You know, I was happy just to watch this cheerful review and them move on, continuing my research, until I read one of the comments that mentioned where these are made. I'm from New Zealand, but just happen to be living in Taiwan currently... So Google maps and... Oh, I've walked past that shop dozens of times, and had no idea what they sell in there. The next day I caught some commuter trains, and walked a little... and bought the 10l one in grey! Thanks Jimmy! :-)
Quite well-done demonstrations of what this bag can accommodate. Thanks! Other reviewers have not seemed to have demonstrated things with Wotancraft bags so clearly and thoroughly. I especially like how well you demonstrate the details of the cover flap, because that is a weakness of some bags’ weather-resistance. (Not that I need to add yet another bag, of course, anytime soon, but/if when I do, this episode will be a valuable resource.)
I have 5 Billingham bags but my M11 travels in the Pilot 7L and my OM-1 in my Pilot 10L. The hidden pocket is where all my documents were kept in the 10L when i travelled in Europe last year. The other thing it has over the Billingham is the side pockets. Perfect for battery power packs and extra batteries. Not sure what the future lies for my Billingham’s. 😂
Billingham will continue to be THE classic. I don't think they will modernise their range or redesign them like Wotancraft. They started from scratch at the end of the day. Materials are different too, I know for a fact that Billingham is 100% waterproof because of how they make their fabrics. Their leather is also very thick and strong. Wotancraft use modern materials and rely on coatings, which I am unsure about longevity and durability if you use it a lot, since it doesn't come with a rain cover. But I like how versatile it is and very well executed bag.
Great review on a great bag! I have the 10L in the same Khaki colour. I bought mine about two years ago and it gets used a lot and exclusively. As the secret hidden pocket has a zipper at each end, I've occasionally fed a hoodie jacket through it and it holds it great, but obviously with some of the jacket sticking out each end. The condition of the fabric and zips is still perfect, absolutely no deterioration or loose threads anywhere, as perfect as new. The squishy rubber padding section on the shoulder strap is also like new, hasn't worn down at all. I usually carry a fold up umbrella in the long rear zip up pocket to help protect the bag from as much water falling on it as possible when raining. As far as rain protection, Wotancraft told me "The Cordura used on the Pilot bags are water repellent. We have tested them in heavy rain for over an hour and everything inside is still dry. Just remember to keep the lid closed so that rainwater won't be able to get in directly." So yes, it's water repellent due to the wax coating I guess but not 100% waterproof. The only issue I have is that mine looks pretty grubby now with several darker patches and a few stains. I want to find out if there's a way to get it looking almost as clean as new which might or might not be possible. I did a test by putting my Wotancraft zip up add on pouch in a pillowcase and into the washing machine but it didn't seem to improve anything. I'll email Wotancraft to see if they can recommend any solvent. I'd need to then get it rewaxed which I can probably do myself.
I've had my eyes on the 7l for a while and I was excited to see your review. As always, fantastic coverage of the details that matter to photographers. Thank you!
Jimmy, I bought the 7L version of that bag a year ago for my Japan trip. It was just wonderful. It was my camera carry for that whole trip, and has been my primary bag ever since. Not only that, even after a year of use, it still looks brand new. I didn't bother with the add-ons as I didn't need them. But where that secret pocket is, the area in front of that was big enough for me to pass through a jacket when it wasn't being worn. Such a versatile bag.
Love the Wotancraft products. I have the 18Liter backpack & several Pilot & Trooper camera bags. Durable & reasonably priced. My personal favourite is the Wotancraft Ryker camera bag that is no longer manufactured.
I too have 4 Billingham Hadley bags of different sizes currently but have had others over the past 40 years and it’s a bag you just go back to because they just work. I have tried Think Tank, Peak etc. Ibut they didn’t cut it. I bought my first WPilot a few years ago, I now own 4 Wotancraft 7L, 10L and 2x 3.5 lit (One leather for Q3, it deserves it)I think they are brilliant bags so they desperately need a distributor in the UK to help spread the word. As the saying goes a Billingham is for life not just Xmas.
Yes, I think so. I hope to bring more videos about their products in UK so people can see them. This is my first encounter with them and it seems to be as good as everyone says.
Its interesting how every single item you talk about is so amaaaazing. Guess there are no bad products on the market any longer. Certainly cant have anything to do with fiscal interests. Good guy.
Speaking of shoulder bags. I am currently waiting for my order of Billingham 555 MKII (in sage FibreNyte) to arrive. Sadly these larger Billingham bags don't seem to get many videos of them. Any chance you'd be able to review the 555 MKII? Could help others in the future to make a purchasing decision.
