If you have a Phantom 3, then this backpack is one of the lightest and cheapest ways to carry it to your launch point.
Realacc BackPack for Phantom: Price and availability
You can buy the BackPack from Bang Good for £27.51 – this was the price at the time of review. It’s a lot cheaper if you order it from the EU warehouse as shipping it from the China warehouse almost doubles the price to £53.42. If you have a Phantom 4, there’s a slightly different version of the Realacc Backpack which costs £57.90 from Bang Good. It’s only available from the China warehouse. Bear in mind that shipping within the EU means you don’t have to pay any import duty or tax, whereas you do from outside the EU, so the price will be even higher from the China warehouse by the time those extras are paid up.
Realacc BackPack for Phantom: Design
Following DJI’s own design for the Phantom 4 case, the Realacc Backpack uses a tough polystyrene which isn’t brittle and resists tearing. The two halves of the casing fit inside the backpack material, which is waterproof so should keep your drone completely dry even if it rains while you’re walking.
The zips seem decent quality, and have to be completely unzipped when you want to access the drone. Because the drone sits in the ‘front’ half of the backpack and the zip is near the back, you have to lay the bag down on its front rather than its back before opening it, otherwise it’s upside down and bits will fall out. This is the only criticism of an otherwise perfectly good carry case as there are no feet or any protection on the front so it will get dirty if you put it down on the ground, which you will at most of your launch locations. There are two side pockets, but these are so slim you can’t even put propellers in them without straining the zips a little. They’re better used for USB cables or the documents that come with your drone. In the main compartment the polystyrene is moulded perfectly for the Phantom 3 range and fits the Standard, Advanced and Pro models. The transmitter for the latter two slots in base first, but the larger P3 Standard transmitter has to be on its side – there are cutouts for the sticks and the metal bar on top. As there are no instructions, it took us a while to figure out the orientation, and the fact that you have to remove the phone holder from the ball joint in order for it to fit in.
That’s a minor issue as it takes just seconds to remove and re-install the clamp. Behind the drone is space for three spare batteries, and the spaces are the sides are ideal for the charger and propellers. Two padded straps, a well-padded back and a chest strap make the backpack comfortable to carry, and significantly more so than lugging a flight case or the original Phantom cardboard box.
The dimensions make the backpack suitable for carrying on to flights, but check first what your airline allows in carry-on luggage. Although the backpack does offer good protection from drops and knocks, we wouldn’t trust baggage handlers to put it safely in the hold, even if you can lock the zips together with a small padlock.
Jim has been testing and reviewing products for over 20 years. His main beats include VPN services and antivirus. He also covers smart home tech, mesh Wi-Fi and electric bikes.