$23 drone backpack arrived tonight
0I went out to dinner on Sunday night and came back to find this box on my doorstep:
@garyhgaryh read a review indicating the backpack may be shipped in a soft plastic mailer. I was happy to see a sturdy cardboard box, perfectly sized for the backpack it contained:
Inside foam cutout:
First impression? This is not the highest quality pack I own, but for $23 I'm not disappointed in it.
The zippers seem very sturdy, and they're pretty chunky and they open and close very smoothly.
The straps are well padded. The biggest failure point I experience in packs, by far, is the shoulder straps. Tearing from the attachment point at the top of the pack. These don't appear to be up to carrying heavy loads, but seem very well suited for their designed purpose. Carrying ten or twelve pounds of drone, controller, camera, batteries, etc. I wouldn't expect to pack too much more than about a dozen pounds into this thing, but that's ok since the foam cutouts sort of limit you to the business at hand anyway.
By the way, the straps are sized for an average adult. I'm six fee tall and about 150 pounds of slim to average build. It fits me easily and comfortably, with plenty of (adjustable) strap length to spare. If you're on the larger size or particularly athletic, it might be a snug fit. But there's also a carry handle on top if you're just looking for a carry bag and not as much for the backpack capabilities. As a formerly heavy (335 pounds) guy I was well accustomed to snug fitting backpacks, and doubt this would have fit me back then, so the "one shoulder" technique was my go-to pack carry method. And this would be suitable for that.
In addition to the main compartment, there's also a pouch on the left side with a velcro closing flap, about the right size to fit a couple batteries or a GoPro. On the right side is a net pouch that would probably accommodate some spare props or maybe a bottle of water and a snack. There is also a zippered compartment on the front that would fit a battery or two, user's guides, wallet and keys, etc.
As far as fitment of my various drones... it was clearly designed for a P1/P2 platform, and fits my P1 like a glove. It also fits my Walkera QR X350 Pro equally well, but this fitment requires removal of the landing gear (easily accomplished due to the thumb-screw mounting hardware). The Cheerson CX-20 / Quanum Nova are a bit snug, and also require removal of the landing gear. Minor modification to the foam insert would permit stowing these two with gear attached (modifying the foam would not help with the QR X350 Pro; the landing gear must be removed). The P3 also seems to be a good fit, though the landing gear are just a little wide and (like the CX-20/Nova) would benefit by trimming the foam a little. In all cases, it seems to provide sufficient room for leaving camera/gimbal attached to the drone.
Overall, I'd say it was a fair purchase at $23.
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@ruouttaurmind Do you think this will work on a phantom with aftermarket legs? Is it still on sale? Your packaging of the backpack is A1!
@garyhgaryh If the aftermarket legs are wider than the stock Phantom legs, it likely won't fit without removing the legs. Same problem I have with the Walkera QR X350 Pro. Legs are wider and a bit taller than the cutout permits. A minor inconvenience I guess.
@garyhgaryh I just checked... the price is up to $29 now. Still not a bad deal considering it's shipping from US warehouse. I had mine in about three days.