I will see what I can do. I do have the originally 455 but generally bigger Billingham bags aren't on many's radar simply because they are not for typical photographers. Because of this, not many, if any, make reviews for big bags in general. I will talk to Billingham to see if they want to do something.
Love this bag so much but it needs to hold a 15" laptop. I cannot fathom why Wotancraft thinks a 14" laptop is enough when 15" is the standard almost everywhere. Other than that, I am very excited to see what they come up with moving forward.
great bag, can fit even more gear than many larger backpacks (e.g. 70-200/2.8, 50/1.2, 16-35/2.8 and two Sony FF bodies), the closest thing to being the perfect bag, except: - doesn't really fit a 14" macbook when fully loaded up (the laptop compartment flap takes up too much internal space) - the shoulder strap isn't the best, and the alignment is more suited for hanging on one side than cross-body - no external storage spaces (e.g. like wandrd slings)
@@Red35Photography I believe the new ones have the easy adjustable shoulder strap and they now all come with fidlock as standard, as my ones the fidlock was extra.
The 2 end pockets look like they don’t have drain holes in them ? If not they will fill with rain pretty quickly and it will stay in there being sort of waterproof . One very bad design flaw I think.
Was waiting for Matti Sulanto's review but you were first :-) Also have a Billingham but this is Pilot 10L is definitely on my list to replace my no name backpack.
Thanks Michael. I am sure his review is going to be good too so you get more information and ideas about the bag. But for me, it's really growing on me.
@@Red35Photography Hoping it will be a better fit for my EM1X as it’s a bit bulky with the 25mm F1.2 attached an too tight a squeeze for the Billingham.
At a push. I managed to fit my Zf with a small prime attached, put it in the centre, but there's space left so it can have 24-70 attached. I also fit my 70-150mm 2.8 on one side and two more primes on the other. But I know the 70-200 2.8 is much larger than my 70-150, especially the hood and tripod collar, if you remove the collar, I think it shouldn't be a problem. And the space for the two prime lenses can definitely accommodate the 14-24. I am more wary about the size of the hoods from your lenses.
Barely. I have the Z8 and 24-70 and it fits decently if you don't have the laptop divider in. Otherwise, its a bit tall. If you put it lens down, I'd bet you could JUST squeeze the trinity in there.
I watch all your videos. My favorite is the black quilted crossbody Chanel replica. The kislux bag will be on my list. Thanks for everything. Good luck to everyone.
Love wotencraft bags but very disappointed with their customer service, actually wonder if they have one. Don’t buy their leather bags though, pricy, heavy and smelly.
I know wealthy women who will buy kislux replicas. The main reason they give is that they simply understand the value of money and don't want to spend too much on a bag...especially a trendy one. They do, however, spend a lot of money on fine jewelry and other things.
Me thinks Billingham has dropped you as an “Ambassador “ recently, ? The way you’ve been slating their bags in this video. If they haven’t, they will be pretty soon. 😂
You know, I was happy just to watch this cheerful review and them move on, continuing my research, until I read one of the comments that mentioned where these are made. I'm from New Zealand, but just happen to be living in Taiwan currently... So Google maps and... Oh, I've walked past that shop dozens of times, and had no idea what they sell in there. The next day I caught some commuter trains, and walked a little... and bought the 10l one in grey! Thanks Jimmy! :-)
Ordered the black 7L with additional pouches.
YOU ARE COSTING ME MONEY, JIMMY! 😂😂😂
Quite well-done demonstrations of what this bag can accommodate. Thanks! Other reviewers have not seemed to have demonstrated things with Wotancraft bags so clearly and thoroughly. I especially like how well you demonstrate the details of the cover flap, because that is a weakness of some bags’ weather-resistance. (Not that I need to add yet another bag, of course, anytime soon, but/if when I do, this episode will be a valuable resource.)
I have 5 Billingham bags but my M11 travels in the Pilot 7L and my OM-1 in my Pilot 10L. The hidden pocket is where all my documents were kept in the 10L when i travelled in Europe last year. The other thing it has over the Billingham is the side pockets. Perfect for battery power packs and extra batteries. Not sure what the future lies for my Billingham’s. 😂
Billingham will continue to be THE classic. I don't think they will modernise their range or redesign them like Wotancraft. They started from scratch at the end of the day. Materials are different too, I know for a fact that Billingham is 100% waterproof because of how they make their fabrics. Their leather is also very thick and strong. Wotancraft use modern materials and rely on coatings, which I am unsure about longevity and durability if you use it a lot, since it doesn't come with a rain cover. But I like how versatile it is and very well executed bag.
