so ive been using the stock DJI shoulder bag since i got it and honestly its fine at home but im heading to Portugal in a few weeks and im kinda nervous just shoving everything into my backpack. the bag doesnt have great padding and the last thing i want is to get there and find out something shifted around and cracked the gimbal cover or whatever.

does anyone have a hard case they actually like? ive seen the Nanuk 925 mentioned a bunch but its pretty pricey and i wasnt sure if thats overkill for a carry-on situation. also curious if anyone uses those pelican alternatives. my main thing is i want to fit the drone, like 3-4 batteries, the RC controller, and maybe some ND filters without it being a massive ordeal to pack and unpack every time

I went through this exact thing before a trip to Iceland last year. ended up getting a Nanuk 920 (not 925) with the foam insert and honestly best purchase ive made for travel. fits everything you listed with room to spare and I just gate check it when the overhead is full. never had an issue. the foam is pick-and-pluck so you can customize it pretty easily, took me maybe 20 min to get it set up how i wanted.

the price stings yeah but when you think about what youre protecting its kind of worth it. i had a buddy use one of the cheaper amazon hard cases and the latches started feeling loose after a few trips. not saying it will fail but like... its holding your expensive drone so probably not where you want to cut corners

i just use a regular backpack with some foam padding i cut myself lol. works fine for me but i only drive to spots so maybe not helpful for flying internationally. good luck with the trip tho Portugal looks incredible for aerial shots