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Yang Dong - 35 Rucksack Experience

09.11.2022

 
Recently, we were lucky enough to speak to Yang Dong about his extensive photography of the Great Wall of China and were impressed by his dedication to his craft. We decided to send him our 35 Rucksack to get his views on the bag and how it might work for him on his travels as a photographer.
The interview below was originally written in Chinese and has been translated to English.

 

Yang Dong with Billingham 35 Rucksack Navy Chocolate

Yang Dong with his 35 Rucksack. Photo by Yang Dong


Hi! I am Yang Dong, a photographer who takes pictures of the Great Wall. I spend one third of my days on the Great Wall every year. I have been taking pictures of the Great Wall for seven years, taking more than 500,000 photos and 40TB videos, covering a distance of more than 100,000 kilometers from the eastern end of the Great Wall in Dandong Hushan, Liaoning province to the western Border of Xinjiang. Covering more than a dozen provinces and cities I have recorded images of the Great Wall of Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Song, Jin and Ming dynasties.


Some time ago, I happened to see Billingham's 35 Rucksack classic backpack launched in a new color -- navy blue. Because I like blue, I immediately wanted this bag. The 35 Rucksack is available in a variety of other colors such as Sage, Khaki and Black.


Billingham is a British brand, and all bags and accessories are made at their Cradley Heath factory in the West Midlands. The bag features a waterproof canvas body, plenty of vegetable tanned leather and brass buckles. Each hide of leather, piece of hardware and every detail of the material is carefully selected. Then through a combination of machine cutting production and hand sewing the bags are completed. They ship their bags from the UK and the moment I received it, I thought the bag was a work of art! So I couldn't wait to take it to the Great Wall for a walk.


 

Yang Dong with Billingham 35 Rucksack

Photo by Yang Dong

 


Appearance


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong


 

The appearance of this bag is very good! The retro classic shape is very fashionable, and at a glance left me feeling enchanted.


The front of the bag adopts a classic British design, elegant in style. Canvas fabric and top grain leather material create a lightweight super practical backpack.


More than 90% of the backpacks on the market are not waterproof. This bag has three layers of carefully made waterproof fabric, which is not only durable, but also extremely waterproof. As long as the fabric is not damaged, it is waterproof for life.


 

Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong


 

The front pocket is brilliant. Not only elegant, but also very practical. It can be used to store some small items, as well as a mirrorless camera, flash and water cups etc.

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack Navy Chocolate with Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The side of the bag is simple, fashionable, clean and neat. 

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

 Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The back adopts the same material design and is equipped with ergonomic shoulder straps to enhance the comfort on the shoulder. It feels comfortable to use, cares for the shoulders, is durable and thoughtful in design.

 

 

Padded Inserts


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The Padded Insert of this bag is brown and is made of high-quality fabric and foam. It is elegant in appearance and careful in workmanship, with excellent scratch resistance and wear resistance protection.


 

Billingham 35 Rucksack Padded Insert

 Photo by Yang Dong

 


The padded insert has dividers, which can fully protect the equipment in the bag. There is no need to worry about grinding and scratching the surface of the camera and lens during walking and shooting. 


 

Inside Billingham 35 Rucksack

 Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

When you don't need to carry your device, you can remove the padded Insert and turn it into a stylish casual bag for you to use on the road, which is the biggest highlight of this backpack.

 

 

Capacity introduction and daily carrying equipment display


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

 Photo by Yang Dong


 

35 Rucksack is of a reasonable size and capacity. You can put your SLR camera and three lenses in the Padded Insert.

 


Inside Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The inside upper pocket can hold a rangefinder, tablet computer, books, magazines etc.

 

 

Inside Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

 Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

A MacBook Pro 14-inch laptop can be placed behind the padded Insert*.

 

* This part is not protected by additional padding and may be damaged by external forces when the laptop is placed there. Also the press-studs on the back wall of the bag and the back of the padded insert will rub against the laptop in this position.

 

 

Billingham 35 Rucksack with cameras by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

Equipment in the bag for this trip:

Canon 5D4, 24mm lens, 16-35mm lens, 24-70mm lens, Fujifilm X100T, top flash, Gopro, Huawei P50 Pocket mobile phone, MacBook Pro 14-inch, water cup, etc.

 

 

Favourite details


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The shoulder straps are made of spacer fabric, which is breathable and comfortable on the body. The shoulder strap links are carefully and solidly stitched. 

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack Zip Detail by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The built-in zipper has an anti-theft appearance. The double zipper works smoothly and unimpeded. The golden zip is made of metal, and the Billingham logo is beautifully carved to highlight the noble status symbol!

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The brass buckle at the connection between the shoulder strap and the bottom of the bag, is not only beautiful, but also more solid and safe, and can better cope with bad weather as brass does not rust.

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

Comfortable shoulder straps that are breathable. 35 Rucksack comes with ergonomic shoulder straps and the shoulder sling is extra strong and made of shuttle-woven spun polyester, with an adjustable copper ring to adjust the length of the shoulder straps at will.

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The bottom of the bag is made of thickened fabric and high-quality leather to enhance the shockproof and waterproof performance. Each corner is rounded, and smooth. This design is really amazing.

 


Recommended reasons


Billingham 35 Rucksack with Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

As one of the world's top grade photo bags-35 Rucksack, size range of 310 x 200 x 380mm, weight 1.17kg, it is my choice of equipment for the Great Wall photo trip.

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack by Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

This camera bag not only looks great, but also has a great capacity for equipment.

 


Billingham 35 Rucksack with Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

Take it to make photography easier and more fun.

 

 

Billingham 35 Rucksack with Yang Dong

Photo by Yang Dong

 

 

The shoulders are also designed to lighten your load, with high-end fabrics and you don't need to worry about fraying your cotton clothes during long walks.



My feelings of the bag

 

For photographers, the first thing we need is a good photo bag. The most important thing about a camera bag is its protective performance, and the comfort of carrying it.

 

Billingham 35 Rucksack is a typical good-looking backpack. It can be used for photography, leisure, work, travel, and for me it is very convenient. It doesn't seem very big, but it can hold a lot of things. Using a backpack feels much more relaxed than a shoulder bag and is just as comfortable as wearing clothes. Soft padded insert plays a good role in protecting valuable equipment. The exquisite materials feel very good! High-quality leather and metal ring buckle make the bag look better and more memorable. The British retro design is very versatile and both men and women can use it. How could such a bag not make you feel good?

 

35 Rucksack is my favorite photography backpack by far!

 

 

Where can we reach you?

Weibo: @杨东长城摄影师
Douyin, Toutiao, Kuaishou, Tubug, 500px: @长城摄影师杨东

 

 

The bag featured in this article:

35 Rucksack for Cameras - Navy Canvas / Chocolate Leather

35 Rucksack

 

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