Hello,
I've looked around the forums and have sent a message to support to try to find a solution and have yet to find one so I want to see if anyone out there has come up with a solution to this problem.  The challenge I'm trying to overcome is to find a way to film myself snowboarding or other similar activities with active track while being able to have both hands free and safely stash the controller.  I have tried putting it in my back pack and also a fanny pack though the issue is random buttons being bumped while it's in the bag which will then start or stop recording ect.  If there were a toggle you could hit to keep the controller on and everying running the same though disable the buttons that would be a simple fix.  I hope there is a solution to this.  Has anyone figured out one?  There must be many other people out there who want to use this feature without having to hold the controller while doing their activity.  Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.  

For starters, remove and stash the sticks, you'll have less chances of them being accidentally bumped.
That said , unless you own that slope, you'd be probably violating about a dozen FAA rules attempting what you're trying to do. Just saying ;)

In the past for something similar (NOT for self-tracking, but for a piece of similarly sensitive equipment) I used
1) front pouch pocket of my parka, optionally with extra cushiony wrapping
2) a little external small pouch/bag hanging from my neck on a strap and also secured around by mid-body with a sort of elastic band so it does not move much. I made that one myself. Cushiony wrapping as needed.

there's an easy (but expensive) solution, it's called a skydio.  this is just my opinion but what you are asking for may be possible but it is risky for the standpoint that much can go wrong which could end up with damage or someone getting hurt AND it's too difficult to repeat even if you get limited success.  you can pickup a used skydio and beacon for about a $1000 and you would be shocked at what it can do.  i would go so far as to say if you figure out how to do it and you head to the slopes for the day, you're probably not coming back with your drone in one piece.  the bottom line is the m3 is simply not ready for extended self-filming high action activities; there's a reason why you don't see those yt videos.

I think what you need is some kind of harness strapped on. You might be better building one than looking for one for sale . You could opt to use third party. I think M3 could be good for this sport.

hallmark007 Posted at 2-4 11:15
I think what you need is some kind of harness strapped on. You might be better building one than looking for one for sale . You could opt to use third party. I think M3 could be good for this sport.

That would be better than holding it but still in the way for doing sports like snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, ect.  I really wish there was just a way to disable the controller buttons while still having it running and active track going.  

Commet Posted at 2-4 16:45
That would be better than holding it but still in the way for doing sports like snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking, ect.  I really wish there was just a way to disable the controller buttons while still having it running and active track going.

Mountain bike plenty of RC holders for bikes. There is no way to stop buttons and you’d probably need a button to turn them back on which might defeat the purpose. But I have seen skiers using chest mounts for RC while tracking.

DarthSLR Posted at 2-4 09:55
For starters, remove and stash the sticks, you'll have less chances of them being accidentally bumped.
That said , unless you own that slope, you'd be probably violating about a dozen FAA rules attempting what you're trying to do. Just saying ;)

Taking the sticks off is a good idea.  I have the RC pro and the most common thing to be bumped is the start/stop recording button on top.

Regarding the FAA rules.  From what I can see looking into the regulations is it can't be in a congressionally designated wilderness and obviously not within the boundary of a ski resort without permission.  

hallmark007 Posted at 2-4 16:51
Mountain bike plenty of RC holders for bikes. There is no way to stop buttons and you’d probably need a button to turn them back on which might defeat the purpose. But I have seen skiers using chest mounts for RC while tracking.

True I have seen those handlebar holders but again not really for any amount of technical mountain biking where falls are possible and pretty likely.  I'd be pretty worried about the controller being damaged if attached to the handle bars.  For gentle trail rides or road biking that would work though.  

Yes you would need a button to turn them back on.  The RC pro has extra buttons which can be programmed.  If it were possible to set one of these as the disable toggle or some type of combination of buttons that had to be held for a few seconds could be a good way to do it.  I got a response back from DJI and currently there is no such feature though they said they would look into it as a possibility for future firmware updates.  

Having a separate person control the drone will end up with better shots though anyway so I guess I just need to teach a few of my friends how to fly it too if I want any videos of myself.  

I appreciate all the quick replies and discussion from everyone here.  I'll have to look around and see what else I can learn here.  

I think Skydio is probably best suited for that.

Would it not be simpler to get another drone pilot to film your activities while you concentrate on your performance?

I'd be wary of anything strapping the controller to your body or neck, a fall could result in the controller cracking ribs or worse and a neck strap could strangle you or break your neck.

