Ona Union Street review

Ona Union Street at a glance:

Made from canvas and Italian leather
Stylish and understated design
Fits a DSLR kit with lenses and flash
Room for a 15in laptop
Price: £270
Website: www.onabags.com

Formed in 2010, manufacturer Ona hasn’t been around very long, and it is only in the past year that we have seen its upmarket range of bags rising to mainstream popularity.

The Union Street is a very stylish messenger bag that comes in a choice of smoke grey, ranger tan and black colours. A more expensive all-leather version is also available. The bag is intended to take a DSLR kit or compact system camera kit along with a 15in laptop, accessories and small personal items. I was able to fit a 15in Apple MacBook Pro, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II with EF 85mm f/1.2L USM lens attached, a EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM lens, a compact camera and a flashgun. In addition, chargers, memory cards, batteries and cables can be stored in the zip-up front compartment.

The bag is hand-crafted from premium waxed canvas, with the details constructed from a combination of Italian leather and brass, while the strap is a soft and very strong material similar to that of a car seatbelt.

Ona Union Street – key features

Adjustable straps

On either side of the bag are two straps that can be tightened or loosened to increase or decrease the size of the bag.

Rainflaps

Around the sides of the bag are extra pieces of material intended to help prevent the ingress of water when it rains.

Document pouch

On the rear is a flap that fastens with a small magnet. This is useful for carrying paper documents such as passports and tickets.

Ona Union Street – verdict

Fresh out of the packet, the black version of the Union Street doesn’t look very exciting. It’s only once the bag has been worn in that it starts to look like the premium item it really is. The materials used to construct the bag are absolutely superb. The padding to protect the camera is very thick and will offer more protection than the vast majority of messenger bags that are currently available. You can also flatten its dividers for those occasions when you’re not using it to carry cameras, allowing the bag to double as a perfect day-to-day bag, which is a real bonus.

SCORE: 5 out of 5

You may also wish to consider:

Billingham Hadley Large

Price: £150

Website: www.billingham.co.uk

Boasting a range of sizes and a good choice of colours and finishes, the Billingham Hadley series offers a bag to suit most photographers, including this Large option.

Domke F6

Price: £110

Website: www.domkebags.co.uk

Domke is well known for its rugged, practical, hard-wearing bags, and its F6 boasts a water-resistant canvas exterior and enough space for a DSLR body, two lenses and flashguns.