Great review on a great bag! I have the 10L in the same Khaki colour. I bought mine about two years ago and it gets used a lot and exclusively. As the secret hidden pocket has a zipper at each end, I've occasionally fed a hoodie jacket through it and it holds it great, but obviously with some of the jacket sticking out each end.
The condition of the fabric and zips is still perfect, absolutely no deterioration or loose threads anywhere, as perfect as new. The squishy rubber padding section on the shoulder strap is also like new, hasn't worn down at all. I usually carry a fold up umbrella in the long rear zip up pocket to help protect the bag from as much water falling on it as possible when raining.
As far as rain protection, Wotancraft told me "The Cordura used on the Pilot bags are water repellent. We have tested them in heavy rain for over an hour and everything inside is still dry. Just remember to keep the lid closed so that rainwater won't be able to get in directly." So yes, it's water repellent due to the wax coating I guess but not 100% waterproof.
The only issue I have is that mine looks pretty grubby now with several darker patches and a few stains. I want to find out if there's a way to get it looking almost as clean as new which might or might not be possible. I did a test by putting my Wotancraft zip up add on pouch in a pillowcase and into the washing machine but it didn't seem to improve anything. I'll email Wotancraft to see if they can recommend any solvent. I'd need to then get it rewaxed which I can probably do myself.
I've had my eyes on the 7l for a while and I was excited to see your review. As always, fantastic coverage of the details that matter to photographers. Thank you!
My pleasure! Glad you found it useful
Jimmy, I bought the 7L version of that bag a year ago for my Japan trip. It was just wonderful. It was my camera carry for that whole trip, and has been my primary bag ever since. Not only that, even after a year of use, it still looks brand new. I didn't bother with the add-ons as I didn't need them. But where that secret pocket is, the area in front of that was big enough for me to pass through a jacket when it wasn't being worn. Such a versatile bag.
Great to hear that. Yes, I am finding this bag more and more useful by the day. Loving it.
I bought it in Taipei last november, a great bag!
Nice bag. I like the additional pouches. Very cool.
I've been using the 3.5L & 7L Pilots for sometime now and just love them.. Great review Jimmy...
Nice and useful review. Thank you for sharing! I'm picking up the 7L version in black.
Thank you!
Hi Jimmy, it's a very thorough review. Have you ever had a chance to test the bag's water resistance in rains as you mentioned in the video?
Love the Wotancraft products. I have the 18Liter backpack & several Pilot & Trooper camera bags. Durable & reasonably priced. My personal favourite is the Wotancraft Ryker camera bag that is no longer manufactured.
I too have 4 Billingham Hadley bags of different sizes currently but have had others over the past 40 years and it’s a bag you just go back to because they just work. I have tried Think Tank, Peak etc. Ibut they didn’t cut it. I bought my first WPilot a few years ago, I now own 4 Wotancraft 7L, 10L and 2x 3.5 lit (One leather for Q3, it deserves it)I think they are brilliant bags so they desperately need a distributor in the UK to help spread the word.
As the saying goes a Billingham is for life not just Xmas.
Yes, I think so. I hope to bring more videos about their products in UK so people can see them. This is my first encounter with them and it seems to be as good as everyone says.
Its interesting how every single item you talk about is so amaaaazing. Guess there are no bad products on the market any longer. Certainly cant have anything to do with fiscal interests. Good guy.
Love your attitude about this bag and not caring about what people will say. kislux You are right keep your head up and no your priorities.
All dat kislux bags sssssoooooooo gorgeous
I'd like to see a review of the Haukland bag.
Speaking of shoulder bags. I am currently waiting for my order of Billingham 555 MKII (in sage FibreNyte) to arrive. Sadly these larger Billingham bags don't seem to get many videos of them. Any chance you'd be able to review the 555 MKII? Could help others in the future to make a purchasing decision.
I will see what I can do. I do have the originally 455 but generally bigger Billingham bags aren't on many's radar simply because they are not for typical photographers. Because of this, not many, if any, make reviews for big bags in general. I will talk to Billingham to see if they want to do something.
@@Red35Photography Thank you.
Love this bag so much but it needs to hold a 15" laptop. I cannot fathom why Wotancraft thinks a 14" laptop is enough when 15" is the standard almost everywhere. Other than that, I am very excited to see what they come up with moving forward.
