Drones 101:  Elevate Your Game with Awesome Aerial Camping Images

Aerial imagery (both still and video) can give your camping snapshots serious dramatic impact by providing a bird’s eye point of view of your subject.  Whether you want to take an image of your small travel trailer from 200 feet up looking straight down on it or capture a coastal view from the air, a small drone can easily provide this capability.  Just remember to check the local rules before you launch to make sure your drone flight is legal and safe.  Although drones are prohibited at all National Parks in the United States, there are still many camping locations where drones are allowed.

I’ve personally built and flown numerous drones over the past five years (from very large to small) and my favorite recommendation thus far for anyone who wants a drone for their small travel trailer adventures is the DJI Mavic Mini (or Mavic Mini 2).  I like this drone the most because it is very small (folds up and fits into a very small travel case), is very quiet (discreet when flying), has very long flight time on a single battery (around 30 minutes), and is extremely stable and easy to fly.  You do need to verify that your smartphone is compatible with the Mavic Mini as it’s necessary to run the flight software used to fly the drone.  Most modern smartphones will be compatible, but it’s easy to check online on various websites or by contacting DJI directly.  As a side note, DJI support has been excellent.  My first Mavic Mini had a malfunction and flew into a mountain and DJI replaced the drone after analyzing the flight data.  I was flying at a very high altitude location in the mountains (around 8,000 feet above sea level) which may have been a factor.

There are a lot of Mavic Mini reviews and videos online, so I won’t give a full review here.  I’ll just say that the Mavic Mini is very easy to fly and uses GPS to provide a very precise flying experience.  The flight software also checks to see if drones are legal and safe to fly at your location and will warn you if there are any issues.  Additionally, if one gets into trouble, the Mavic Mini can come back to you with just a push of the “return to home” failsafe button.  The drone can also auto takeoff and land.  And, features like battery indicator showing remaining flight time and continuous video feed (allowing first person view flying from the phone screen) make for a tremendous flying experience.

The Mavic Mini is a fantastic drone for taking photos and video.  The 2.7K high resolution drone camera is mounted on a three-axis motorized gimbal which keeps the camera stabilized at all times (with the exception of strong winds).  This means that images and video will be super sharp.  And taking still images or video is as simple as tapping on a button on the drone’s flight controller.  Once your drone has landed, the images / video can be instantly viewed and downloaded onto the smartphone and, if desired, uploaded to Instagram (providing mobile data is available).

I recommend getting the Mavic Mini (Original or 2) in the “fly more combo” package which comes with three battery packs.  If price isn’t a factor, the Mavic Mini 2 is the most recent version and has many improvements which include ability to fly in heavier wind and longer range.  But, even the original Mavic Mini (which I own) will be more than capable for taking awesome aerial images and video.

I always make sure to fully charge the batteries and load the Mavic Mini into our Scamp (in a storage compartment over dinette) before we leave on any trip.  When I arrive at the campsite, I always ask neighbors around our trailer if it would be ok if I made a short flight to take some aerial images of our trailer and campsite (assuming flights are allowed at the campground).  I’ve never encountered anyone objecting and I also usually offer to email campground neighbors aerial images of their trailers too after the flight (many fellow campers are really pleased when I do this).  Before I fly, I scout out the area and think about what types of images would be interesting.  I make sure there is very little wind since the Mavic Mini is very light (less than 250 grams and, in turn, exempt from FAA registration).  I often like views of our Scamp from a side down angle and ones looking straight down onto the Scamp from directly above.  I also like views looking across a big meadow at the Scamp if that’s available (or using tall mountains as a backdrop).  Another interesting viewpoint is from out over the ocean / lake looking back at the campground.  There are so many possibilities with aerial photography!  Give it a try and experiment.  Most importantly though, always fly safely and be respectful of the laws, campground rules, neighbors (including animals), and your surroundings.

I try to leave a small footprint when I fly – meaning, I don’t fly too low above anyone or campsites to keep noise from being an issue and I try to make sure the drone isn’t too visible (which is easy since the Mavic Mini is so small and quiet).   I always make sure the area is safe to fly and there are no major or hidden obstacles (like wires) which could be a problem.  Although I monitor my flight time, the Mavic Mini will let you know when it’s time to return to base.  When I’m done for the day, I usually fully recharge my batteries with our Jackery 500 inside the Scamp (this can take some time).

If you are careful and follow the above guidelines, you will no doubt be rewarded with some very dramatic imagery which will be sure to impress!

Click to Buy Original Mavic Mini – Fly More Combo with 3 Batteries

Click to Buy Mavic Mini 2  Fly More Combo with 3 Batteries

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.