been flying for about 8 months and never used a landing pad, just hand launch and land most of the time or find a flat rock or whatever. my buddy keeps telling me i need one especially for dusty or sandy spots to protect the cameras and sensors from getting debris blown into them on takeoff. i kind of get the logic but they also seem like just another thing to carry. are they actually making a real difference or is it more of a nice-to-have thing. also if they are worth it which size should i even get, i fly a mini 3 and sometimes an air 2s

your buddy is right, especially for sandy or gravelly areas. the downwash on even a mini 3 kicks up way more dust than you'd expect and it absolutely gets sucked up near the camera and sensors. i ruined a gimbal once on a beach landing before i started using one, never again. the pads arent magic but they give you a clean stable surface and make a real difference

for size i'd go 50cm minimum, some people use the little 30cm ones but they feel too small to me when youre trying to land in any kind of breeze. rollup silicon ones pack down nice and the bright orange helps you spot it on uneven ground. totally worth the like $15-20 it costs

yeah i resisted getting one for ages and then got one mostly because my flying spot has a lot of loose gravel and oh man what a difference. also it just makes the whole setup feel more legit lol, i put it down, check my gear, do my pre-flight and its kind of become part of the ritual. maybe thats dumb but it helps me not forget stuff

mine is just a cheap one off amazon, folds up into a little pouch. has held up fine for probably 40+ flights