Billingham

"When photographers discover my name, they're always keen to tell me how pleased they are with our bags and how well they perform."
	Harry Billingham Sales & Marketing

Materials

All Billingham products are based on the on the same unvarying philosophy: start with a straight
forward, practical design, based on a sound knowledge and understanding of the user's needs. The
very best materials are chosen and they are used in a way that takes maximum advantage of their
natural properties, and then are used to manufacture the product to precise quality standards. That's why Billingham Bags have solid brass fittings, top grain, top quality leather and the best quality canvas, thread and linings in abundance.

The protection provides by a soft bag comes about through the careful use of closed-cell foams and the inherent pliability of the soft canvas. Superflex inserts keep camera and lenses protected and separated from each other. Billingham Bags are designed in such a way that they simply move out of the way when pushed, allowing the bag to mold itself to the wearer's shape. Stiffening and shape are given to the bag by the way the material is cut and stitched. Not only are Billingham Bags strong and durable, they are also genuinely, soft and will mold snugly to your body.

Canvas

The Billingham Canvas has traditionally been waterproofed. More recently, however, this has been replaced with StormBlock, which incorporates a new type of waterproof layer developed by Billingham, sandwiched between two layers of canvas. This resulting material, while being equally waterproof, is thinner and lighter than the traditional canvas - reducing the weight of the bags, without sacrificing performance. It is also has a better resistance to sunlight and ozone.

For most camera bags, StormBlock canvas provides all the protection that is need. Where the bag will be subjected to heavy wear, however, Nytex material is recommended. This is an incredibly hard wearing , 1000 denier textured nylon, waterproofed with polyurethane. Tough, Robust and designed to keep your equipment safe under the worst conditions! The waterproof layer is built in and will not need re-proofing!

Camera Bag Linings

The linings of Billingham bags are a smooth antifray material, so that no tiny material fibers from the lining should find their way into cameras and lenses. The material is also treated to help prevent wicking ( the process of water being sucked through the fibers, like a candle wick, to permeate the material).

Leather

Only the best, top-grain leather is used in Billingham bags. This is the top most hide and it is vegetable tanned and aniline dyed by hand. Finally a light coating of wax or, in the case of bridle leather, fat is applied. The process used to treat the hides is designed to bring out the richness of the natural grain and is in no way intended to hide marks or healed scars which appear naturally.

Not only are their many different types of leather, each separate part of a single has has individual properties: some are strong along the grain, others are soft and supple enough to bend round corners. Different parts of the hide are used throughout each bag, choosing the characteristics of the leather to suit the function of each component.

Brass

All fittings are either cast or machined from solid brass. Billingham chooses brass for several reasons: first, and most obvious, is that it will not rust. As time passes brass may tarnish and develop a patina, which acts as a protective layer, preventing deterioration - compare this with steel which, even when heavily plated, can develop rust spots that eat into the material. Unlike plastic fittings, brass doesn't become noticeably brittle when temperature drops, and it doesn't crack when you accidentally tread on it. Billingham's brass fittings are hand-finished, so you won't find any sharp corners or rough edges on them-and that means that they are less likely to wear their way through the leather and canvas. According to the finish required, the fittings are lacquered or nickel plated.

Rivets & Studs

Where rivets are used to strengthen stress points, they are made from solid brass. The brass studs used in the unique Quick-Release System (another Billingham innovation) have carefully shaped profile so that they will release easily when you want them to, but will stay safely fastened when you don't.

Even such seemingly insignificant items as press studs are carefully chosen. Where a strong, semi-permanent fixing is needed, for example on tough leather handles, a stud with a strong ring springs is used. Where easy access is the requirement, S-spring studs: these are easier to undo, but still provide a secure closure.

Zips

Conventional zip fasteners are not really strong enough for everyday use in a camera bag, so Billingham uses 8mm zips, where the coil teeth are woven into the supporting tape, rather than sewn in the usual way. Not only is the resultant fastener stronger than conventional zipper, it's also flatter and hence less prone to abrasion. The pullers too, are stronger than normal: this helps to prevent them from creeping and slipping.

Hand Stitching

The very first Billingham camera bag was made out of leather and was completely hand made, even down to the brass lock. It included over 1,000 individual hand stitches. These were made using an awl, needles, thread and beeswax. Although Billingham uses sewing machines for a lot of the process these days, they still resort to traditional hand stitching on those occasions when a machine can't cope with the thickness of the material or the complexity of the construction.

Shock Absorbing Foams

Billingham uses closed-cell foams from the world's leading manufacturers to protect your valuable equipment. These foams are manufactured using inert chemicals, which will not effect photographic emulsion or delicate camera equipment. Each piece of foam is precision-cut to ensure consistent quality and to provide protection against knocks, as well as insulation against heat and cold. Because these are closed-cell foams they won't soak up or retain moisture: they even have positive bouncy - so an empty Billingham bag will float!

Shoulder Web

To ensure maximum performance from Billingham's shoulder straps, they use a variety of materials in their manufacturing. They have pioneered the use if the spun-polyester in their shoulder straps - this is a military specification material, similar to that used as parachute webbing on the Space Shuttle ( it's made by the same people). Spun - polyester stays flat, wears extremely well, does not absorb water as quickly cotton and will not rot.