The
Think Tank Helipak is king of
"the best" IMO, but it costs $200. Here's why:
1. Materials quality. Besides the 1680D ballistic nylon for the outside, the main compartment zipper is beefy, and easy to zip. This by itself is high on my list because that's what you use
every time you access the inside. I have a ProCraft backpack too. Although the zipper is adequate, it's nothing like my Think Tank backpack.
2. Minimal amount of zippers. Many backpacks require you to unzip more zippers when you open the lid. This is a habit of the photography world, not ideal for the drone world. too much hassle IMO to have a zipper you don't need.
3. Size. It's the ideal size to carry lots of stuff, but small enough for convenience. It's FAA compliant for domestic flight carry on luggage in the overhead. It's smaller than my ProCraft, and I don't need the extra space the ProCraft offers, it's actually wasted space in the ProCraft.
4. Waist Belt. Some backpacks don't have a waistbelt, and those that do skimp on the quality and padding in the belt. TTH is very nice.
5. Lifetime warranty. Anything breaks or tears, send it in for a new one, or free repair.
6. The new V2 version of the TTH is 1.5lbs lighter than the original. They did this with lighter but tougher materials, and removing the second grab handle on the side. It's got only one grab handle on the top of the backpack, like all the others.
7. Besides all the craft stuff you want carry, the outside lid compartments can easily hold an iPad Air plus a Hi-Aerial hood. It will also carry a 15" laptop if you so choose, although I don't to keep the pack light.
8. They store the batteries in the bottom of the pack where they belong in the V2 (unlike V1). This help with weight distribution when carrying the pack over one shoulder, which I do all the time. If you have a backpack that's top heavy it can be awkward to carry the pack with one shoulder strap over one shoulder. When I'm carrying the pack less than 1000' I always use just one shoulder carrying style because it saves time putting it on and off, and it's just easier.
9. The cubbies inside are reconfigurable inside, somewhat. Compartments are held in place with Velcro, so those can be moved around if you have something larger to hold like a small DSLR camera, or something smaller like wind meter or Marco Polo hand tracker.
10. I carry 6 P4 batteries in my backpack, counting the one that I keep inside the craft during travel. If needed I could carry 4 more, one under each craft motor, but that would make the backpack pretty heavy.
I paid $275 for my TTH V1 about 18mos ago at the IDE show in LA. Out of 6 backpacks I've evaluated, and 3 others that I looked at during shows (CES, NAB, Interdrone), I still think my TTH bag functions the best for size, storage, protection, durability and convenience. I really like the second handle on V1, which V2 doesn't have, however I can live without it I guess. I like the Helipak design so much I'll be buying the V2 soon for my new
P4P. I keep my P3P in the ProCraft, and my P4 in the TTH V1.