Posted on April 10 2016
So, you've got your new Drone, your ready to go trekking to take some awesome videos, however one thing is missing....?
You need a Backback to protect it right?......
Well after many days/hours of research and kind advice from other users, we've made our choice from what we feel are 2 of the best in the market currently, and have just purchased the Lowepro Droneguard CS400 over the Manfrotto D1.
Now, we must stress our review doesn't mean that the Lowepro is better than the Manfrotto, as it really comes down to your own specific requirements. It just so happened that for our specifics the Lowepro worked best for us.
Our requirements are (a) Lightweight (b) Able to work as a bag as well as backpack (c) Easy to put into the boot of the car/van (d) Well made with good protection.
We believe the biggest thing that swayed it from the D1 to the CS400 was its ability to be able to remove the shoulder straps (nice work Lowepro)
First impressions are that its really well made and what you'd expect from a company such as Lowepro.
It seems that the guys have some experience with Drones and have designed a product that should go down in our opinion very well as a viable option.
What drew our attention to this particular model is that it not only fits a "specific model" but a pretty wide selection that can be adapted within the case configurations. Including the full DJI Phantom range (1, 2, 3 and 4.... yes it does fit the 4 and was one of the reasons we got our hands on one) but also the 3DR, Parrot and FPV racers.
It looks like this is going to be able to accommodate a fair bit of accessories that will come in handy when transporting.
Seems solid enough (we don't advise standing on it though!) to offer good overall protection. Lowepro call this material 'Formshell' which is like some kind of lightweight composite material.
We wouldn't recommend taking this as 'checked baggage' when travelling interstate, however we feel it should be fine to take and put in the overheads on a plane within Australia.
So after unzipping which seems pretty robust, on one side there are basically 2 removable pouches (1 with a zipper and 2 internal separators) which can be utilised to house your controller and batteries (plus a little more space for some tools etc). The middle section is where you customise to your specific drone, so a snug fit is easily done.
On the other side is a folder type pouch that can house a "small tablet" and then space for "props" (which it can hold a lot of these). This pouch like all the others can be removed as they utilise Velcro type pieces to secure.
Lots of prop storage, as well as pouch for small tablet.
Controller or battery storage areas.
Controller or battery storage areas.
Shoulder straps that can be removed (did we say we loved this feature).
Strong zippers.
Internal close up of construction.
So to conclude our initial thoughts, this looks like one of the current best options when protecting your flying machine in the form of a Backpack.
Should you travel regularly and overseas, a hard shell case (Like our Nanuk cases we have on offer in store) would be the best option for "checked baggage".
We will add a second part to this review once we get our DJI Phantom 4 unboxed and loaded in.
Hope you enjoy this review and lets be clear here, we have no affiliation with Lowepro and purchased this with our own hard cash.
Safe Flying from the Drone Addiction Team.