With all of the rave reviews I bought a Trekker to try out with my P4. I wasn't totally happy with the ProCraft I just bought because I would need to cut off all the Velcro tipped straps to mimic the utility of my Think Tank backpack (which works well). I don't understand why ProCraft thinks they need all of those straps on the inside of the backpack. I guess photographers prefer straps with their camera equipment, maybe it's an industry standard so a lens or expensive camera doesn't accidentally fall out, so ProCraft kept that trend with their drone backpack. I personally think the straps are a PITA, they get in the way and don't help much at all. I was so annoyed with the design I got the paperwork ready to return the ProCraft to Amazon, but wanted to evaluate the Trekker first to make sure. Turns out I may be keeping the ProCraft and whack off the straps because the Trekker isn't for me.
I'm sorry guys, I just don't agree. It's apparent the Trekker isn't even designed for a Phantom. It's a regular camera backpack being sold as a drone backpack, and it happens to work, kinda sorta. You can tell because none of the inserts make reasonably decent compartments for the shape of a Phantom, and the depth of the case isn't right for the height of the craft, I think others have mentioned this. To fit everything in the motor arms need to overlap other things and two of the arms protrude above the zipper line, although I had no problem zipping the pack because this. If it was made for the Phantom I wouldn't have to spend a bunch of time arranging the interior walls either. I think that's because Polar Pro can't figure the best configuration for Phantom to have them configured at the factory, or their vendor refuses to do it for them, I'm not sure. After I looked at photos of how others setup their Trekker (including Polar Pro) to mimic them, I came to realization this pack isn't designed specific for any Phantom. If you look at the Polar Pro example in this thread, showing how they arrange things, they are piecing together multiple walls in series, instead of designing the interior walls the right length and shape in the first place. The other strange thing is the main compartment opens from the
front of the pack (the side with the shoulder straps) instead of the back. However, the
back side of the pack has compartments to store things too. So when you actually use the pack, you have to flip the backpack over..... back and forth.... to gain access to all your things. The same with putting your things away. That is really a poor design for a drone backpack, IMHO. It might be OK for a photographer with camera equipment, but not for a drone IMHO. It's just not efficient when setting up your drone to fly. Neither the ProCraft or the Think Tank Helipak have that problem, everything is accessed from one side. That way when you start preparing your drone, you lay down the pack, open it up, and everything can be accessed without flipping the whole backpack, back and forth.
The coolest thing about the Trekker is the TSA lock for the main compartment zipper. Then I realized I would never use it. I never check my drone backpack when flying on airlines, it's always carried on because of the LiPo batteries, plus I don't want my drone thrown around like a piece of luggage in a soft backpack. The lock is simply non relevant to my needs. But it's cool looking.
I know what you guys will say, I'm being too negative and I'm a Think Tank promoter, etc (totally not true). I've got 4 backpacks from different manufacturers sitting here. It's not difficult to see when something works good and when something is a bad design. I actually like my $50
Chinese cheapy backpack (super light) for my P3P, so I don't have any allegiance to any manufacturer, I simply call it like I see it.
Frankly, the ProCraft and Trekker both have issues, but between these two backpacks, ProCraft wins hands down due to the size and ergonomics of the compartments. They both cost about the same, $120-$130. For $80 more you can get a Think Tank helipak, but many will chose the ProCraft, because it can work, with the aid of some scissors
. And yes, so far Think Tank Helipak is the best I've seen so far, but at a higher price of $200. Better layout, better zipper, better materials.