After I bought the Leica M9, I was in the market to get a new camera bag for the M9. The bag had to be small, versatile, and not scream '(expensive) PHOTO GEAR HERE!!!!'. Since I owned a Billingham bag before, my eye quickly fell on the smaller Billingham bags. Especially the Hadley Small looked very appealing. After checking the internal and external dimensions on the website I purchased the bag (Black FybreNite version) through Robert White in the UK. They had the bag in stock, and it was cheaper (with shipping included) than ordering it in the Netherlands. I also included the SP50 Shoulderpad, for additional comfort.
The Hadley Small easily holds the following gear, and accessories;
- Leica M9 Camera with 35mm lens attached
- Two additional lenses
- A compact P&S camera (in my case a Nikon P7000)
- Not shown on the photos, since I used that camera for taking these photos :-)
- spare battery, cable release, cleaning cloth, SD-cards, lens-filters, small flashlight, GPS-logger, etc.
- Apple iPad 2
Billingham Hadley Small with an iPad
Billingham Hadley Small fully loaded. The empty compartment in the middle usually holds my P&S camera.
The contents of the Billingham Hadley Small
Billingham Hadley Small with the insert removed.
Billingham Hadley Small with 'enlarged' front pocket.
Carry-ing the bag is a pleasure. It's light (depending on the contents of course....), and can easily accessed when you want or need to. When you close/'lock' the bag it's hard for prying hands to access your gear.
The FybreNity fabric is water resistant, and it doesn't seem to wear and tear with use. The fabric looks exactly as it did when I bought it. Dirt can easily be brushed off by hand. The shoulderpad isn't really necessary, but I like the extra grip on my shoulder. No matter what I do, the bag stays in place.
All in all, an excellent bag. Perhaps a bit pricey, but as with every other Billingham bag, you get what you pay for; a quality product that lasts forever.