So you have a drone, but are you really making the most of it and keeping it in the best shape possible? There are many drone accessories that can help improve your overall flying experience, but with so many out there, knowing which products suit you best can be a little confusing.
That’s where we come in. In this guide, we reveal everything you need to know about drone accessories.
We’ll take a look at each different type of accessory, explain why it could be beneficial to you, and then pick our top-rated product from each category. Let’s get to it.
The Best Drone Accessories 2022
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Drone backpacks and bags
Perhaps the most important of all drone accessories is a drone backpack, not because it enhances your flying experience, but because it provides your drone with vital protection when traveling.
After all, you’re going to be carrying your drone to flying spots, and the last thing you want is to risk damaging it taking it in a bag that’s not up to the job.
Drone backpacks are built specifically to fit certain models, with padded inner compartments and then padded or hardshell outsides to safeguard your drone with knocks and bumps.
Many are also water-resistant to protect from rain and snow, while the best have foldable waterproof covers for complete protection from the weather.
The great thing about the best drone backpacks is that they’re not built only to hold a drone. Many have a series of well-designed inner compartments along with outside straps and pockets, so that you can safely store accessories like your controller, goggles, batteries, a tripod, laptop, and your valuables.
These drone accessories are also designed for optimum comfort, with some of the pricier ones even providing targeting support to your back and waist, so they’re ideal for longer expeditions.
There are loads of drone backpacks out there, typically ranging from $60 to $200, though some cost more than $300. The more you spend, the better protection you get, as well as more room, comfort, and compatibility with a wider range of models.
Top pick
The bag or backpack will depend largely on your budget and model of drone, but one great example of a top drone backpack is the Lowepro ProTactic 450, which is designed for DJI Mavic drones.
It’s not cheap, but it offers fantastic protection to your drone thanks to Lowepro’s custom FormShell technology and built-in weather cover. It’s also super comfortable, with targeted support to reduce strain on your body.
Plus, it has customizable compartments with plenty of room for accessories like a laptop, controller, tripod, batteries, and your valuables.
FPV goggles
Whereas bags help keep your drone safe from drone damage, if you’re looking for drone gadgets to enhance your flying experience, then make sure you get yourself a pair of FPV or VR goggles.
These goggles put you in the cockpit of your drone, making it feel as if you’re flying through the air yourself. They’re also an essential accessory if you have a racing drone.
There are two main types of FPV drone goggles – VR and AR. VR provides a more immersive experience as they give you a full flight of what the drone camera sees, while AR provides more practical flying as you’ll have in-flight information in your field of view.
Top pick
It’s difficult to recommend just one set of FPV drone goggles as the pair you choose will need to be compatible with your drone, and in many cases they both need to be from the same manufacturer. The highest quality goggles are probably the DJI FPV Goggles, but these are only compatible with the DJI FPV drone.
The likes of Walkera, iFlight, Parrot, and EMAX are other popular manufacturers that offer FPV goggles that are compatible with some of the drones they produce.
Batteries & chargers
One of the most frustrating things about virtually all drones is that none of them can be flown for particularly long – even the consumer drones with the longest flight time usually max out at around 30 minutes. So, spare batteries and mobile charging kits are really useful accessories that can help you enjoy more flying time without having to return home to charge your drone.
Some drones come with spare batteries included when you buy them, but for those that don’t, you can usually easily pick up some that are compatible with your drone. What can be better, though, is to bag a portable battery charger that you can take with you on your drone excursions.
These drone accessories can be pricey, but if you’re a professional or just a serious hobbyist who wants as much time as possible to capture the right footage, a portable battery charger can be a better and more efficient option.
Top pick
The Hiyiton Dual Lipo Battery Charger is a really high-quality device that can charge eight different types of batteries, including those used by most drones.
This costs a fair amount, but in return you get a portable charger that can charge two types of batteries simultaneously, a display that shows how much each battery is charged, and various charging options, such as fast charge, storage charge, cyclic charge, and discharge. This product has a flawless five-star rating on Amazon, which shows its quality and reliability.
There are also some devices that are tailored specifically to certain drone models, such as Smartree Battery Charger for the Mavic Pro. This is a handy little drone gadget that costs $50.99 and charge both your drone batteries and controller at the same time.
Monitor
When it comes to displaying the video streamed from your drone, there are three main options – smartphone, FPV goggles, and a monitor. The most common, by far, is using your smartphone (or table).
Most drones are compatible with most iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, and many come with controllers that can attach to your phone for convenient use. The upside of this is that it’s easy and doesn’t require any additional equipment, but there are several downsides. Streaming video feeds can really drain your phone battery, many mobiles have small screens, and most aren’t designed for video streaming in very bright outside conditions.
The second option is FPV goggles, which are great for racing and getting an immersive flying experience, but not so much if you want to really concentrate on capturing footage. The third, and best alternative, is to go for a drone monitor.
