I think I might have found the perfect mini quadcopter case and carrying solution… and it’s a bag! After months of carrying at least 4 different packages every time I was going to fly, now I just carry this one big bag. In it I fit 2 FPV mini quads, FPV goggles, transmitter and all the tools I need.
In essence, this quadcopter case is actually a large tool bag. This is a pretty large bag with an opening at the top that opens really wide. There is a center divider that goes lengthwise. The bag also has more compartment and pockets than one could shake a tallywacker at. The best part is that although it’s a bag, it’s all stiff construction — almost like a hard case, but not quite. This prevents the bag from losing its shape and getting crushed. This means, your mini quads are pretty well protected without the need for a hardcase with ton of foam.
Now of course, this is a day bag. It would not be the ideal bag for checking in when going on a flight. It will not protect your gear enough for something like air travel. For a situation like that an actual drone case would be needed – Much like the commercial quadcopter cases you can buy for the DJI Inspire. However, for day to day use with mini quads this bag is absolutely perfect.
Now christened “The Mini Quad Bag,” this awesome tool bag has two cool secrets on either side. It has these two zippered pockets in which two plastic bin organizers fit. They are in there pretty tight, but they fit. These little plastic organizer bins are great to hold your extra props. They will fit both 5” or 6” inch props. Sorry, it doesn’t look like they fit 7” props though. I love having two — one on either side. What I do is I put my CC props on one side and my CCW props on the other. That way I can easily gauge how many standard props I have left versus how many reverse ones. That way when I order more props, I know which to order more of.
Enough space to fit 2 mini quads and all the gear you need to go along with them.
So let see… In this bag I fit two mini quads. One is a Blackout Mini H Quad 220mm (5 inch props) and the other is a Blackout S Mini H Quad 260mm (6 inch props). So there, now you know that it’ll fit a pair of most standard minis. The 260mm is a bit of a tight fit, but it works just fine. I do have to take the VTX Immersion RC Spironet antennas off every time I put them away, but this is also true with almost any other drone case on the market.
I run my minis with a pair of whisker antennas for the receiver. These are the standard antennas that come with FrSky receivers such as the popular D4R-II and 4XR-SB. I put my receivers on the bottom plate of the mini quads and feed the antennas up the sides via two of the standoffs. This makes it so the antennas don’t stick too far up over the top of the quads making transportation easier and reception the same. Note that if your receiver antennas stick up the top of the quad a bit too much, putting two quads in this bag might be tricky. You still might be able to get away with just one plus the transmitter, or two quads with the transmitter in a different bag.
Can’t be without my FrSky Taranis!
Apart from the two Blackout quads I also carry my FrSky Taranis Plus transmitter, my FatShark Dominator V2 goggles, a GoPro Hero4 Black, a spare Mobius camera, 4 sets of 5.8Ghz video transmitter FPV antennas, and all the tools I could possibly need to make repairs at the flying field. I’m talking things like multimeter, wrenches, hex drivers, socket drivers, screwdrivers, tweezers, snips, cable cutters, needle nose pliers and even a few paintbrushes that I use to clean dirt off the Cobra Motors that I fly. If I could fit a fire extinguishers for my KISS 18A ESCs I would too, but that won’t fit. Haha. So those would just have to burn. The only things I carry separately are all my LiPos. I usually carry those in Lipo bag or in a small metal ammo case. I do this for safety reasons although I could probably squeeze them into the bag as well.
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Convenient bins to store your 5 inch props.
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Two bins allow for regular and reverse props.
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Enough gear for 2 quads.
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Yep. FPV gear fits too.
For months I was carrying a hardcase for my Taranis and FatShark goggles, a tool bag with one quad on top, another small bag for the second quad and on top of that the lipo bag or ammo case along with a backpack. Every time I would go fly I usually had to make 2 trips from my home to the car just to carry all the stuff. Now I just toss my LiPo bag into a backpack and then hang this big tool bag over my shoulder, leaving me with two free hands and just one trip to the car. I absolutely love this bag. It has made flying sessions just that more fun because it has taken away the stress of carrying everything with me.
The tool bag was only $40 — Much cheaper than your average hard case. This tool bag is the Husky 18 In Large Mouth Bag with Tool Wall from Home Depot. It also carries a 5 Year Warranty. Dimensions are 18” L x 10” W x 12” H (45.7 x 25.4 x 30.4 cm). I’ve been searching far and wide for a bag like this to carry my FPV mini quads and I’m super stoked that I found it. Hope this is useful to you too and may hopefully solve your drone carrying needs as well.