Whether you’re a professional, documenting their travel blog, or just a casual adventure seeker looking to snap stunning aerial photographs or aerial videos in the mountains, the possibilities with a great drone are vastly within the limits of your imagination.

These revolutionary gadgets provide you a bird’s eye view of places and allow you to capture unique perspectives you haven’t seen before, this is the reason why drone piloting is increasing its popularity among adventurers and hikers alike!

When looking for the best drone, you need to look for a drone that is designed for your intended use.

So you might be here wondering, which is the best hiking drone or travel drone in the market today? Good thing we did make our research for you to come up with the following list! 

In coming up with this list, we took into consideration the things we think that would matter the most when you’re out there hiking and exploring the unknowns like the size of the drone, its camera and video quality, battery life, flight time, range, safety features and more.

If you’re interested to know more about it, keep reading as we provide you with the best drone for hiking, to help you decide which of these drones suits you best!

Best Drone for Hiking 

1. DJI Mavic Mini 

Product Description

Mavic Mini is considered to be one of the best drones for hiking due to its compact design. It is the smallest and lightest DJI drone ever made.

This mini drone weighs under 250 grams, just as much as an average smartphone (and that includes the batteries and propellers already).

DJI also did a great job in incorporating other great features in this compact design including a 2.7K high-quality camera on a 3-axis gimbal, GPS system, 1 /2.3” CMOS Sensor, powerful motors that can speed it up to 29mph, and an altitude of 1.86 miles!

This is one of our favorite drones considering its great advanced features built-in a quality compact design by a reputable brand such as DJI.

Aside from hiking drones, this can also be a great companion drone for backpacking and traveling! 

Key Features:

Dimension: 5.5×3.2×2.2 in. (Folded)

Flight time: 30 mins max flight time 

Built-in Camera: 12 MP 

Video: 2.7 HD Video quality 

Range: 4 kilometers

Pros

• Portable drone
• Long battery life 
• Max Altitude hold of 1.86 miles
• Easy recording and editing of videos
• Portable charger 

Cons

• A little bit pricey
• Does not include a carrying bag 

2. DJI MAVIC PRO 2

Product Description

The DJI Mavic Pro 2 is probably one of the most popular compact drones for pros and drone enthusiasts!

Although in recent years, Other drones have come up with their own product lines that offer equally good features and designs at a more affordable price segment, the DJI Mavic Pro 2 remains popular.

This is considered one of the best hiking drones and travel drones for many as it offers exceptional aerial photography and aerial video quality with its 4K camera mounted on a 3-axis gimbal for added stability, great for outdoor environments!

The camera features Hasselblad’s Natural Color Solution technology with a 1” large CMOS sensor that delivers aerial shots with stunning color details even in a low light setting.

In terms of added features, DJI drones stand out from the competition. It has probably one of the best features like obstacle avoidance, return to home, pre-programmed intelligent flight modes, active track, and many more. 

This drone can definitely deliver amazing and fantastic results!

Key Features:

Dimension: 8.4×3.6×3.3 in. (Folded)

Flight time: 31 mins max flight time 

Built-in Camera: 20 MP 

Video: 4k HD Video 

Range: 8 kilometers

Pros

• Foldable and compact design
• Max altitude of 1.86miles
• 44 mph flight speed
• Long battery life 
• 1” CMOS Sensor

Cons

• Smart Remote controller sold separately 

3. GoPro Karma with HERO6 Black

Product Description

The GoPro Karma with HERO6 Black is another personal favorite. Its design is so versatile, you can detach the main camera and use it as your handheld camera whenever necessary. 

An innovative design to switch from drone to handheld conveniently using the popular GoPro cameras. Attach the camera on the Karma Grip for stability and you’re all set! No need to switch from a drone to your smartphone with this kind of setup.

This is one of the best drones for backpacking and hiking adventurers, at the same time GoPro lovers!

Key Features:

Dimension: 11.89 x 17.32 x 5.91 inches

Flight time: 20 mins max flight time 

Camera: GoPro

Video: GoPro

Range: 1 km

Pros

• Foldable and compact design
• Detachable GoPro HERO6 main camera which can be used as a handheld camera
• Has capability to upgrade to upcoming GoPro cameras without changing the drone body itself
• Don’t need to buy a camera separately if you have an existing GoPro 
• Versatile Karma GoPro camera, ideal for the outdoor adventures
• With lightweight case included

Cons 

• Some are not that fan of its Fish eye effect

4. YUNEEC BREEZE 4K

Product Description

If you’re not the extreme type of adventurer and just want a drone to capture moments worth remembering, the YUNEEC BREEZE 4K fits the job. 

It packs all the basic drone features for hiking, it has obstacle avoidance features for both outdoor environments and indoor settings, has intelligent flight controls and flight modes to make your shots look professional, auto land & auto return home features, to name a few.

This mini drone shoots ultra high definition 4K aerial videos and 13-megapixel photos, so you can get really creative with this. 

It was designed for the average consumer, no drone flight experience is needed, just pop it out of its carrying case and it’s ready to fly.

A few downsides, its range and time are fairly limited. 