13:45 is that an iPad 12.9 inch? If so, does it fit well or is it an odd tight fit?
It's very well. The padding gap is adjustable so you can make more room for the iPad if you have a thinking keyboard case fitted.
great bag, can fit even more gear than many larger backpacks (e.g. 70-200/2.8, 50/1.2, 16-35/2.8 and two Sony FF bodies), the closest thing to being the perfect bag, except:
- doesn't really fit a 14" macbook when fully loaded up (the laptop compartment flap takes up too much internal space)
- the shoulder strap isn't the best, and the alignment is more suited for hanging on one side than cross-body
- no external storage spaces (e.g. like wandrd slings)
En el momento en que vi el bolso kisluxbag , supe que tenía que tenerlo.
Would the 7L bag accommodate an E-M5ii, Oly 12-45 f4, 8-25 f4, and 40-150 f4? This is my travel kit. A Peak Design 6L sling bag is too small.
I wonder what's different in the 2024 version, I have the 10L bag currently as well.
If you got yours in 2023, I don't think there's much difference, some adjustments here and there (what I've been told).
@@Red35Photography I believe the new ones have the easy adjustable shoulder strap and they now all come with fidlock as standard, as my ones the fidlock was extra.
The 2 end pockets look like they don’t have drain holes in them ? If not they will fill with rain pretty quickly and it will stay in there being sort of waterproof . One very bad design flaw I think.
Was waiting for Matti Sulanto's review but you were first :-) Also have a Billingham but this is Pilot 10L is definitely on my list to replace my no name backpack.
Thanks Michael. I am sure his review is going to be good too so you get more information and ideas about the bag. But for me, it's really growing on me.
@@Red35Photography Hoping it will be a better fit for my EM1X as it’s a bit bulky with the 25mm F1.2 attached an too tight a squeeze for the Billingham.
Would this bag hold a Nikon z8 with an attach z 24-70 2.8; a z 70-200 2.8, and a z 14-24 2.8?
At a push. I managed to fit my Zf with a small prime attached, put it in the centre, but there's space left so it can have 24-70 attached. I also fit my 70-150mm 2.8 on one side and two more primes on the other. But I know the 70-200 2.8 is much larger than my 70-150, especially the hood and tripod collar, if you remove the collar, I think it shouldn't be a problem. And the space for the two prime lenses can definitely accommodate the 14-24. I am more wary about the size of the hoods from your lenses.
Barely. I have the Z8 and 24-70 and it fits decently if you don't have the laptop divider in. Otherwise, its a bit tall. If you put it lens down, I'd bet you could JUST squeeze the trinity in there.
Always looks easy for someone to put a hand in the top of the bag in a busy environment. Maybe it closes down tighter than it looks.
You can tighten it with the strap. I let it lose so I can open quickly and easily. I access my lenses and swap them constantly when I am working.
@@Red35Photography they do look like nice bags though
Jimmy, I’ll bet you could review your scarf in 2 minutes!😊
Does the Nikon ZF with 40mm f2 fit in any of the Wotancraft front pouches? The zipper one or the string one?
Combining elegance and luxury kislux
My friend saw me carrying a kislux and joked that I was rich. I told her that was not true, I just bought the bag I liked for very little money.
Love their bags but … AFAIK there is no UK dealer for them. Frustrating! ☹️
Hopefully soon.
I watch all your videos. My favorite is the black quilted crossbody Chanel replica. The kislux bag will be on my list. Thanks for everything. Good luck to everyone.
I feel like that flap that covers the main compartment is just short.
Doesn't look like a 10L, the size seems like a PD 13L messenger.. This is really big
If you are one of us, addicted to kislux this show, please gather here
Love wotencraft bags but very disappointed with their customer service, actually wonder if they have one. Don’t buy their leather bags though, pricy, heavy and smelly.
I know wealthy women who will buy kislux replicas. The main reason they give is that they simply understand the value of money and don't want to spend too much on a bag...especially a trendy one. They do, however, spend a lot of money on fine jewelry and other things.
Me thinks Billingham has dropped you as an “Ambassador “ recently, ? The way you’ve been slating their bags in this video. If they haven’t, they will be pretty soon. 😂
Sorry. It looks amateur. Cheap thin dividers and just a magnet to hold it closed. No thanks.
What would you recommend instead?
@@brusselssprout1 Billingham. Hadley. Small Pro.
lol Wotancraft is anything but cheap and amateur.