As a self-confessed Billingham shoulder bag connoisseur and owner, I’ve often espoused my belief that every photographer should aspire to own at least one Billingham shoulder bag. My first one was an original Billingham 550, which I purchased in 1987. The qualities that fed my desire were the fine craftsmanship, tactile feel of canvas and leather, beautiful, solid brass fittings, and versatile storage options. Needless to say, that bag has aged gracefully and is still going strong more than a quarter of a century later—that’s Billingham. Today I own three Billingham bags and recommend others own more than one so they can have a range of sizes to accommodate different amounts and types of camera gear.
Were it 1987 again, I might be sorely tempted by the Billingham Photo Eventer Bag. Considered by many to be the pinnacle of the Billingham line, the Photo Eventer features an abundant use of top grain leather, a main compartment with a removable padded insert, and four matching dividers that are useful for storing a full multi-body DSLR kit with numerous lenses and accessories, as well as a small laptop or tablet. Photographers will appreciate the two front pockets, rear zippered pocket, top carry handle, and wide, adjustable shoulder strap with separate leather SP50 shoulder pad. The underside of the pad has a neoprene gripper bottom to prevent slippage. Best of all, the clog-bolt fastening system and solid brass fittings make accessing gear fast, easy, and pleasurable.
As variety is the spice of life, the Photo Eventer is available in black canvas/tan leather, burgundy canvas/chocolate leather, and sage FibreNyte/chocolate leather versions. Both the canvas and FibreNyte bags provide three-layer waterproof fabric protection that includes a 3-mil layer of polypropylene sandwiched in the middle, which in combination with a large rain flap, provides for confident use in inclement weather that’s backed by Billingham’s limited 5-year, across-the-board warranty. Having weathered many a moderate downpour with my trusty Billingham bags, I can attest to their worthiness.
Complementing the Photo Eventer is a line of smaller shoulder bags comprising the Billingham S2, S3, and S4 models that are available in black canvas/tan leather, burgundy canvas/chocolate leather, khaki canvas/tan leather, and sage FibreNyte/chocolate leather models. The great thing about this lineup, and why I advocate owning more than one Billingham bag, is that with a variety of bags, one can match the size of the bag to the gear they plan on carrying. For instance, the S2 holds a mirrorless camera and up to 2 smaller lenses, the S3 a DSLR or mirrorless and up to 3 smaller lenses and, the largest in the line, the S4 stores 2 compact DSLR or mirrorless camera bodies and up to 3 small lenses.
What the S2, S3, and S4 bags share in common are a zippered main compartment, 2 removable padded dividers, a full-length accessory/dump pocket, rear exterior pocket, clog-bolt fasteners, solid brass fittings, three-layer waterproof fabric, a wide, comfortable, adjustable shoulder strap, and a removable fabric covered foam base for added impact protection. Made in England, Billingham bags share the pursuit of quality exemplified by other icons of British craftsmanship such as Jaguar automobiles, Brompton bicycles, and other fine products. For these reasons, and well, because they’re so cool, every photographer should aspire to own at least one Billingham.