A drone monitor solves all the problems we’ve just listed – it displays your video on a large screen, has a much longer battery life than smartphones, and frees you up to concentrate on controlling the drone and capturing the perfect footage. Not only that, but many of these drone accessories are designed to display drone video feeds in all their glory even in very bright conditions. The only downside is that they don’t come cheap.
Top pick
As with many drone accessories, the monitor you go for will depend largely on which drone you’re pairing it with. If you’re using a DJI model like the Mavic Pro, or any of the Phantom or Inspire series, you can go for the DJI CrystalSky which starts from $499.
That price will get you a 5.5” screen with high brightness, or you can splash out more and get a 7.85” screen with high brightness or a 7.85” with ultra brightness. It’s a really high-quality product with incredibly smooth video display and comes with a spare external battery for up to five to six hours of display at a time.
The CrystalSky is by far the most popular drone monitor out there and is one of the best DJI drone accessories, but there are also more affordable options out there for cheaper drones, such as the Fose FPV monitor that can be used with any drone that operates on 5.8Ghz.
Landing pads
Many drones have intelligent features, such as one key takeoff and automatic return to home, that make taking off and landing relatively easy. However, it’s really important that you ensure you land in a safe way to prevent damage to your drone, particularly when using it outside.
That’s where a landing pad comes in. This simple drone accessory provides a flat, stable and clean surface for your drone to land on, helping to protect it from mud and potential knocks.
Top pick
We think the StartRC drone landing pad is a really useful drone accessory to add to your kit. This item, which costs $32.99, is a 20”x20” helipad and is designed for DJI drones like the FPV and the Mavic series, but’s suitable for virtually any consumer drone.
The larger size offers plenty of room to safely land your drone on, but it’s super easy to carry as it folds up to just 6.4”x6.4”.
It’s completely waterproof on both sides, and it has four hooks on the outside so that you can secure it to the ground using the four anchor nails that come included to provide a stable landing area. Plus, it has a flawless 5-star rating on Amazon, so it’s clearly popular among users.
Cleaning kits
This drone accessory isn’t quite as exciting as FPV goggles or a monitor, but cleaning kits are important nonetheless. While you can easily wipe any dirt off the drone body or propellers, you need to be a bit more careful with the camera. You need to make sure it’s kept clean so you can capture clear footage, but you also need to make sure you clean it in the right way to avoid damaging it.
Specifically, you need a cleaning “pen” that will allow you to easily clean small drone cameras which would otherwise be very fiddly to do using regular camera cleaning gear.
Top pick
The LensPen is a must-have drone accessory for anyone who wants to capture stunning photos and videos with their camera drone. For just $12.95 you get a cleaning pen with a retractable dust removal brush and a non-liquid cleaning element, so it won’t dry out.
This is suitable for cleaning camera lenses, sensors, and filters on all popular drone models, and the cleaning tip is slightly concave so it perfectly matches the shape of a lens. Plus, as it’s just 4.33” long you can easily fit it in your pocket and it takes up essentially no space.
Controller
Virtually all drones come with a remote controller included, aside from ones which are simply controlled via mobile app. However, it’s safe to say the controllers that come included with your drone aren’t always the most intuitive, comfortable or fun to use. Some are designed in a similar way to a Firestick remote, for example.
That’s why some fliers go for specialized controllers that are easier and more fun to use. Some of these drone gadgets are shaped like joysticks, just like in a real plane or helicopter, and can provide a more enjoyable and smooth flying experience.
Top pick
There are many different drone controllers out there that come in all shapes and sizes, but you need to pick one that’s compatible with your drone. For example, the Game Sir remote controller is modeled on a PS4 controller and is compatible with the popular beginner drone the DJI Tello, so it’s great for youngsters.
Perhaps the best example of the top-quality drone controller is the DJI Motion Controller for its FPV drone, which is one of the top DJI drone accessories. This costs $195 but provides an incredibly smooth and intuitive flying experience, with the joystick design allowing you to control and maneuver the drone with just your hand motions.
Propellers & Propeller guards
The propellers are one of the most important parts of a drone, but also one of the most fragile. Even the slightest knick could damage them and put your drone at risk of crashing, which is why it’s important to have propeller blades. Many drones come with these included, but carrying spares of this drone accessory is always recommended.
The same goes for the actual propellers – we always recommend carrying some spares. Keeping some of these drone supplies handy means you can easily change them while out in the field instead of calling an end to your flying session.
Top picks
You need to choose propellers that are compatible with your drone model, but luckily you can easily pick up ones for most drones easily on places like Amazon, such as this set of two Mavic Pro propellers.
The same goes for if you’re after propeller guards. You can bag yourself some Mavic Air 2S propeller guards or guards for the Mavic Mini, and in return, you’ll be able to fly in a much safer way.
