter, couple spare batteries for the Fuji's and 4 rolls of film?

tony

Tony,
I am not familiar with the ZF.2, but it is probably no larger than my 55-200mm g lens left over from the D40. That said, you should be able to fit them all with room for a couple of trap door flaps to store other items like film. Or put the film and other items in the front two pockets. There is also a huge area inside the main compartment at the back to put in the iPad or small notebook computer and then the zippered compartment on the back for moleskine notebooks, magazine, checkbook, papers, etc.

I have the M3 in one end (vertically), the IIIF on the other end (vertically) above my film trap-door, and the middle is for the X1 with leather case and strap above the bigger space where the Leica R4+motor winder resides.

It is certainly a nice bag for all of that! 🙂

Oh, the addition of silk camera straps makes it a snap with smaller cameras in a bag. The R4 has an Op-Tech strap with great padding because of the weight of the motor winder.

 

[Nicolai]

I have one too and its a superb camera bag. I also use mine for school and it fits my computer and all the necessary books.

 

[Out to Lunch]

I just carried the Hadley pro every day, 7 weeks in a row in Vietnam. Excellent bag and well worth the price tag.

 

[anthony_semone]

Dave, thanks for your detailed info. Sounds like it's worth the price of admission 🙂 Yeah, it's a Zeiss 50mm/f2 lens I'm considering taking with me when we go to Paris in October. so from your description it'll fit w/o a problem.

thanks guys, tony

 

[Murchu]

Good writeup Dave, and great feedback from all who have chimed in. Imagine a few images might add to the thread, but it is easy to get a feel for what the Hadley Pro can hold. I've been playing around with the idea of getting a nice Billingham bag for the last good while now, but always have been unsure which of the Hadleys would suit me.

For a simple guy like me, who usually just totes something from a single camera and lens & notebook, to all that, with an additional lens, book, or compact camera/ additional body, I can see the Hadley Pro would be too big for my needs. Hadley Small it is, one day, I think..