The perfect drone for traveling

The perfect drone for traveling

Does the perfect drone for backpacking exist? Drones have taken off in the last few years. But when it comes to purchasing a drone, there’s a lot to consider. First off, you’ll have to decide what your primary goal with your drone is. Do you just want to have fun? Or do you want to jump it to aerial photography and cinematography? To help you decide which drone might be best for you, read this guide.

We are traveling a lot with our drones. This guide will mainly focus on moving light, recharging your drone in remote areas and having a compact backpack.

dj phantom 4 pro

Phantom 4 Pro

dji mavic air

Mavic Air

dji mavic pro

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dji spark

Spark

Dimensions

289.5 × 289.5 × 196 mm (L×W×H)

Folded:
168×83×49 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded:
168×184×64 mm (L×W×H)

Folded:
198×83×83 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded:
305×244×85 mm (L×W×H)

143×143×55 mm   (L×W×H)

Weight

1368 g

430 g

734 g

300 g

Flight Modes

ActiveTrack
Tapfly
Tripod Mode
Draw
Gesture Mode
Point of Interest
Course Lock
Home Lock
Follow me
Waypoints

ActiveTrack
QuickShot
SmartCapture
TapFly
Tripod Mode
Cinematic Mode
Waypoints

ActiveTrack
Tripod Mode
Gesture Mode
Cinematic Mode
Fixed-Wing Mode
TapFly
Terrian Follow
Point of Interest
Couse Lock
Waypoints
Home Lock

Advanced Gesture
QuickShot
ActiveTrack
TapFly
Tripod

Internal Storage

No

8GB

No

NO

Phantom 4 Pro

dj phantom 4 pro

Dimensions

289.5 × 289.5 × 196 mm (L×W×H)

Weight

1368 g

Flight Modes

ActiveTrack
Tapfly
Tripod Mode
Draw
Gesture Mode
Point of Interest
Course Lock
Home Lock
Follow me
Waypoints

Internal Storage

No

Mavic Air

dji mavic air

Dimensions

Folded:
168×83×49 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded:
168×184×64 mm (L×W×H)

Weight

430 g

Flight Modes

ActiveTrack
QuickShot
SmartCapture
TapFly
Tripod Mode
Cinematic Mode
Waypoints

Internal Storage

8GB

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dji mavic pro

Dimensions

Folded:
198×83×83 mm (L×W×H)
Unfolded:
305×244×85 mm (L×W×H)

Weight

734 g

Flight Modes

ActiveTrack
Tripod Mode
Gesture Mode
Cinematic Mode
Fixed-Wing Mode
TapFly
Terrian Follow
Point of Interest
Couse Lock
Waypoints
Home Lock

Internal Storage

No

Spark

dji spark

Dimensions

143×143×55 mm   (L×W×H)

Weight

300 g

Flight Modes

Advanced Gesture
QuickShot
ActiveTrack
TapFly
Tripod

Internal Storage

No

Battery

When it comes to backpacking with a drone (e.g., thru-hike or trekking in remote areas) one of the most critical parts is battery life. Especially the Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic Pro stick out; you will be able to fly nearly for 30 minutes, but − and this is big − you will not be able to charge your drone without a power outlet or car charger. The Mavic Air and the Spark can be recharged via USB (power bank). On long hikes and adventures, we use a solar charger to charge a powerbank, and our drone will never run out of power. With just 140g (Mavic Air) and 90g (Spark), the batteries are way lighter than the opponents.

