Difference between the Hadley Original and Large?

[Avotius]

Today I was in a shop and I could not believe that they had Billingham bags, usually in our tiny overstuffed corner of the world we can only find rip off Lowepro and stuff.

Anyway I checked out the Hadley small and something else that looked just like it but was larger, I could stick a document folder with a4 sized papers in the back that was and inch thick and still get my M8 in the front without any squeezing. I loved it but they wanted 390 some dollars for it.

But....being the idiot that I am, I didnt check the name of the bag, and on taobao (chinese ebay) the pictures of the original and large are the same....

So.....is the large a remake of the original or a different bag?


ps. I like black, but that tan was nice too


pps. what is the difference between the canvas and the fibrenyte materials? Which would you get?

 

[kully]

Did it have a handle? My Billingham Hadley Pro let's me stick A4 stuff between the padded section and the back of the bag and still put cameras in the padded section.

I have over an inch of paperwork and a fresh copy of Halo: Reach in there comfortably at the moment.

PS If you're in to these things - the 'tan' gets grotty quickly - mine has been kidnapped and put in the washing machine twice and bleached once... Luckily it still keeps the water out.

 

[Avotius]

No handle on this one.


ps. How was Halo: Reach?

 

[Avotius]

From what I have been able to find online it seems the original and the large were the same bag for the most part but the large was just a little larger. It seems what I am looking for then is the large, seems like a great day out bag.

 

[Jasper Street]

I have the Hadley Pro, and it can accommodate an A4 folder behind the padded insert as well. It's the one with the handle on the top, which is easier and more convenient to carry I think than the one without the handle. The fibrenyte material is very nice. It's hard to describe the texture, but I think it feels less coarse than the canvas. The black fibrenyte with black leather trim looks and feels great.

 

[mike kim]

My fibrenyte Hadley Pro has served me well even in the most extreme situations: picture being under heavy rain for hours in a music festival in England, falling in the very middle of the mosh pit, and people falling on top of me as a consequence... the bag and I were covered in mud, but my M2 was perfectly fine and the contents 100% dry. I love that padding; I wouldn't settle for anything thinner.

The fibrenyte material is pretty soft, and appears to be very resistant and waterproofed. Can't comment on the difference with canvas though. The Large and the Original are different bags. You can check the measurements here (the Hadley Pro is the same size as the Original, but with a handle and the back pocket).

Also, I can fit my 15" Macbook Pro (an old model, which is thicker than the newer version) between the insert and the back of the bag along with two Leicas with lenses, an LX3, and the charger in a pocket.

 

[Ronald M]

My original Hadley has an insert with fixed dividers which frequently drives me crazy. It is the same size or very close to the current large.

It fell off my shoulder in my garage and I was in a position where I could not catch it.
It hit the concrete lens first with the D200 Nikon behind it destroying the filter and bending the focus helicals. Camera was OK. Lens repair was $150 but it was the special 28 Nikor with CRC and no distortion.

I got a Lowe Pro profesional shoulder bag with proper padding and the Hadley sits, most likely retired. The whole event scared me to death considering it could have cost me a nearly new digital camera that was more than $1500.