10 pound of stuffing in my 5 pound Apache 2800 Flight Case

[vindibona1]

It's a lazy Sunday morning. As I was repacking my case, an Apache 2800 I was sort of amazed at how much stuff I could get in this small case. The 2800 actually fits in my backpack, so I can carry a lot of extra stuff as well. When I switched from the Mini 1 to the Mini 2 the controller made me go to a larger case , but I was able to canabilize the internal padding from my (very) small case into the 2800 and built some extra padding around it (very amateurish, but effective), and I wanted to share how much stuff I can get in this case. The way it is configured now it has 3 layers, a 1st layer, 2nd layer and lid layer (behind the padding).

Without the bracket I can keep the sticks on the controller and lay it face down where I've created an opening for the sticks to fit into, which also conveniently allows my to stuff the controller in that space with the sticks removed and stored in the controller. Being able to carry the iPad Mini and bracket in the case with all the rest of the gear is quite convenient. FWIW I have a clear case around the iPad so the bracket (and my hands) can grip it better and offers protection for the screen if dropped. I only wish I had better padding, but the high density stuff is as expensive as the case, which I bought at Harbor Freight Tools on sale for $23.

Again, just thought I'd share my brain fart packing strategy in case anyone else had the same dilemma of having too much stuff that they wanted to shlep with them routinely.

Edit: P.S. The bracket allows the iPad to be more over the controller and helps balance it in my hands. With my Mavic 2 Pro, the bracket is rotated 180°, again to maintain better balance. This particular bracket has two 1/4"/20 sockets so I can mount it on my tripod or just use it as a table stand with phone or tablet for FaceTime calls if I don't want to hold the devices. $20 on Amazon.

 

[vindibona1]

Before I got my ipad this is how the case was packed. Similar, but with controller face down. Having the sticks on the controller and using my iphone without a bracket allowed me to get the Mini 2 up in the air faster. The one downside of the iPad is that it substantially slows down the time to get the drone up in the air. The iPad fits right into my Mavic 2 Pro controller with no bracket, so much quicker to get the Mavic 2 launched unless I want to use the bracket.

 

[MA2 317]

It's amazing how the Fly More Bag just doesn't cut it when you start adding "accessories".

I've used computer lap tap bags, back packs, and even a five gallon bucket with a waterproof seal for an adventure out on the water.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome any situation.

.

 

[vindibona1]

It's amazing how the Fly More Bag just doesn't cut it when you start adding "accessories".

I've used computer lap tap bags, back packs, and even a five gallon bucket with a waterproof seal for an adventure out on the water.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome any situation.

.

One of the best things I ever did in my life was be a Boy Scout for a few years. It wasn't hard to take "Be Prepared" to new levels. My first and only "skateboard" was bolting disassembled roller skates to a piece of plywood. How things have changed. To reminisce about the good ol days, my buddies and I would go in the woods, unsupervised with hatchets, Bowie knives and sometimes bows and arrows. Today you can't even send your 10 year old to the park by himself without getting a knock on the door from child protective services.

Schools today are too busy trying to teach CRT and forget to teach the 3 R's: Respect. Responsibility. Resourcefulness. [Sorry for the digression.]

 

[vindibona1]

It's amazing how the Fly More Bag just doesn't cut it when you start adding "accessories".

I've used computer lap tap bags, back packs, and even a five gallon bucket with a waterproof seal for an adventure out on the water.

Improvise, adapt, and overcome any situation.

.

I reread your reply and wanted to add one more comment. I don’t use the mini 2 fly more bag. I use the bag for my Mavic 2 pro when I want to go light. The bag from the Mavic two pro is even good for the Mavic 2 drone if I go with the minimal amount of accessories. On a summer trip to New York and Vermont I contemplated taking the mini 2 but I opted to take the Mavic 3in the small bag and didn’t regret it for one minute. I suspect that the difference of the weight of the controllers mitigate some of the difference in the weight of the drones themselves.

 

[MavicAir2Marc]

I too have the Apache 2800 case for my Air 2. The pick and pluck foam didn't last very long even with the plasti-dip coating so I went the route of a custom insert from Case Builder. I did find that the iPad Mini 5 does fit vertically in the case so that saves a lot of room. I use one of those simple $8 brackets as opposed to the 2 piece one (which I hated) that's a lot more of a pain to use. Obviously I don't carry all of the extra stuff as much as some people but it fits my needs and it's a nice case for under $25.

 

[vindibona1]

View attachment 142125
I too have the Apache 2800 case for my Air 2. The pick and pluck foam didn't last very long even with the plasti-dip coating so I went the route of a custom insert from Case Builder. I did find that the iPad Mini 5 does fit vertically in the case so that saves a lot of room. I use one of those simple $8 brackets as opposed to the 2 piece one (which I hated) that's a lot more of a pain to use. Obviously I don't carry all of the extra stuff as much as some people but it fits my needs and it's a nice case for under $25.

I understand completely what you did. I’ll have to see if I can fit my iPad vertically in the case somehow. I don’t know if you can tell but what I did was to take the internal padding from my mini one and place it inside the 2800 and build around it. You are right, pick and pluck foam just doesn’t hold up very well, though I did use it quite successfully for many years with my studio strobes that were housed and transported in a pelican case. I posted a picture of my small case below. But you can see that it holds virtually nothing other than the drone the controller and the batteries. The mini 1, with a smaller controller made this case much more flexible. Interestingly the controller on my Mavic 2 is the same size as the controller of the mini one. I am perplexed as to why DJI is gone with a larger, heavier controller?

Yes for my Mavic 2 I actually have three cases. Of course I have the fly more case. But I picked up a semi hard case with removable custom cut foam. That cost me $17. It just so happens that the internal foam fits perfectly in an Apache 3800. I think the 3800 cost me something like $27. I’ve also posted a picture of my semi hard case where the foam fits perfectly in the 3800. As you can see I can carry a ton of stuff in that case, but with just the essentials it all fits very nicely in the fly more bag.

BTW if you look closely, I made some custom cuts to be able to leave strobes mounted on the arms when I put everything back into the cases.

 

[Crow Horse]

Another option is to use Kaizen foam and make the cutouts yourself.

Kaizen Sources provides Foam Inserts for Toolboxes | Kaizen Foam | Foam in Sheets

kaizeninserts.com

 

[vindibona1]

Another option is to use Kaizen foam and make the cutouts yourself.

Kaizen Sources provides Foam Inserts for Toolboxes | Kaizen Foam | Foam in Sheets

kaizeninserts.com

I definitely have to look into that. It appears that the foam inserts aren’t that expensive at Kaizen. A lot of my photo gear from 30 years ago, which still works beautifully, could used to have the rotting pick and pluck foam replaced. Thank you