I don't write many reviews of products, unless a product has either failed miserably to meet expectations, or has wildly exceeded expectations. The Fstop Labs [2018 Edition] 36 inch RC Drone Waterproof Collapsible Foldable Landing Pad falls into the latter category. There are a small handful of negative reviews here for this product - ignore them. I would give this product 10 stars if I could.
I was able to purchase a Mavic 2 Zoom on launch day, and received it just days before we left for a trip to Maui. I was concerned about the possibility of getting sand and other debris in the motors, so started looking for landing pads. After a lot of searching and comparing, I settled on this landing pad due to its size (36" diameter) and very reasonable price (under $20). I was expecting something similar to an automobile sun shade, but was blown away to find that the quality was MUCH better. The material is thicker and more robust, and the internal metal band is much wider and sturdier. When unfolded, it stretches out nice and tight. The printed heli-pad graphics appear to be high quality. The 36" version has 4 ground-stake tabs, and comes with 4 plastic stakes. And the whole setup folds neatly into the included storage/carry bag, which has a loop to easily latch onto your camera bag or whatever.
So for 11 days I launched almost exclusively from this landing pad (and landed, of course). The 36" diameter provides ample margin around the Mavic 2 to ensure that the downforce from the props won't kick up any debris. I set this up on the black sand beach and launched/landed with absolutely no sand kicked up. It was also useful on grass - the camera gimbal on the Mavic 2 is very close to the ground, and as such can be interfered with by the grass. This almost always results in a gimbal motor overload, which disables gimbal control (which can only be reset by rebooting the Mavic 2). But using this landing pad on the grass keeps the launch surface flat and the camera gimbal unimpeded.
The reversible colors (orange/black) was also handy. Mostly I use the bright orange side up, but while at the black sand beach, I opted to flip the pad over with the black side up so as to draw less attention (no bright orange spot sitting on a pretty black beach). This was a nice feature to have.
I never had to stake down the landing pad. While not heavy, it is sturdy enough to stay in place on the ground so long as it's not too windy. Of course I kept the stakes handy, but never had to use them (you could also very easily weight it down using a couple of small rocks around the perimeter in a pinch).
It also comes with adhesive reflective strips - while this is a nice addition, I'm not sure they're necessary and I didn't bother using them. I would imagine they won't stand up long to folding and unfolding of the pad anyway.
As far as I can tell, yes, the pad is waterproof, or at least water resistant. I laid it down on the wet lawn and the top stayed dry. Probably not a major feature either way, but nice to know.
Another nice bonus when used with the Mavic 2 - the bright orange and white surface makes precision landings quite reliable (the Mavic 2 uses downward facing cameras to land precisely over its original take-off point, as long as it can differentiate ground features).
All in all, I cannot say enough good things about this product. I recommend purchasing the "Prime Eligible" version to reduce risk of receiving a different product. I saw some reviews that indicate the product did not come with the stakes - all I can say is that mine have a sealed package of 4 stakes, so if you order and the stakes are missing, just contact the seller (you can also use aluminum tent stakes or similar).
| Manufacturer | Fstop Labs |
|---|---|
| Brand | Fstop Labs |
| Model | zip |
| Item Weight | 15.2 ounces |
| Package Dimensions | 14.13 x 12.99 x 2.2 inches |
| Item model number | RC Drone Landing Pad |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Manufacturer Part Number | NE-NW2Y-BYHT |
| Mirror Adjustment | rc |
| Lift Type | Manual |
