{"id":18471,"date":"2022-07-04T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2022-07-04T06:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=63459"},"modified":"2022-07-04T08:13:10","modified_gmt":"2022-07-04T06:13:10","slug":"billingham-hadley-pro-2020-camera-bag-review","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/billingham-hadley-pro-2020-camera-bag-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 camera bag review"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Megan Shersby\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 04 July 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Review: Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 camera bag<\/h2>\n
Buy now<\/strong> from Billingham<\/a> (\u00a3260.00<\/a>), Wex Photographic<\/a> (\u00a3207.00<\/a>), Amazon<\/a> (\u00a3259.00<\/a>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>
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This gorgeous looking bag from Billingham is an improved version of their classic Hadley Pro, which is one of their bestsellers and over two decades old. Is it a case of \u201cif it\u2019s not broken, don\u2019t fix it?\u201d or was an upgrade a good idea? Personally, I think the original Hadley Pro is fab, but this does take it up a notch,\u00a0with a slightly improved carry handle, removable shoulder strap, a luggage trolley strap on the back and a waterproof zip on the back pocket.<\/p>\n
Like all Billingham bags, this is premium quality and made in England \u2013 solid brass fittings, full grain leather on the trimmings and straps, durable canvas or FibreNyte\u2122 material, and immaculate stitch work (so nice that it\u2019s in a highlighted colour to make it stand out and show off how good it is).<\/p>\n
With an internal capacity of six litres and three pockets (two on the front and one on the back) in addition to the main compartment, there\u2019s plenty of room. In fact, my partner describes it as \u201cdeceptively large\u201d. The leather buckle straps on the front pocket aren\u2019t for opening the top flap but adjusting how closed it can be \u2013 at the other end of this trap is the quick release system, where you can quickly open and close over the brass round studs. I believe it will be a quickly process, though at the moment the leather on the sample bag I was sent is still a bit stiff and needs softening up.<\/p>\n
But if you find that occasionally you need just that bit more space (extra batteries and snacks perhaps, as you can never have too many of either!), Billingham also sells two differently sized pockets \u2013 the Avea 7 and the Avea 8 \u2013 which can be added to the attachment points at either end of the bag to increase the capacity even further.<\/p>\n
You can fit a 13-inch laptop into the bag \u2013 between the padded insert and the outer material. The Billingham website notes that \u201cit wouldn\u2019t be well protected. Many customers do use this bag this way however and none have reported damage.\u201d So far with putting my laptop there, it\u2019s been completely fine.<\/p>\n
Inside the main compartment, there\u2019s a padded insert made from closed-cell foam (which is also available to buy separately, should you manage to trash yours) with two vertical dividers and two horizontal dividers, all of which are removable so that the bag can be used a generic messenger bag as well. I\u2019m tempted to use mine as my normal office bag. When in the bag, the insert can be held in place by a heady duty press stud.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s available in a seven colour combinations: navy and chocolate, black and tan, black and black, khaki and tan, khaki and chocolate, burgundy and chocolate, and sage and chocolate (pictured in this article<\/em>).<\/p>\n
If you wanted to add a bit of shoulder protection, a shoulder pad<\/a>\u00a0made from leather and foam padding with a mild non-slip finish is available to buy separately. Either the SP15 or the SP40 fit this bag, and the latter has more padding. I was sent a SP40 along with the bag and found it very comfortable on my shoulders.<\/p>\n
What is the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 made from?<\/h3>\n
There\u2019s a choice of two external materials for the bag: cotton canvas or a synthetic material called FibreNyte\u2122, which has been created by Billingham and weighs around 10% lighter than canvas and holds it colour for longer. The bag I was reviewing was made from the latter and I found it to be nice to touch and durable too.<\/p>\n
The leather trimmings and straps are made from full grain leather, and the buckles and other metal fittings are made from solid brass<\/p>\n
Is the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 waterproof?<\/h3>\n
Both external material options offer 3-layers of waterproofing which includes a butyl-rubber layer, which means that the bag offers excellent waterproof protection to any camera gear, laptop or paperwork inside.<\/p>\n
The sculptured top flap covers the edges of the main compartment, as well as the tops of the front dump pockets \u2013 meaning that there\u2019s<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve not yet tested it in an absolute downpour, but next time the weather does decide to chuck it down, I\u2019m planning to pop it outside and see what happens \u2013 I don\u2019t doubt it will follow the previous Billingham bags in being absolutely fine!<\/p>\n
The bag shouldn\u2019t ever need to be reproofed to keep it waterproof, as it\u2019s built to remain waterproof for years (unless you get a hole in the fabric or put it in the washing machine).<\/p>\n
You may also like:<\/h3>\n
Artisan & Artist ACAM 102 Camera Strap Brown<\/h3>\n
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