so my pelican knockoff finally gave up the ghost after like two years, the foam inside started crumbling and the latch on the side has been sketchy for months. took it on a trip last month and honestly i was just holding my breath the whole time at baggage claim.

im running a mini 3 pro with a couple extra batteries, ND filter set, and i usually throw the controller and some spare props in there too. ideally want something that doesnt weigh a ton because im already pushing it with my carry-on limits on budget airlines.

anyone made the switch to a hard shell backpack style thing? or do you still prefer the traditional case? i keep going back and forth on it

I went through this exact thing last year and honestly the best decision I made was just getting a proper Lowepro DroneGuard. It's not the cheapest option but after my first pelican clone started eating itself from the inside I was done messing around with cheap foam. The backpack style makes airport stuff so much easier too, you're not dragging a box around and it fits overhead if you pack it right.

The only thing I'd say is measure your batteries before you buy because some of the compartment layouts are weirdly specific and if you have aftermarket batteries they might not sit right. Mine took a bit of fiddling to get everything secure but once it was dialed in I haven't thought about it since.

i just use a regular hiking backpack with those customizable divider inserts from amazon lol. works fine for me but i only drive to my spots so maybe not helpful for your situation. the dividers were like 15 bucks and i can rearrange them however i want which is nice