Drone owners are often met with the conundrum of transporting their drones safely from one place to another. One cannot carry a drone in one’s bare hands which is where drone bags, backpacks, and cases come into the picture. The smaller drones available on the market can be comfortably accommodated in a bigger pocket or even a water bottle pouch. However, one still needs a bag to carry a drone even if there is a need to place drone accessories.
If you own a drone, you must have been overwhelmed with the urge not to spend money on purchasing a protective cover for your low-cost drone. Having said that, it is always advisable to be ready to save some money up to one’s sleeves for nice protective drone bags. There are several drone bags, backpacks, and cases that have hit the shelves in recent times.
Things to take into account while purchasing drone bags
It can be quite a hassle to get your hands on drone bags that suits your needs. A rugged case for your drone is a must when transporting it from one place to another. A bag with a basic feature is enough to let me move out from my house into the neighborhood while my backpack enables me to go for a hike with my beloved gadget.
Build quality, size and organization are some of the major aspects that need to be taken into account as one would want a drone bag that fits all your gear. Moreover, the carrying techniques offered in a drone bag, case, and backpack are also vital as all straps are not of the same quality. Resistance to moisture and even the ability of a bag to be completely waterproof are other crucial factors that need to be taken into consideration since a drone’s controller along with its accessories must be kept as dry as possible.
Manfrotto Medium Gear Backpack
As of this day, smaller-sized drones are pretty much in vogue. This fact clicked in our minds since most of the bags in our list have been developed to accommodate larger-sized quadcopters such as the DJI Phantom series drones. The Manfrotto Medium Gear Backpack seems to be a quite decent choice when it comes to holding a smaller drone along with a few electronic devices such as a camera. It is a formidable backpack that caters to style as well as portability.
The Manfrotto Medium Gear Backpack costs between $50 to $90. We gave away this magnificent drone backpack in March 2018 in our drone giveaway. Hey! You lost an opportunity to get your hands on a Fat Shark 101 trainer and this backpack!
Lykus drone bags and cases
We got to know Lykus at InterDrone 2018 as they displayed a wide array of bags and cases and they got us amazed! The Lykus M1 backpack for DJI Mavic 2 series and DJI Mavic Pro drones was quite impressive. This is a solid backpack that can keep your drone safe and has been designed in an intricate manner. It is well organized and offers remarkable storage options for drone pilots. It can easily house lots of accessories as well.
You can get your hands on the Lykus M1 backpack for $60 here!
Manfrotto MB BP-D1 backpack
If you haven’t heard of it yet, Manfrotto is one of the market leaders in manufacturing mid to high-end camera gear. All the major media outlets out there use at least one Manfrotto camera tripod or another. This persistence in quality is translated seamlessly in their bags and backpacks models. As a matter of fact, even the DJI’s official store offers Manfrotto drone bags for sale.
The Manfrotto MB BP-D1 backpack is one of their best out there as the attention to detail in its design and compatibility for cameras is quite incredible. I can understand that not many amongst the readers would be fascinated by the idea of carrying a camera drone and DSLR camera, but that is how I capture video reviews for my audience and the Manfrotto MB BP-D1 backpack is my perfect opinion.
It is a sturdy padded backpack, offers enhanced protection and adjustable but molded segments for the DJI Phantom drones along with separate sections for accessories. Right at the top of the Manfrotto MB BP-D1 backpack, resides a separate portion for the DSLR camera. Of course, you can use the pocket at the top to hold your controller. You can even haul your laptop and tablet in this amazing drone backpack.
As far as the price is concerned, the Manfrotto MB BP-D1 backpack lies at the higher end of the spectrum as it costs around $120 at Amazon.
Lowepro DroneGuard and QuadGuard
Lowepro makes bags predominantly for cameras but that is a victory for us as well since most of them are capable to hold our beloved drones. Get the DJI Mavic drone folded up, push it into the camera or lens compartment, and there you go! This goes without saying that Lowepro also designs bags specifically for drones as well. I don’t have a particular bag in mind at the moment but have a look at their Lowepeo DronGuard series and Lowepro Quadguard series of bags for greater options.
GPC (Go Professional Cases)
Go Professional Cases are waterproof and offer a military-grade outer shell that is lined up with meticulously carved out foam to ensure that your drone fits snugly into the drone case. These cases offer compatibility for numerous devices especially professional drones. We were introduced to them at the 2017 InterDrone convention and they had a lot of amazing stuff to offer which definitely caught everyone’s eye.
Have a look at the GPC Mavic Pro case which costs around $119.
Pelican 1650- Drone Bags
Pelican excels in developing top-quality hard cases. It offers a huge range of models, sizes, and features but we are going to discuss a simplistic variant. The Pelican 1650 is 28 x 17 inches from the inside with a depth of about 11 inches.
By purchasing a generic variant such as the Pelican 1650, you can take the foam out of the case and convert it into any layout of your choice. You won’t be left stranded with a single option. You become the master here! Convert the layout as and when you desire!
The Pelican 1650 is perhaps their most reliable option and since the price is very much related to quality so the wheeled Pelican 1650 costs around $290 on Amazon. However, we would strongly urge you to do your research before latching onto this expensive option.
And now we bring to you the bonus list of drone bags, cases, and backpacks:
- Monoprice hard cases
- DJI Phantom 4 official backpack
- DJI Mavic Pro shoulder bag
- DJI Inspire 2 official carry case
- Yuneec Typhoon 4K backpack
The fact of the matter is that there are tons of decent-quality bags, cases, and backpacks for drones available on the market. These bags are good enough to keep your drone safe during your travels. In addition to the safety of your drone, a good bag offers convenience, ensures that your accessories are kept organized, and offers the much-needed style as well. Having said that, I would advise you to take your time while opting for a suitable bag.
I have a collection of six backpacks, three simple ones, and a couple of hard cases. I keep on shifting from one to another. However, even if I want, I cannot rely on any one of them. Most of my backpacks can carry a laptop which is quite a handful but not beneficial when I am carrying a drone. The point that I am trying to make here is that if you do not make a judicious choice, you will end up getting more and more bags and they won’t be able to solve all your problems.
Share with us the drone bags, backpacks, and cases that you use to transport and store your drones in the comments section.