My Minimalist DJI Travel Kit: Neo 2 Drone, Osmo 360, Action 6 and Essential Accessories

Good day folks. So, usually this time every year, I like to make a minimalist camera kit going over all the gear that I take with me when I want to travel extremely light. I think this is going to be the seventh year that I’ve done this. And in the past, they heavily geared towards GoPro gear. But over the last couple years, I’ve really gravitated towards DJI products. I’m really happy with them. They have such a diverse ecosystem of different equipment that can really help you capture and tell your story. Make sure to check out my Air Photography YouTube channel to see these products in action.

This is probably the first year that I’ve gone full DJI because I have everything that I need to be able to get out and capture the type of content I want to capture while out on the go.

Why I prefer shoulder bags for travel

For my minimalist kit, I really like to use these messenger bags or shoulder bags. Of course, backpacks are great and can be very comfortable to wear, but the problem is you’re constantly having to take it off. And when you’re out sightseeing or traveling or just out doing some adventuring, it can be kind of a nuisance if you just want to grab a camera out or perhaps a drone.

A shoulder bag is always at hand. It just hangs out in front of you. You can easily grab whatever gear you want without having to take your pack off. I have a few different ones that I use. This one here is just kind of a generic one that I picked up on Amazon. It’s a nice size. It’s kind of got like a leathery kind of vinyl coating on it, so it’s not waterproof, but it does help prevent against moisture if you happen to get caught in some rain or splash. The zippers are not waterproof, but I’ve been pretty pleased with it. I’ve had this one for about 2 years.

The DJI Neo 2: A travel drone game-changer

So, let’s just get right into it. I’ll show you what I’ll be taking when I’m out traveling. I’ve got a couple trips planned, and this is exactly everything that I’ll be taking with me. The first thing here, and this is actually a new product that DJI has just released, is the Neo 2. I think every travel kit for myself anyways should have a drone in it because I love capturing aerial footage. I just like the kind of shots I can get with a drone.

And now with the DJI Neo 2, it makes it so easy to bring along. You don’t need a controller. This is all you have to bring. You can use the intelligent flight modes to capture some really interesting shots. You can use the tracking feature again to get some interesting shots. And if you do want to fly it like a more traditional drone and get some aerial shots, you can easily connect it to your smartphone and you can use your smartphone as a virtual controller.

I’m happy with the quality of the footage the Neo 2 can capture. And it’s really nice that we have this nice small and compact drone that we can easily take along with us.

Now, depending on what I’m doing, where I’m going, if my goal is to primarily capture drone content, then I might pack something like the Mini 5 Pro in here. It will take up more room. It will make the pack a little bulkier, but there’s definitely enough room to fit it inside.

Action cameras and 360 cameras

As for cameras, I usually like to bring an action camera with me, and I usually like to bring a 360 camera with me. Now, if you really want to go minimal, something like the DJI Osmo 360 functions as an action camera as well as a 360 camera. So, really, you only need to bring one with you. You can film in single lens mode to get more traditional action camera footage, or if you want to get creative, you can film in 360 and get some really interesting perspectives.

But for myself, I also like to bring just a traditional action camera because the footage just looks a little bit better. So, for the most part, those are the two cameras that I’ll be bringing with me. And another option I might consider bringing depending on what I’m doing is the new DJI Nano as well.

Essential accessories for the minimalist kit

When it comes to accessories for these cameras, there’s usually only a few things that I do bring along with me. The first is an extension pole. This is the extension pole that comes with the DJI Osmo 360. And this is nice and multi-purpose because of the magnetic end on it. I can connect it directly to my Action 6 or my Osmo 360. If you’re going to be doing some vlogging, this pivots at the end here, so it’s going to put it at a more natural angle. And of course, you have extension if you want to get a wider shot. So, that is definitely something that I’ll bring with me because I can use it with my Action 6 and my Osmo 360.

The other thing I’ll bring with me is a tripod base. Essentially, this just screws into the bottom and then it allows me to set the camera down and it’s got a fairly stable base. Now, there are different options with extension poles with built-in tripods, which are a good choice as well. But the reason I like using this method is that it keeps the pole a little bit more minimal. Sometimes those extension poles with built-in tripods get a little bulky, and I don’t always need a tripod.

So, this way, if I don’t need it, I just got a nice manageable pole. And the other reason is those ones with the built-in tripods are not very long. For the most part, they just don’t get high enough if I need a full height tripod where something like this gets up fairly high and the tripod base isn’t too bulky, so it’s not going to add a lot of extra weight to the bag.

The DJI Power Handle

One thing that I may bring with me on some outings is the DJI Power Handle. This works great with the Action 6. You can plug it into your camera. That’s going to feed extra power if you’re going to be doing a lot of handheld filming throughout the day. Gives you some convenient controls right there on the front. It also has a built-in tripod. So, if you do want to set it down to capture a quick time-lapse, you can do so easily.

And on top of that, it even connects to your Osmo 360. If you’re just going to be using it in single lens mode and you want to do some handheld filming. Now, these buttons don’t work on it. You can’t control the camera, but you can plug it in and still add power to your camera. Essentially, in this configuration, you’ll be using it like a power bank to charge up the camera.

DJI Mic 3 for quality audio

The next item I’ll be bringing with me is the DJI Mic 3. That way, if I need really good audio, if I’m going to be doing some vlogging or some commentary, I’m going to have good audio. This can pair wirelessly directly to my Action 6 or my Osmo 360. I can even connect it to my smartphone if I do want better audio there as well.

On top of that, due to its built-in recording feature, I can use this just as a field recorder if I just want to capture audio only. It’s a nice simple way to get good audio. You don’t have to bring any receivers along with you, just the transmitter itself.

Extra batteries

And then of course some extra batteries for some of the gear. For my Osmo 360, I don’t film as much with it, so one battery is usually enough for a day of filming if I’m going to be filming with other cameras as well. Two extra batteries for the DJI Neo 2. And for my DJI Osmo Action 6, I usually only bring one spare battery with me. The Action 6 actually has a good amount of record time, so I find one spare battery is usually more than enough.

So yeah, that is my minimalist DJI travel kit when I’m out exploring. It’s pretty amazing how the gear has changed over the years, especially with something like the Neo 2. Being able just to bring a drone along with you in a small pack like this, whether you use it or not while you’re out exploring, it’s not inconvenient to bring along.

I’m curious to know what gear you would bring along with you. If there’s anything here that I’m missing that you think would be beneficial, let me know down in the comments.

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