The cool thing about Billingham bags is that they last a very long time. On the camera bag market, their durability is truly second to none. The brand has also been around for a very long time and their products aren’t made cheaply. In 10 years, your bank account will thank you. Today, they’re announcing the new Billingham Eventer Mini. It’s a smaller version of their Eventer messenger bag (which is an even smaller Hadley more or less). It’s as durable as it is beautiful. However, there are some modern updates Billingham really needs to make at this point.

Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this article, we stated that this camera bag was made of canvas. We were wrong. It’s made of Black FibreNyte.

Table of Contents

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Pros and Cons

Pros

Cons

Gear Used

Innovations

Tech Specs

Ergonomics

Build Quality

Ease of Use

Conclusions

Likes

Dislikes

Too Long; Didn’t Read

The Billingham Eventer Mini is a smaller version of the company’s Eventer bag. It’s designed mostly passionate photographers and event photographers. You can stuff just enough kit in here to shoot an event.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Very convenient

Small

Super stylish

Incredibly well built

Encourages you to not bring everything with you all the time. Perfect for the photographer who doesn’t edit on a laptop (or edit at all).

Black FibreNyte and leather make us super happy. Though these days, I’m very curious about a hemp material bag.

Seriously holds just the right amount of gear

Billingham’s quick release straps continue to be the best we’ve used on any messenger bag

Cons

It’s time Billingham steps into 2021 and gives us a waist strap for support. I do Pilates and yoga every day, and even this threw my back off. There was a point where I needed to take it off and rest up.

One could say it’s pricey, but their bags last the longest of any I’ve used.

Gear Used

We tested the Billingham Eventer Mini with the Sony a1, Sony 35mm f1.8 FE, two Sony flashes, the Fujifilm X Pro 3, Tamron 18-300mm, and Flashpoint Zoom Lion R2 flash.

Innovations

Let’s be honest, the Billingham Eventer Mini isn’t doing anything to change the game. Instead, it’s being the most stylish and rugged offering of a small messenger bag on the market. But Billingham can totally do a lot more.

Tech Specs

Provided by Billingham.

External dimensions (W x D x H)Internal dimensions (W x D x H)36cm x 16cm x 30cm (inc. top handle)33cm x 10cm x 21cmWeight (inc shoulder pad and padded insert)2.78 lbsMain compartment capacity5 litres (inside padded insert)Front pockets (x2) capacity0.75 litres per front pocketIncluded accessoriesSP50 Shoulder PadRemovable, padded insert featuring a tablet slip compartmentDivider set (2x vertical and 2x flap dividers)Mini Eventer Front strapsOptional accessoriesLeather luggage tally

Ergonomics

Here’s a look at the gorgeous Billingham Eventer Mini. Indeed, it looks like a smaller Hadley. That’s pretty much what it is.

Like other Billingham bags, it has the quick release straps. These are wonderful. I now own four Billingham bags, and I always swear by these.

At the top of the Billingham Eventer Mini is this suitcase handle. It comes in handy for sure when the bag is starting to cramp your back and shoulders.

In the back, there’s room for a tablet and other random things. It’s an incredibly useful pocket. I put business cards in here.

Here’s a look at the shoulder strap. As always, Billinham’s shoulder straps are wonderful. They attach using buckles. However, most of the time I don’t end up using it on the shoulder.

Here are the front pockets. These aren’t expandable like some on the Hadley bags. So again, you’ll go minimal.

Under the main flap, you’ll find this zippered pocket. This is for the main compartment.

Here’s a quick look at what can fit in here. There are more dividers, but they often don’t make sense. I put an X Pro 3 with a Tamron 18-300mm in there and a Flashpoint flash on the side.

Here’s more of a look at the interior divider system.

Build Quality

In ter...