Billingham 'Alice' bag - really rainproof?

[erl]

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Can anyone offer real experince info on the waterproofness of Billingham bags? I have several but living in the land of drought I have never seriously tested their waterproofness. I am about to travel into a potentially wet region (Antarctica) and am wondering about how much to trust the bag unaided. I have a Pelican that the Billingham fits into but my intention is to use the cameras, not lock them away. Carrying in the unprotected Billingham will be a reality at times.

 

Any advice or knowledge appreciated.

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[dpattinson]

My Hadley Small and Hadley Pro have dealt with drenching London rain just fine.

 

The Alice seems to have a slightly different flap design, but the material itself is very waterproof. If you have any doubts, you can buy a plastic coated dry bag from any outdoor shop and use it as an additional liner. If the Alice uses a press-stud to secure the insert, you might need to cut a hole in the bag to allow it to secure properly. A reasonably long 'neck' on the liner bag can act to prevent snow from settling inside the bag when you have it open which might be useful in your case.

 

Of course, you need to be careful about humidity if you close the liner. I don't have direct experience of the conditions, so I'm not sure what the best trade-off would be in that regard. You could use the liner bag, if it's not perforated, to prevent condensation when going inside by just sealing it as they are quite airtight when properly rolled down and sealed.

[redbaron]

Erl, the canvas fabric is very waterproof, but I would second the advice about the liner bags. Get the Sea to Summit evac ones that allow air to escape as you roll the top down. Otherwise you end up with balloons in your bag. Another option is the Lowepro Dryzone Rover. Vanbar have them and they're a totally water-proof back-pack.

[erl]

David & Redbaon, thanks for the responses. They are basically what I wanted to know. I will act on the plastc bag liner and I already have the Pelcan case with a large silica gel module to handle the condensation prior to returning to the ship. I think I will about as well prepared as possible by Sunday, my departure time. Thanks for the assistance.

[dpattinson]

Actually, the bag I'd personally use is an Ortlieb Aqua Cam:

 

ORTLIEB GmbH - welcome outdoors

 

With the accessory chest harness, which allows you to mount the bag on your chest and leaves both arms free. It's totally waterproof, you can fall into water and the bag will help you float

 

I used one to take my M7 and lenses sea-kayaking in New Zealand, no water got in

 

I removed the insert dividers from mine and pulled some out of a small lowe-pro bag as the provided ones didn't quite fit my gear.

 

I bought mine in Melbourne, I think at Paddy Pallin or possibly Bogong in Little Bourke St.

[erl]

Thanks David. I'll check in those places tomorrow. The clock is ticking!

[bill]

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+1 for Billingham. I have been drenched but my gear has stayed dry.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[mby]

So far, my Alice withstood all South East Asian Monsoon rains without a hitch, I can highly recommend it!

 

Best regards,

Michael

[erl]

You are all very encouraging. Thank you. Actually, I believed, without knowing, that the Billingham would be OK, but typically I have been having last minute worries about what I am doing. Come Sunday I will be on a roll. Yay!

[Chuck Albertson]

I use a Billingham Hadley in Seattle winters. Between the flap design and the material, it has always kept my gear dry.

 

I've never heard of Antarctica being considered a "wet" climate, though. A buddy of mine was on a field trip there once, left his tent door unzipped one afternoon, and returned to find his sleeping bag choked with powder snow that had blown in. He dumped out the snow, unzipped the bag, and spread it out on top of the tent---any residual snow cooked off in a matter of minutes, and the fabric of the bag didn't even get damp.

[rob_x2004]

If you are really worried about transfers, go down to woolies and buy a few assorted Systema. At least they could fish em out with a net if the worst happened and you fall between the zodiac and the hull and your billingham gets split open:rolleyes:.

[erl]

If you are really worried about transfers, go down to woolies and buy a few assorted Systema. At least they could fish em out with a net if the worst happened and you fall between the zodiac and the hull and your billingham gets split open:rolleyes:.

 

Trust me Rob, if I fall like that (a habit of mine actually, usually while shooting) the camera will land safely in the zodiac while I go for the big splash!

[erl]

I use a Billingham Hadley in Seattle winters. Between the flap design and the material, it has always kept my gear dry.

 

I've never heard of Antarctica being considered a "wet" climate, though. A buddy of mine was on a field trip there once, left his tent door unzipped one afternoon, and returned to find his sleeping bag choked with powder snow that had blown in. He dumped out the snow, unzipped the bag, and spread it out on top of the tent---any residual snow cooked off in a matter of minutes, and the fabric of the bag didn't even get damp.

Thanks Chuck. You are right, it is a dry area (not wrt to alcohol though ). However, I will be traveling to The Faulklands, South Georgia and multiple other destinations en route and they can be wet as in rain. I am not sure, but I think rain is also a possibility in Antarctica as well. Anyway, I am now well prepared.

 

Thaks everyone for advice and encouragement.

[Doc Henry]

Erl,

I have 3 Billingham pro

Several times, I was in the rain with the bags.The bag parried raincoat but if we stay for a long time outside the cloth begins being wet.

It is better to envelop in that case with a plastic bag if they stay for a long time outside in the rain.

I have another backpack LowePro Flipside 400W where a plastic bag is delivered with this backpack to envelop it in case of big rain

Happy New Year and have a good trip

Regards

Henry

[erl]

Thanks for the extra info Henry. I have a small Lowe pro for my XPan. That has a raincoat built in. I will consider the plastic bag for the Billingham, but we are discouraged from taking plastic bags to the Antarctic for environmental reasons.

[LuxBob]

Not just rain-proof - snow proof, ice proof, sun proof , bullet proof - haven't tried that and not going to. Swing it round your head and charge a bunch of mad mallarkeys. Look as cool as George Clooney. It is the bag equivalent of the Swiss Army knife. Not convinced by their shoulder pads though but useful back up as shoe leather if trekking anywhere remote. Not bad for carrying cameras and euipment too.

[vertekijker]

I bought their bag that is made from FibreNyte, a very durable material - I wanted the canvas bag, but they only had the one in this synthetic material at the time. I was a bit worried that it would look very 'plasticy', but was pleased to see that it looks exactly like their canvas bags. This is what they write about this material on their website:

 

'FibreNyte

At Billingham, we are always looking for better ways of doing the things we do by improving our materials and processes.Many of our products have been subject to change over time as suppliers have found better ways of doing the things they do.

 

 

Our customers demand tougher bags that are also lighter - New and exclusive to Billingham; FibreNyte is recommended to Professional Photographers who need a tough, hard wearing fabric for extreme conditions.

 

 

The material is purely synthetic, it has excellent abrasion resistance while remaining supple.We've found a solution that is softer than other man made fabric.

 

 

FibreNyte is a high performance, super durable fabric which is bonded to a polyester lining using Billingham StormBlock butyl rubber and weighs 10% less than our traditional canvas.

 

 

FibreNyte is more colourfast because the dyes can be bonded to the material more easily. The black stays black and the Khaki stays Khaki.

 

 

Offering every benefit of our Traditional Canvas, with advancements suited to modern life and ways of working – FibreNyte.'

 

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Frans