dji phantom 4 battery

Phantom 4 Pro

dj mavic air battey

Mavic Air

dj mavic battery

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

Spark Battery

Spark

Net Weight

468 g

140 g

240 g

95 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Yes

No

Yes

Flight Time

28 minutes

21 minutes

30 minutes

16 minutes

Price Battery

189 €

79 €

99 €

59 €

Phantom 4 Pro

dji phantom 4 battery

Net Weight

468 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Flight Time

28 minutes

Price Battery

189 €

Mavic Air

dj mavic air battey

Net Weight

140 g

Chargeable via USB

Yes

Flight Time

21 minutes

Price Battery

79 €

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dj mavic battery

Net Weight

240 g

Chargeable via USB

No

Flight Time

30 minutes

Price Battery

99 €

Spark

Spark Battery

Net Weight

95 g

Chargeable via USB

Yes

Flight Time

16 minutes

Price Battery

59 €

Remote

Here the Spark stands out; you don’t need a remote to fly the drone at all, which will save quite a bit of weight. We use our drone to make hiking videos; to be honest, to control a drone with just the phone isn’t easy. But with a bit of training, it can work out. I would still purchase the drone with a remote (Fly more combo) this will extend the possible distance to 1.2 mi (2 km) while increasing the height limit to 500 ft (152 m). Without a remote control, Spark’s transmission distance is limited to 328 ft (100 m) with a height restriction of only 50 m (164 ft).

The Phantom has an integrated display on the remote control, which can be helpful if your phone runs out of juice. But it weighs more than double than the other controllers.

dj phantom remote

Phantom 4 Pro

dj remote

Mavic Air

dj remote

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dj remote

Spark

Net Weight

700 g

no necessary
316 g

no necessary
316 g

no necessary
( 316 g)

Display

Yes

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone

Mobile Phone

Phantom 4 Pro

dj phantom remote

Net Weight

700 g

Display

Yes

Range

FCC: 7 km
CE: 2 km
SRRC: 5 km

Mavic Air

dj remote

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 80 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 2500 m

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dj remote

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 80 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 4000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 2500 m

Spark

dj remote

Net Weight

no necessary (316 g)

Display

No

Range

distance: 100 m (without remote)
height: 50m (without remote)

With Remote
FCC: 2000 m
CE: 500 m
SRRC: 1200 m

Overall

There are two drones which stand out.

If you are planning a long hike and you want to take beautiful aerial images and videos you have to purchase the DJI Mavic Air: it is light, compact, rechargeable on the trek and still produces professional material. It is fast to setup and even has an internal storage of 8 GB (in case you forgot to put a micro SD card into the drone). Plus the batteries a quite small, so you can warm them up in your pocket while hiking in the cold (fly your drone in cold weather).

The other drone is the Phantom 4 Pro; it is more professional than all the others and the 28 minutes of flight time can be a blessing in some situations. If size and weight don’t matter, this is the drone that will capture the most breathtaking videos and images. It will take a bit longer to set up, but it is worth it.

In the end, the Mavic Air is the perfect drone for backpacking. Because it is light, small and rechargeable via USB.

dji phantom 4 flymore combo

Phantom 4 Pro

DJI Mavic Air

Mavic Air

DJI Mavic Pro

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

dji spark flymore combo

Spark

Chargeable
via USB

no

yes

yes

no

Price

1699 €

1290 $

Buy on Amazon

Flymore Combo 1049 €

Flymore Combo 999 $

Buy on Amazon

Flymore Combo 1249€

Flymore Combo 1249 $

Buy on Amazon

Flymore Combo 699 €

Flymore Combo 599 $

Buy on Amazon

Best Travelling Drone

Phantom 4 Pro

dji phantom 4 flymore combo

Chargeable
via USB

no

Price

Flymore: 1699 €

Flymore: 1290 $

Buy on Amazon

Mavic Air

DJI Mavic Air

Chargeable
via USB

yes

Price

Flymore Combo 1049 €

Flymore Combo 999 $

Buy on Amazon

Best Travelling Drone

Mavic Pro (Platinum)

DJI Mavic Pro

Chargeable
via USB

yes

Price

Flymore Combo 1249€

Flymore Combo 1249 $

Buy on Amazon

Spark

dji spark flymore combo

Chargeable
via USB

yes

Price

Flymore Combo 699 €

Flymore Combo 599 $

Buy on Amazon

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