Billingham Bag - I finally did it

[BasilFawlty]

I have long known that Billingham bags have a stellar reputation for quality and longevity but the price has always made me shy away from getting one. Then a few days ago, I saw a relatively new Billingham bag, the S4, on sale at one of the big on-line stores. This is a medium sized shoulder bag which is just what I wanted. Even on sale it was not what you would call "cheap" but it was on sale for almost $100 less than what it sells for on other sites. I put it in the cart and took it out of the cart several times, but the little GAS devil on my shoulder eventually won the argumanet and I bought it.

I'm hoping this bag lives up to the hype and that it will give me many years of reliable use. From all the reviews I've read about Billingham bags, I suspect I won't be disapointed. Any other Billingham owners out there in the forum? What have your experiences been with this brand?

 

[tirediron]

Had to look them up; never heard of, nor seen them, however they look like nice bags. They are a bit pricey, but not ridiculous.

 

[Derrel]

I hope you love it.

 

[cgw]

All you need now is a Barbour waxed cotton coat and a pair of Corgis...If you don't love it, you'd have little troubling offloading it.

Always found them wildly overpriced and good at shouting "camera bag!" or "Leica M6 inside." Too toff for me.

 

[chris]

The Billingham bags are expensive but you won't be disappointed with the quality; they are extremely durable, well padded and waterproof. I am now on my second one, a 445 model which doesn't look much like a typical camera bag but does look to be high quality so still have to keep an eye on it.. The first went in a house break-in after many years of service - it never came anywhere near to getting worn out.

 

[BasilFawlty]

The Billingham bags are expensive but you won't be disappointed with the quality; they are extremely durable, well padded and waterproof. I am now on my second one, a 445 model which doesn't look much like a typical camera bag but does look to be high quality so still have to keep an eye on it.. The first went in a house break-in after many years of service - it never came anywhere near to getting worn out.

This particular bag just looks like an ordinary shoulder bag. It doesn't have the big leather tag on the front that says "Billingham" like some models have. It's a bit more discrete in that it just has a very small cloth tag in one of the outside corners that says "Billingham" but you have to really look to fond it. Still, I will keep it close at hand as much as humanly possible.

 

[BasilFawlty]

UPDATE: I recently bought the "tan" shoulder pad (which I find odd it doesn't come with the bag). Even though the bag was listed as "Khaki / Tan Trim" this "Tan" shoulder pad color is considerably lighter than the trim on the bag. It's not a huge deal, but considering the price of the bag and the price of the shoulder pad ($47) I would have expected the "tan" leather on the bag and the "tan" shoulder pad to match more closely.

 

[SquarePeg]

I hope you get good use out of it.

I bought a similarly sized OMA Bowery shoulder bag a couple of years ago after seeing it and thinking I had to have it and of course they got me with a sale price but still quite pricey for a small walk around bag - of course the one I had to have was leather. Sadly, it rarely gets used as it doesn't really fit everything I want to bring (no secure spot for personal items) most and also if weather or conditions will be iffy I worry it will get ruined (or allow water to get to my gear).

 

[Mike Drone]

I have all the gear I need said no photographer ever. =]

Not my words but I like them.

 

[Jeff15]

Far too expensive for me......

 

[Nikon photographer]

I've just purchased a Hadley small pro direct from Billingham, which are made not a million miles from where I live, yes you can find bags for a lot less, but I've known photographers who have had a Billingham bag for 20 odd years and there still doing the job, plus you can also get them repaired by Billingham.

 

[ZackeryCook]

Just stumbled upon this thread and wanted to chime in as a new member. Congrats on your purchase of the Billingham S4 bag! I can definitely relate to the GAS devil on your shoulder, but it sounds like you got a great deal on it. I've never owned a Billingham bag myself, but I've heard great things about their quality and longevity

 

[cgw]

Zombie thread, y'all. Read the dates...

 

[snowbear]

Yes - please look at the dates before answering these one-off threads.

Locking it.