I currently own three Billingham bags. A well worn Hadley Pro, a Hadley Small and, most recently, an Airline Stowaway. Why then, do I need to add another of their amazing bags to my ‘arsenal’ you may ask? Setting aside the fact that I love the quality, functionality and all round good looks of Billingham bags, I managed to convince myself that it would be nice to extend the capacity of my Hadley Pro, and be able to carry an extra camera body, without investing in a larger bag. I’d been eyeing up the AVEA end pockets for a while and finally decided to to invest in one at the end of last year as a Christmas present to myself.
I’ve now switched over to exclusively use Fujifilm’s X series camera system and currently own the X-T3, X-T4 and X100F as well as the XF16mm F2.8 R WR, XF35mm F2 R WR and XF50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR lenses. I can fairly comfortably fit one of the X-T bodies and three lenses into the Hadley Pro but it’s a bit tight to fit the other body in as well. The AVEA would seem to be the ideal solution then, adding this side pocket onto the Hadley Pro for those times when I want to carry a spare body.
Billingham make four end pockets but the AVEA 5 was the one that was the right size (internal dimensions are: W110mm x D60mm x H150mm) to fit a Fujifilm X-T3/X-T4 or X100F. As you can see from the images below the AVEA 5 nicely fits one body or the X100F. There’s also an internal back pocket that fits a notebook or passport and a drawcord that pulls the internal waterproof layer over the top of the contents.
The end pocket attaches to the Hadley Pro via two leather straps that ‘lock’ with strong press-studs and feel very secure. The straps can also be used to clip the end pocket onto a belt which means if you want to travel super-light you can just use the end pocket and carry an X100F or similar sized rangefinder type camera.
The AVEA 5 end pocket is another fabulous product from Billingham. It serves a very particular purpose and if you either want an extension to one of the supported bags or a useful hands-free belt bag this is the product for you. It has the same attention to detail as all other Billingham bags – it’s beautifully made, strong, weather resistant and even comes with a small draw-string bag and lens cleaning cloth. To go back to where I started, this is definitely a great addition to my Billingham collection and comes highly recommended.
Peter Cripps | Photography 