DJI Hardshell backpack vs Lowepro Droneguard

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I really wanted to get the right pack for my use so I bought the DJI Phantom hardshell that just came out from DJI and the Lowepro Droneguard pack. Ultimately, I expected to like the Lowepro more.

I was disappointed in Lowepro on this one. I really expected to fall in love with this bag but it just didn't happen.

The Lowepro bag is quite a bit bigger and heavier than the DJI. The back padding looks really nice and so do the straps but I found the backpack to not be all the comfortable. For some reason, Lowepro built it with a very straight back, no contours in the outside padding, so it literally feels like you have a stiff board strapped to your back with a little padding in between. Terrible for comfort. The DJI brand pack beats this pack out in comfort all around. The DJI, while not the most comfortable pack I've tried, was way more comfortable than the Lowepro. The straps just hug the shoulders well and maybe because it's shorter, it doesn't hurt the lower back like the Lowepro.

The inside of the Lowepro bag is better designed than the DJI in certain ways. They both use the soft inserts to divide up the equipment but Lowepro includes the two zip top carriers that provide more protection and frankly just look better. I found that the drone (when the pack is fully loaded) fits more tightly in the Lowepro just because of how they have it setup with the two zipper pouches. When pulling it out, it pulled out the soft sides around it. Both bags really require you buy motor guards given the fragile clips near the motors, if bent, could certainly cause a crash as they keep your rotors on the vehicle. The Lowepro gives your drone more room over the top of the motors but you still see the motors getting stuck on the sides of the padding that forms around it, as you pull it out, and this is ultimately what could damage those clips. Putting the drone in upside down, as some have suggested, is just as scary in both bags, if you don't have the motor covers. The DJI bag top rests on those motors slightly (but the clips are at the bottom of them) so I don't see the clip damage being reduced by this design. The Lowepro has room above the motors so the risk of damage is really in removing and replacing the drone. Get covers either way.

Very disappointed that neither bag has a place to store a laptop, only a tablet. I didn't like that the tablet storage pocket in the Lowepro was so thin and offered little protection to my iPad. It's a tight fit just getting my 9.7 inch iPad in there with a very thin case on it and it puts some pressure on it's screen or back when fully loaded up... the DGI actually stores the iPad in the back, much like many other bags. Much better protection for the tablet on the DJI.

I put the following in both bags: Phantom 4, controller harness neckstrap, four prop guards, 8 props, controller, 4 batteries, charger, USB cables, lens wipes, extra cards, log book, laser pointer and a small set of binoculars.

The extra space I thought I would have in this bag, well, it turned out to be fairly minor. By the time I loaded up everything from my DJI bag into the Lowepro, there wasn't much space left for anything of consequence. The top pocket is very shallow so once loaded, it's only a couple of inches deep. The picture of it having a DSLR, you're only fitting that in there by leaving half your drone equipment behind. More likely space for your keys, wallet, and a phone. The only space that was possibly useful is that directly on top of the drone itself. There is an inch or two above it, between the drone and the back, where you could possibly lay a laptop, though it's going to shift all over. You might use this space to stuff a thin jacket or paperwork, things that won't damage the drone. For my uses, not a great use of the space.

To sum it up, both bags are well-made with good features. For me, at $250, the Lowepro is a disappointment. The comfort thing is unforgivable.

I included a few shots of the two packs for anyone who wants to see them side by side. I should take some with them fully loaded. While the DJI is a tighter fit for my gear, it all fits, it's more comfortable and I don't feel the Lowepro offers much more protection for the drone. Also, I am sure the Lowepro will not fit in the overhead of the smaller planes I sometimes take into Mexico. The DJI will fit for sure. Planes with two rows of three seats should be fine with using th Lowepro though.


 
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I was so close to buying both these bags at one point. The DJI bag looks like a ninja turtle backpack, and ultimately I didn't like the way it looked.

The Droneguard good, but big. So I ended up vetoing it for that reason.

Got the Polar Pro Drone Trekker. it seems to be a good balance. 'looks' like a backpack, big but not too big. happens to just barely fit my macbook pro 15", so I got one. Good bag.
 
I have just bought the dji backpack for the phantom 4. I rejected one at the shop as one of the screws holding the front hard part of the shell had shaped off. When I got the replacement home and took off the protective cover on the hard shell found that to be cracked. I am just very unlucky or is there a problem with these backpacks.
 

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