so ive been going back and forth on this for weeks now. i have the mini 3 pro and the little shoulder bag that came with it is honestly fine for throwing in a backpack but i'm taking a trip next month and need something that can actually protect it in checked luggage or at least overhead bin. ive been looking at the pelican 1510 because everyone seems to recommend it but its also like $180 and i already own way too much drone stuff that i barely justified buying. does anyone actually use one for a mini 3 or is that overkill? also considered some of the hard shell cases on amazon but they all look kind of sketchy and the foam cutouts look like they were made for a completely different drone. just want something that wont have me anxious the whole flight

I have the Pelican 1510 and honestly for a mini 3 it IS kind of overkill but i dont regret it at all. I fit the drone, 4 batteries, both sets of props, the smart controller, a bunch of ND filters and still have room for other random stuff. The TSA has opened it twice and nothing was damaged or moved around. If you travel a lot i'd say just get it, you'll use it for other trips too. The foam cutting is kind of tedious but there are pre-cut inserts on etsy for mini 3 specifically which saves a ton of time.

i got one of the tomcase ones off amazon for my air 2s and its been totally fine tbh. not as bombproof as a pelican obviously but for overhead bin use it does the job and was like $45. the foam wasnt perfect but i just recut a little bit with scissors. probably wouldnt trust it as checked luggage though, like if the airline made me gate check it id probably be a nervous wreck the whole flight lol