BILLINGHAM 445 MKII - SAGE FIBRENYTE/ CHOCOLATE

Billingham 445 MKII Camera & Laptop Bag – Sage FibreNyte / Chocolate Leather

• 3-layer waterproof fabric
• Real, top-grain, organic, vegetable tanned cowhide
• Solid brass fixings
• Individual serial number featured on each bag to track quality and ensure authenticity
• 5-year manufacturers guarantee
• Handmade at factory in England, this bag offers the quality you'd expect from Billingham

An updated version of Billingham’s classic 445 bag and the second-from-largest in their 5-Series MKII range. A large camera bag that is perfect to carry 2 DSLR or full-frame mirrorless cameras with small to medium lenses attached or 1 camera with a selection of lenses. This camera bag has a total of 10 pockets, including a full length front pocket that can hold a 16” MacBook, tablet or accessories. Made in England with 3-layer waterproof fabric and real leather.

Multiple Layout Options Inside

As one of Billingham’s largest camera bags (only the 555 MKII and 550 are bigger), and with several dividers included that can be repositioned or removed, the 445 MKII has numerous options for laying out your equipment.

Main Compartment And Tuktop Feature

To protect your valuable equipment, we have included padding on all four sides of the main compartment, as well as supplying a deeply padded basepad. The front and back walls each have two strips of Velcro® so that you can attach the padded dividers mentioned previously. Behind the fabric covered padded walls at the front and back is a slim space, consisting of 2 pockets each (4 in total). Ideal for manuals, lens filters, etc.

The zips can also be tucked into this space to keep them out of your way while you use the bag. Billingham call this the ‘TukTop’ feature. You can still store slim gear in the 4 slim pockets while using the TukTop feature. All the features mentioned here are improvements over some previous versions of the bag, adding convenience as well as protection for your equipment.

Front Dump Pockets

On the front face of the bag are two generously sized dump pockets. These are perfect for film rolls, cables, batteries, memory cards etc - helping you keep your bag organised whilst allowing speedy access when you need it most. To further assist in organisation, adjacent to each dump pocket is a small pocket to store pens.

The secondary flap shown protects these front pockets from dust, weather and unwanted fingers. The flap closes with its own dedicated leather ‘Quick Release Straps’ – just lift them up-and-off the brass clogball to access the pockets.

Full Length Front Pocket

The 445 MKII has a full-length front zip pocket with enough space for a 16” MacBook Pro or similar sized laptop in a slim slipcase. Within the full-length front zip pocket, you'll find two padded pockets, ideally suited for small lenses, compact flashes, or lavalier microphones.

Rear Zip Pocket

On the back of the bag is a zipped pocket, for securely storing maps, tickets, and other essentials.
A new addition to the MKII version is the luggage trolley retainer strap, designed to conveniently slide over the handle of a trolley suitcase, a major convenience during travel.

Brass Feet

Each bag in Billingham’s '5 Series MKII' lineup (225 MKII, 335 MKII, 445 MKII, and 555 MKII) is equipped with durable brass feet, securely mounted on robust leather corner patches. This design not only protects the bag's corners from wear but also extends the overall longevity of the product.

While we are discussing the other '5 Series MKII’ bags – they are all identical to each other in design, varying only in size and the number of dividers included. The 225 MKII is the smallest and 555 MKII is the biggest.

Leather Grab Handle

For comfort while carrying, the 445 MKII features a leather grab handle that wraps around its strong webbing carry straps.

Additionally, the bag includes an extra internal webbing strap sewn in at the back under the top flap. Used in conjunction with the front handle, to which the grab handle is attached, this feature enables safe carrying of the bag even when it's open.

Delta Sling And Optional Delta Pockets

The shoulder sling of the 445 MKII is made of strong shuttle-woven polyester with a brass fixing to allow you to adjust the length to suit your height and shooting style.

Where the sling attaches to the bag, it splits into an inverted 'Y' shape at each end. This distinctive split design enhances weight distribution, ensuring the bag remains stable and level, even when carrying heavy loads. Additionally, the lower ends of this split sling act as attachment points where optional Delta Pockets can be clipped on, offering added space and organization as needed. 

Quick Release Straps (And How To Attach A Tripod)

The Quick Release System to open the top flap has been adapted so that the top grain leather straps pass through solid brass ‘D’ rings at the end of the webbing carry handles. The bag was designed this way to provide fast, secure closure even when the bag is heavily loaded – the strong webbing and brass D-rings carry the weight.

At the bottom of the bag (front and back) are fixings for optional Tripod Straps. Additionally, some people just thread tripods through the webbing of the top handle of the bag (what will work for you depends on the design of your tripod).

Comparison To Original 445

Compared to the most recent version of the 445, the 445 MKII offers several upgrades:

• A luggage trolley strap on the back, the old version did not have this.
• A V-Bridge 15, useful for lens support in certain configurations, is now included inside the bag. Previously it was only sold separately.
• Furthermore, it retains improvements that were gradually added to the 445 (and its predecessors) over the years such as the SuperFlex divider system, two strips of Velcro on the front and back of the main compartment to more securely attach dividers, a StormBlock butyl rubber lining for improved waterproofing, the 'TukTop' feature to tuck the zips of the main compartment out of the way during use and a significantly more robust 'closed-cell' foam padding.

What Does It Fit?

• 16inch MacBook Pro (or smaller device) in front full-length pocket (you may wish to add a slim case for protection).
• DSLR with a lens attached (e.g. Canon 1DX, Nikon D5, Canon 6D, Nikon D810) plus 2-6 lenses depending on their size. Tall enough for a 70-200mm (possibly while attached to camera depending on size).
• Mirrorless camera with lens attached (e.g. Fujifilm X-Pro3, Sony A7IV, Canon R5, Nikon Z6 - with or without a battery grip) plus 2-6 lenses depending on their size.
• Two or three rangefinder cameras with lenses attached plus spare lenses.
• Medium format cameras (Fujifilm GFX 100, Hasselblad H6D, Hasselblad 500CM etc) with extra lenses.
• Some large format cameras that can be folded relatively flat.