Has anyone used a Barbour Tarras bag?

[dickgrafixstop]

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I'm trying to replace a rather shabby billingham and stumbled across a leather

messenger bag by Barbour. (Barbour Leather Tarras Bag - Barbour By Mail Online Store). It looks similar to the Hadley (think my insert will fit) and the

leather might not get as stained as the khaki. Any experiences?

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[bill]

Dick, I have one in a hard-wearing dark khaki material which, strangely from your link doesn't seem to be listed at the moment. It appears otherwise identical. The Hadley insert does fit (mine is from a Hadley Pro). Mine has a nice document pocket inside and is otherwise suitably "low profile". I've also fitted a Billingham Shoulder Pad. My one complaint is that the strap is a bit short (I am 6'3") so I have had to unpick some of the stitching and extend its length by about 2 inches by doing so.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[JeremyS]

I have done the same thing as Bill (in fact I thought I was most original but clearly I was not). Mine is a dark brown Barbour messenger bag which really does not look like a camera bag. I then added a Billingham insert. Works really well. The strap is fine for me because it looks like the growth genes were not handed out evenly between Bill and me.

[andybarton]

I have a black version which has a leather fold-over lid and heavy-duty waxed canvas body. I use an insert from a very old bag I had years ago and it all works perfectly.

 

I use a Billingham rubberised shoulder pad as I find the canvas strap has a lot of slippage. I'm a short-arse and have no problem with the length of the strap

 

They DO look like bags that people carry cameras about in, let's not fool ourselves. I can't think why else a grown man would carry such a bag around town, but they don't scream "steal my camera" like a Billingham does. Indeed, I sold my black L2 because it looked too much like what it is.

[bill]

:D:D

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[bill]

They DO look like bags that people carry cameras about in, let's not fool ourselves. I can't think why else a grown man would carry such a bag around town, but they don't scream "steal my camera" like a Billingham does.

 

Andy, in Surrey we all carry bags like that... some of us have cameras inside, some a half-brace of pheasant, some books, or laptops, or...

 

Fair point though. I also have a couple of bags that I have bought from Gap. Neither has cost me more than £10 and they are much more "metrosexual messenger bag" than either of the options we are discussing here. Soft canvas, with a couple of front patch pockets and an interior pocket good enough for a compact, or a lens. If travelling really light/non photographic I just take one of those with a shemagh folded up in the bottom for padding and throw the camera in on top, otherwise they will all take the Billingham insert comfortably, as does my work briefcase

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[bocaburger]

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they don't scream "steal my camera" like a Billingham does. Indeed, I sold my black L2 because it looked too much like what it is.

 

No, they scream "steal my iPad" or "steal my netbook" or "steal my [anything worth carrying in a padded bag must be fairly valuable]". Fact is, even if you look convincingly like a homeless person and your bag/rucksack looks like you rescued it from the trash, there's a thief out there somewhere whose interest it's going to pique. My solution has always been to carry the bag that suits both my needs and taste, keep my wits about me as to my surroundings and be sensible about where I go and when; and maintain insurance on my stuff. That said, I bought a Barbour bag once (dark green quilted nylon with dark brn leather fittings) on clearance from an online outlet store, but I never have gotten around to buying the Hadley insert (costs more than the bag did), and the Barbour is still in the wrapper

[pico]

No, they scream "steal my iPad" or "steal my netbook" or "steal my [anything ...]". [...]

 

Can I order one big enough to contain my Mother-in-Law?

[think]

That said, I bought a Barbour bag once (dark green quilted nylon with dark brn leather fittings) on clearance from an online outlet store, but I never have gotten around to buying the Hadley insert (costs more than the bag did), and the Barbour is still in the wrapper

 

Try Domke inserts...they're inexpensive and just as functional.

[bocaburger]

Try Domke inserts...they're inexpensive and just as functional.

 

I have numerous of those, and the issue I have is that like most inserts without movable dividers, they're designed to fit lenses of a much larger diameter than my Leica lenses. That lets the lenses slop around a lot, and wastes a lot of space in the bag. I prefer velcro-in dividers which I can configure depending on what I'm packing.

[gjames9142]

To the OP: A shabby Billlingham sounds perfect for not drawing attention to your gear. My approach is not to have a camera bag at all when photographing, which is very easy with digital. Even with MF I can put my film in a camera vest.

[Pangur Ban]

I've been using a leather/wax cotton Tarras bag as a daily work bag for the past two and a half years - mostly carrying laptop, papers, umbrella, books etc. Sounds like the same one Andy has.

 

It's showing minimal signs of wear after a tough life - great value for money at about £90 new.

 

I've only intermittently used it as a camera bag but it does take my Billingham inserts well.