been flying for about a year now and i've never used a landing pad, just find a flat-ish spot and call it good. my buddy keeps telling me i should get one especially for grass landings but i honestly dont know if its worth the hassle of carrying another thing out to the field. my mavic 3 classic seems fine landing on grass, i just keep an eye out for anything that could hit the props.

is there actually a real reason to use one or is it more of a nice to have thing? genuinely curious what people think, not trying to start anything i just see them everywhere and never understood the appeal

honestly i thought the same thing for a long time and then i had a landing where a small pebble got kicked up by the props and chipped the gimbal cover. nothing serious but annoying enough that i started carrying a pad after that. they fold down pretty small, the ones with the weighted edge are way better than the cheap ones that blow around in any kind of wind. for grass specifically its more about the moisture than the debris i think, wet grass after a morning session is not great for the bottom sensors.

i use mine mostly when im shooting in dusty or sandy areas tbh. beach days the pad is non negotiable, sand gets into everything and the motors do not appreciate it. for regular park grass i probably wouldn't bother either but once you own one you kinda just throw it in the bag anyway since it doesnt weigh anything