The best accessories for your drone can help optimize performance and enhance your overall flight experience. But with so many drone accessories on the market, how do you know which accessories are essential and which are excessive? To help clear up some of the confusion, we’ve put together a list of must-have drone accessories, including essential add-ons like memories cards, spare batteries, and more.
Memory Cards
If you plan on capturing photos and/or video with your drone, odds are you’re going to need more storage than what your drone provides. If that’s the case, be sure to stock up on compatible microSD memory cards, which will allow you to save all of your aerial imagery without having to erase or overwrite your existing footage.
When it comes to choosing the right memory card for your drone, there are plenty of good options available. For most consumer drones, any reputable V30 microSD card will do just fine, though if you’re looking for a specific recommendation, we’re longtime fans of SanDisk’s Extreme PRO series: they’re fast, they’re cheap, and they’re super reliable.
When shopping for a microSD memory card for your drone, be sure to keep the following in mind:
-
Capacity: How much memory you’ll need largely depends on the application. If you’re only shooting images, you’re probably going to be OK with a card in the 32GB to 64GB range. However, if you’re also (or exclusively) shooting video, you should look for a higher-capacity card, something closer to 128GB, if not more.
-
Compatibility: When it comes to memory cards for drones, there are no real set standards. Different drones have different compatibility specs, requirements, etc. Before you buy a memory card, check your drone’s specifications and requirements to make sure it’s compatible.
-
Max Video Bitrate: The max video bitrate of your drone tells you how fast of a card you’ll need for capturing video. Most quality consumer drones won’t exceed a max video bitrate of 150 Mbps, meaning the maximum amount of data they can transfer is 18.75 MB/s. V30 cards guarantee a sustained minimum write speed of 30 MB/s, which is why we recommend them for most consumer models and applications.
Extra Batteries
The evolution of the drone battery is nothing short of miraculous. 10 years ago, the best drones in the world boasted 15-minute flight times. In 2015, when the Parrot Bebop 2 showed up with a 20-minute battery, the consumer drone industry collectively lost its mind. Today, consumer drones regularly feature 40-minute batteries. Hell, the DJI Neo will get you 20 minutes of flight and that thing is a literal toy.
Still, despite the continued advancement of drone battery technology, stocking up on an extra battery (or two) is never a bad idea. Why? Because no matter how large the capacity or afforded flight time, it’s never enough. When that “low battery” light comes on, you’re never happy about it—you always want more time. So, give yourself some. Pick up some spare batteries and stay in the air for as long as you like.
Spare Parts
Piloting a drone can be as exciting as it is perilous. Trees, rocks, waterfalls: They’re fun obstacles to fly around, less fun to fly through. To avoid a premature and possibly permanent grounding, be sure to keep plenty of spare and replacement parts on hand, especially if you’re flying less-than-friendly skies or participating in a more accident-prone application—like FPV racing. A good rule to keep in mind is: If it can falter, fall off, or fail, always pack a spare.
Protective Cases or Backpacks
Regardless of whether you are a professional, a hobbyist, or somewhere in between, being a drone pilot definitely isn’t cheap. Even so-called beginner drones require a fairly substantial investment. To protect that investment, we recommend a protective case or backpack.
Popular brands like Nanuk and Pelican feature huge catalogs of drone hard cases, each with tons of options to safeguard your drone and drone accessories from just about every conceivable threat or hazard: weather, drops, etc. They even offer watertight cases that will float if they somehow end up in water.
If you’re looking for a security solution that’s a bit more travel friendly, consider a drone backpack. Similar to hard cases, drone backpacks provide an additional layer of security to your drone, ensuring it arrives to your destination dry and in one piece. Drone backpacks don’t typically offer the same extreme level of protection that a crushproof case does, but they’ll keep your drone safe from more moderate dangers; plus, they’re easier to transport.
Questions or comments about which drone accessories you should pick up (or put down)? Drop us a line below and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
