A Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 will look and feel fantastic strapped around you.

Bags like the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 and others have just become better for photographers over the years. Though I’m still partial to a backpack instead of a messenger, this update feels just a bit special. Arguably, the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 is for photographers. But in use, one could say that it’s for content creators and journalists. Messenger bags over the years have evolved a lot, and the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 shows evidence of that. The internals were updated to give photographers who shoot with mirrorless systems a bit more organization. Further, you can shove a laptop in this bag along with pretty much every tool you’d possibly need. If you’re the type to go for hot shoe flashes, there’s room for that. But if you tote along a Profoto B10 the way I do, you’ll have a bit more trouble. We’ve taken the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 with us on planes, on trips, on commutes, to meetings, and everywhere. We’re very impressed.

However, this is more of a bag for a content creator than a photographer.

Editor’s Note: In a previous version of this article, we said that this bag was made from canvas. It is not, but it surely feels like it!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Weather sealed

Beautiful

Leather and Sage FibreNyte

Expandable pockets

Incredibly comfortable

Can pack a whole lot of gear, laptop, cords, and more.

Very well built

Cons

Nothing really to be honest

Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 Technical Specifications

External dimensions (W x D x H) W430 x D140 x H280mm (Height excluding handle: 240mm) Internal dimensions (W x D x H)(inside removable padded insert) W340 x D80 x H210mmPadded insert is flexible so ‘D’ measurement can expand to 100mm at the bottom of the bag and (up to) 160mm at the top. Capacity 6 liters Weight 1.2kg (including removable shoulder sling) Pockets 3 Front dump pockets x 2 (W x D x H) 130-170mm x 40-60mm x 200mm, 1-1.25 litres capacity Rear zipped pocket (W x H) 320mm x 180mm Detachable, adjustable shoulder sling Length – can be adjusted between 94cm and 164cm approx. Width – 38mm; Weight – 0.16kg

Ergonomics

The Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 is a bag that looks pretty compact. And in truth, it’s really not excessively large. But it’s capable of carrying a lot of stuff. It also doesn’t necessarily look like a camera bag. Instead, it just looks like a beautiful bag.

We’ll start our tour of the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 with the leather straps. These allow you to get into the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020. There’s a buckle and top metal knobs. To accommodate more gear, just adjust the buckle.

Undo the top flap, and you’ll be treated to these pockets. They’re quite large and can carry a whole ton of stuff for when you travel.

Oh yeah, these pockets are expandable. There are buttons on each that let them hold more gear or make the entire bag’s profile smaller. These are great!

Get to the inside, and you’ll see the removable divider system. There is a top flap that contains all the gear inside of the rest of the divider case. In the case is padding that can be adjusted and moved all around.

The back of the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 has a zipper for stuff like cables, documents, and other smaller profile things. I’ve stuffed Macbook Pro cables in here.

Before we forget, you can put your laptop inside the main compartment of the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 too! A 13-inch laptop slides into the back just fine.

Last, there is the top handle that lets you carry the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 like a briefcase. It’s sturdy and can be really convenient when your chest/shoulders need a break.

Build Quality

We took the Billingham Hadley Pro 2020 through rain, airports, subways, cabs, and several different environments. It survived everything, and it kept our gear safe. I’m most satisfied that it kept my laptop secure and the various camera systems that I was testing safe too. Part of this is due to how you have to open up the bag. This is not a bag...