Key Features:

Dimension: 11.02 x 8.66 x 3.1 inches 

Flight time: 12 min flying time  

Built-in Camera: 13MP

Video: 4K Ultra HD

Range: 100 meter 

Pros

•  Reasonable price 
• Compact and foldable design
• Easy to use, no drone flight experience needed
• Has indoor and outdoor positioning system for obstacle avoidance
• Weighs under 1 pound
• No need for a remote control 

Cons 

• Short flying and control range 
• Limited flying time

5. Teeggi M71 Foldable Drone  

Product Description

The Teeggi M71 Foldable Drone made it to this list basically due to its price point. 

Not everyone would want to spend that much just to snap some basic photos and videos for an upcoming trip for example. 

This drone can provide an acceptable 1080P HD quality which is not bad by today’s standards.

This drone may be ideal for beginners but don’t underestimate the technology in it. 

It has a cool feature: a dual-camera setup, it has an optical flow positioning system to achieve precise hovering and stable flight, gesture modes for taking photos/video, ability to be controlled through a smartphone, to name a few.

Key Features:

Dimension: 23*23*5.5 cm/9*9*2.1 inch 

Flight time: 15 min flying time  

Built-in Camera: 1080p (front), 480p (bottom)

Range: 60 meter 

Pros

• Compact drone and foldable 
• Acceptable 1080P HD Camera
• 90-degree camera adjustment
• Ideal for beginners and kids
• Affordable price

Cons 

• Not the best quality camera

6. Autel Robotics EVO Foldable Drone

 

Product Description

Although not the top-of-mind brand when we hear of drones, the Autel Robotics EVO Foldable Drone has features that can match the industry leaders. 

First of all, this drone can fly for 30 mins straight which is above average in its class, it can capture stunning 4K 60 fps video smoothly with the help of a built-in 3-axis gimbal, and the flight range on this is exceptional at 4.3 miles, perfect drone for hiking! 

The Autel EVO Foldable Drone is equipped with satellite positioning systems and ultrasonic sensors which helps in precise flight control and obstacle avoidance.

The package includes 2 extra batteries so you have ample time to capture precious moments. 

Key Features:

Dimension: 12.5 x 11 x 10.5 inches 

Flight time: 30 min flying time  

Built-in Camera: 12MP photos 

Video: 4k HD video 

Range: 4.3 miles (7 kilometers) 

Pros

• Great video and great camera quality 
• Compact foldable design 
• Long-lasting battery life 

Cons 

• A little heavy in weight compared to others on the list (7.35 pounds)

7. DJI Mavic air 

Product Description

Coming from the success of the DJI Mavic Pro line for the demanding professional consumers and the DJI Spark for the more casual users, the company came up to bridge the gap between the two product lines to come up with the DJI Mavic Air. 

Portability is where it stands out. Like other recent DJI product lines, the Mavic Air is also foldable, the camera is slightly pushed back within the body for a more compact look, even the controller was redesigned to be more portable by removing the joysticks. 

Everything with this drone was designed with portability in mind without compromising on the photo and video quality output.

Key Features:

Dimension: 6.5 x 1.57 x 3.24 inches

Flight time: 21min flying time  

Camera: 12MP photos 

Video: 4k HD video 

Pros

• Captures 32MP sphere panoramas 
• Compact and foldable design
• Weighs 15.2 ounces only
• 85-degree field of view angle
• Foldable remote controller

Cons 

• Pricey

What To Look For When Buying Hiking Drones

1. Size and Weight

The best drone for hiking should be portable, lightweight, and compact enough to fit in your backpack together with your hiking gear! 

Ever heard of the phrase “travel light”? It’s a must if you intend to take on adventures as stress will eventually take its toll every hour you spend moving around. 

2. Flight time / Battery life 

One of the most important basic considerations but often overlooked is the battery life which translates to the drone’s flight time.

The best drone for hiking should have enough flight time to be able to maximize its features efficiently and be able to capture the great outdoors.

Most top-end drone flight time can last up to 30 minutes. It is best to always bring a spare battery to avoid the inconvenience of charging often. 

3. High-quality camera 

This is probably the topmost key factor when choosing the best hiking drones. It is after all the main purpose of acquiring a drone – to document your adventures and preserve those precious memories. 

Nowadays, HD quality is becoming the substandard for camera configuration, Ultra HD or 4K quality is becoming the norm. 

Especially when we’re talking about bird’s eye view, it has to be as sharp and as crisp as possible since you’ll be viewing subjects panoramically at far away distances.

4. Flight Range 

Having a wide flight range is like having a larger viewing angle because it instantly stretches your field of view conveniently from where you are without having to change locations every now and then. 

It’s also safe for your investment, which means you don’t have to worry much that your drone might encounter some signal issues or range-related problems along the way which may prevent it from coming back.

5. Safety Feature 

The best drones for hiking should include safety features such as GPS and return to home functions. 

It helps prevent a drone from getting lost especially when problems occur such as loss of connection, low battery, etc. 

Final Verdict: Which Should You Buy?

So have you decided on which of these best hiking drones suits your needs? 

Let me give you some recommendations. If you’re looking for the overall best bang for the buck with emphasis on camera quality and portability, the Autel Robotics EVO Foldable Drone is a good choice. 

Though a little heavy in terms of its weight, It probably has one of the best camera quality in its price range and the package comes with 2 extra batteries with 30mins flight time for each.

But in terms of overall versatility especially in extreme settings, the GoPro Karma with HERO6 is a great choice. The camera itself is detachable for handheld usage so you don’t have to switch to your smartphone or other handheld camera devices every so often. 

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