At the start of August Billingham bags UK sent me a Hadley One in Sage and Chocolate to use and review, I should point out at this time that I still have the bag (even though I was only meant to keep it for 4 weeks).
I can’t thank Jenny over at Billingham enough for letting me keep hold of the bag for longer, it’s now gotten to the point that I don’t want to return the bag, so I’m buying it.
I have to say when I first got the bag I was again very impressed with the build quality which as with all Billingham products is second to none, however, the most striking thing that jumped out at me was the colour, I never thought that I would like one of these bags in any other colour apart from khaki and tan, the classic look you think of when you hear the name Billingham, but, my lord the Sage and Chocolate is beautiful and stylish (unlike me). The bag doesn't look anything like a camera bag, I feel 100% safe carrying it and all my gear around a city like London or Cambridge.
I’ve had a few people ask me about the bag and nearly every one of them was surprised when I told them it was a camera bag.
After the first day with the bag I have to honest and say that I didn’t really like the extra wide strap (Width: 50mm (2"), which to me had a very different feel to the one on the Hadley Pro (Width: 38mm (1½"), the strap was just too big for me or so I thought so. I now can’t imagine the bag with a smaller strap, I just don’t think it would be as comfortable to carry as it is without the wider strap. Jenny at Billingham also sent me the Shoulder pad (SP50) which is optional extra to try, I don’t like using shoulder pads on any bags, in-fact in the past, I have resulted to cutting them off bags I’ve bought. I will say the SP50 pad is very comfortable to use, again for me I didn’t find I needed it, so after a week with it on the bag I took it off. I have a few friends that use the pads with their Billingham’s, try one out and see how you get on with it.
The Hadley One has many advantages over the Hadley Pro, the big one for me would be the dedicated space for my MacBook Pro (13”), not only can I fit my MacBook in there but I can also slide in my iPad Pro when I need to take both out with me. The Laptop padding does add extra weight to the bag, but there’s no way around this and I don’t mind the extra weight, as it is minimal. The inside of the bag is also different from any other Billingham bag before it, instead of one big insert the bag now comes with a large insert (Internal: W150mm (6") x D120mm (4¾") x H240mm (9½")) that can be placed to the left or right of the bag or in the middle, this for me is a big selling point as I use the Fujifilm X cameras (X-T2 & X-E3) both of these cameras fit in this one insert with lenses attached, there is a shelf of sorts that separates the cameras. Having this insert leaves more space in the bag for headphones etc, you can buy extra camera inserts that includes the full camera insert and these are available in Olive and Chocolate. The Hadley One also comes a removable shoulder strap and a loop for a luggage trolley.
Hadley One Full Insert (Left- Optional), SP50 Shoulder Pad (Middle-Optional) and Hadley One Half Insert (Right - Included)
The bag has 2 large pockets on the front and one on the back of the bag, I love having the one on the back of the bag as this is where I place my phone when I’m not using it and this allows me quick access if I do need it. The bag pocket is also big enough for an iPad, even my iPad Pro (10.5).
I do wish the 2 front pockets had smaller pockets inside them to keep batteries separate from other bits I put in there, I think this would be a great addition for Billingham to add to future Hadley bags, again this is me just being a bit picky and they way I’ve resolved this is by buying a few small pouches to keep my batteries and SD cards separate from each other.
I’ve had the bag in torrential downpours, everything inside the bag remains dry and safe, the bag is perfect for all weather conditions. I have also dropped it a few times and nothing inside got damaged. The bag weighs in at 1.38 kgs (3.04 lbs) (including the removable sling and padded insert)
Like I said above, I loved the bag so much, I bought it.
The Hadley One is worth every penny of the £265 and you won’t be disappointed.
One thing I would like to add before I finish up this blog, the customer service I have gotten from Billingham has been outstanding, everyone I’ve spoken to have been more than accommodating to my needs and I really can’t say thank you enough, but I will just one more time, Thank you.
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