genuinely asking because i keep seeing people set up these big foldable landing pads and i never really understood the point. like i get it for dusty or sandy environments, protecting the gimbal and all that, but is it really necessary if youre mostly flying from grass or gravel parking lots

picked up a cheap one at a local camera shop a few weeks ago and havent even taken it out of the bag. its the kind that folds down to like a small disc, bright orange on one side. just wondering if people actually use these regularly or if its more of a nice-to-have that ends up sitting at home

honestly for grass i barely bother but the one time i didn't use mine on a beach i got sand absolutely everywhere in the gimbal area. took me like 45 minutes to clean properly and i was still finding grains a week later. now i always bring it for anything with loose debris, even dusty gravel. its light enough that there's no real reason not to throw it in the bag

i started using mine mostly as a visual marker actually, helps me keep track of where home point is when im moving around or if the area is crowded. the landing protection thing is real too but thats kind of a secondary benefit for me personally. that said if youre flying from clean flat surfaces all the time yeah its probably not changing your life