so ive been traveling a fair bit lately and my current setup is just the original dji bag which honestly isnt great for throwing in overhead bins and stuff. looking at the hard shell pelican style cases but they seem massive for what you actually need to carry. my kit is pretty simple, drone, 3 batteries, the rc-n1, a few nd filters and some extra props. doesnt need to be huge.

anyone found something that actually fits in a backpack but still protects everything properly? also not trying to spend like $200 on a case, would rather put that toward more batteries or something useful

I went through this exact thing last year. ended up getting a lowepro droneguard cs 400 and it works really well for my setup. fits the drone, 4 batteries, controller, cables all the accessories without being a nightmare to carry. not cheap but i've knocked it around on a bunch of trips and everything's still fine. the foam cutouts arent perfect for mini 3 out of the box but you can pull out the foam sections pretty easily and rearrange.

the pelican cases are great if youre checking luggage but yeah for carry on they're usually too rigid and bulky to fit in the bins properly depending on what else you have. i'd look at the semi-rigid backpack style cases, lot more practical for actual travel imo

i just use a regular amazon basics camera bag ngl, threw some extra foam in it from a craft store and cut out slots myself. probably not the most protective thing ever but its cheap and it fits under the seat no problem. saved myself like $80 compared to the branded options