Bags, bags. I hesitate to admit to being the Imelda Marcos of camera bags, but I do have a whole section of the storeroom dedicated to all manner of travel gear for cameras and accessories. I tend to forget just what’s in there, but it’s always a pleasant surprise to find something I haven’t used for years but which comes out for a new lease of life.
If I ferret into the depths of the cupboard, one brand stands out. I have an obscene number of Billingham bags. Some are unfeasibly large and have hardly ever been used (the optimist in me won, but the muscles disagreed). Some are tiny — the Ten-16 and the Pola Stowaway which is currently my all-time favourite for compact fixed-lens cameras such as the Q3 43, Fujifilm X100VI and GFX100RF.
What I lacked, though, is a good, serviceable short-trip duffel bag that doesn’t look too shoddy alongside Billingham camera bags. I’ve tried lightweight, fashionable duffels and all have fallen by the wayside. Zips break, the multitude of accessory pockets become unstitched, and none of them quite looks the business.
Enter the Billingham Weekender, which the friendly folk in Cradley Heath, in the Black Country, sent down to London for review.
Rationale
When it comes to bags, even weekend bags, we are faced with a wide and bewildering choice. Some prefer to be unobtrusive, with a plastic supermarket bag or two. Some favour duffel bags with numerous pockets, pen holders, cables to charge their phone.
But at the other end of the scene, there are some seriously expensive baggery from famous designers. They are baubles for billionaires, and I’ve never been convinced that they have any purpose other than to display the brand. Go to any outlet mall, and you’ll find a long line of people queuing for entry; many are seeking seriously expensive bag wear with prominent logos. However, despite the allure, many are more logo than bag.
Quality
Billingham is different. It’s a remote brand as far as the public is concerned. But any photographer is capable of spotting and identifying a Billingham camera bag at the distance of several hundred yards. Nonetheless, anyone can instantly recognise the quality. If this bag bore one of those famous designer labels, it would fetch five or even ten times as much as Billingham charge.
So, if you want all the Billingham kudos and are in the market for a simple, functional and stylish duffel, the Billingham Weekender should be high on your list.
Simplicity
The weekender is intentionally simple. It is unpadded (except for the removable based) to ensure the full capacity can be used. However, as Billingham say, this is not intended for camera equipment — although, as I have done, you can add a padded camera “bucket” which Billingham supplies with its camera bags. The full-length zip features two brass pulls to support easy access to the contents without the need to open the full zip.
Inside the bag there is one full-length mesh pocket which can be used to store items you may need to retrieve quickly. There is also a solid brass key loop which enables accessories and keys to be attached, allowing you to retrieve them easily from a full bag.
The Billingham Weekender is made of a three-layer waterproof material and is trimmed with full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather with solid brass fixings. In a special touch, every bag has its own six-figure serial number. The bag is made in England and comes with a five-year guarantee.
The statistics
The bag weighs 1.52 kg (3.35 lbs) and has a capacity of 34 litres (1.2 cubic feet). It is 550mm long, 350mm deep and 250mm high. It features one 500×210mm internal pocket and comes with a 38mm-wide shoulder sling and an adjustable shoulder pad. The strap can be adjusted from 940mm to 1640mm. When not in use, the Billingham Weekender stores flat, with an approximate height of only 120mm.
Colours and fabrics
The Billingham Weekender, as with most Billingham bags, is available in traditional canvas or the slightly lighter but very sturdy synthetic FibreNyte material which many photographers prefer. The bag is available in seven combinations:
- Black canvas, with tan leather and olive lining
- Navy canvas with chocolate leather and chocolate lining (seen in this review)
- Khaki canvas with tan leather and olive lining
- Khaki FibreNyte with chocolate leather and olive lining
- Sage FibreNyte with chocolate leather and olive lining
- Sage FibreNyte with black leather and olive lining
- Black FibreNyte with black leather and olive lining
In use
The quality of this bag is obvious as soon as you pick it up and examine it. All the materials are first-class, from the fabric (either classic canvas or modern FibreNyte), to the leather trim and brass fittings. As with all Billingham products, the emphasis is on no-nonsense simplicity and functionality.
I’ve been using the Billingham Weekender for three months, and it has accompanied me on several short breaks where the bulk and extra space of a suitcase wasn’t necessary. It is just the right size for short trips (there is also a smaller “Overnighter” available, but I decided that it would be too small for my purposes).
No-frills convenience
In the past, I have been attracted by bags with plenty of pockets, zips and, even, notebook and pen holders. But I soon came to appreciate the simplicity of the Billingham Weekender. On various trips, I employed cheap, lightweight packing cubes to keep clothes separated, and I even managed to squeeze in the Billingham Pola Stowaway containing the Fujifilm GFX100RF.
If you want to carry your camera equipment in the Weekender, pack one of Billingham’s excellent padded camera-equipment buckets, which you can cannibalise from any Billingham camera bag.
In short, this duffel bag does what it says on the tin: It’s a Weekender. As for quality and durability, you can compare it with any Billingham camera bag you have owned for years. They just don’t wear out, and continue to exude quality. As with all the company’s bags, the Billingham Weekender is a joy to own and use.
Improvements? A horizontal canvas strap for attaching the bag to the handle of a suitcase would be a useful addition. And just one exterior zipped pocket for sundries such as passport and tickets could be useful occasionally. That said, I can appreciate the no-frills approach taken in the design of this bag.
The cost
Any Macfilos reader who owns one or more Billingham bags will understand that this level of craftsmanship in a nation such as England doesn’t come cheap. The Weekender is no exception, with its price tag of £400 (which includes 20 percent Value Added Tax). It’s expensive, and no mistake, but this sort of quality doesn’t come cheaply in our inflationary times.
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