Blériot53 Posted at 2-5 01:21
Would it not be simpler to get another drone pilot to film your activities while you concentrate on your performance?

sometimes it isn't possible to use a spotter or someone else to film your activities.  this isn't me, but i have a skydio and i only wish i could make a video half as good as this one:
  

The Saint Posted at 2-5 10:26
sometimes that isn't possible
https://youtu.be/M1dbuVqDoVc

Pretty spectacular. Not sure I could even negotiate the bike down the hill, much less control a drone at the same time :]

The Saint Posted at 2-5 10:26
sometimes that isn't possible
https://youtu.be/M1dbuVqDoVc

Absolutely fantastically made video. Much enjoyable to watch and must have been a lot of fun making.

another couple of examples (videos not mine).  when the m3 can do this, it will truly be a spectacular drone:

What about a small plastic container with lid and some foam glued in the right places to put pressure on the bits you can touch but leave the bits you can't touch free??

Blériot53 Posted at 2-5 01:21
Would it not be simpler to get another drone pilot to film your activities while you concentrate on your performance?

Yes it would be, not really the point of the post though

The Saint Posted at 2-5 10:26
sometimes it isn't possible to use a spotter or someone else to film your activities.  this isn't me, but i have a skydio and i only wish i could make a video half as good as this one:
  https://youtu.be/M1dbuVqDoVc

That's exactly the type of video I'm trying to capture.  With the improvement in obstacle avoidance a wide open area like that or large widely spaced out trees should be no problem for the M3.  It's the controller issue that's holding it back.  I feel this is a big oversight in design.  You would imaging the whole point of active track is for self filming and who wants a bunch of videos of yourself holding a controller or the limitation it creates.  

The Saint Posted at 2-5 12:50
another couple of examples (videos not mine).  when the m3 can do this, it will truly be a spectacular drone:

https://youtu.be/3Dd32yaoqW0

I totally agree.  I understand the reasons for optical based following though it seems it would be ideal to also have a locator beacon to be held by the subject.  This would also give you the option to adjust the home location to the subject being filmed.  This would eliminate the issue with wanting to start filming in one location and end in another without the risk of the drone flying back to the start if signal is lost.  I had a pretty terrible experience with this snowboarding recently where signal was lost and the drone flew back to the home point as it was programmed too.  Unfortunately I didn't foresee that happening and I ended up having to hike back up a very steep slope again after a already long day to retrieve the drone.  I've found there are a lot of logistics when trying to do this and I learn a few lessons each time.  

The Saint Posted at 2-5 12:50
another couple of examples (videos not mine).  when the m3 can do this, it will truly be a spectacular drone:

https://youtu.be/3Dd32yaoqW0

That second video the drone followed amazingly.  I've jogged through tight trees and tried to lose the M3 and it does quite well with that aside from having to hold the controller.  

Bussty Posted at 2-5 16:35
What about a small plastic container with lid and some foam glued in the right places to put pressure on the bits you can touch but leave the bits you can't touch free??

This is actually a great idea.  I've thought about some type of hard case but not about the custom padding to avoid button presses.  I might have to look into making something like this.  

Hi, I am, quite frankly, very surprised that this isn't a key issue that lots of people are talking about, namely: how can I film myself using a drone while my controller is temporarily packed away. In other words, making it look as if I am being filmed rather than filming myself. I had exactly your issue with sensitive buttons being pressed while my controller was in my pack, mainly switching the recording off and wasting shots and time. In regulation terms clearly one must be able to control the drone at all times, which would mean having the controller to immediate hand when required. So, use my solution at your discretion! I have made a padded foam sleeve for the front end of the controller, so I can insert it (sticks off) that has two openings at either side of the front, with free space around the L and R finger buttons. I get the drone flying and recording, apply the sleeve, pop it in my pack, walk, run, bike, ski, etc. while being followed and recorded. Job done, enjoy!

It ain't pretty but it works a treat.

It's made of carpet underlay if you were wondering, glued together with spray adhesive. First thing that came to hand and it's lasted - carefully looked after - for a number of recordings so far.

Imho you just need 2 straps. One over the neck strap, and another one elastic over your back / body , so the controller stays in place. I got both of these straps from Amazon and will be trying this setup once it gets warm for my bicycle riding. I think it's best to have your controller in front of you in case you need to make adjustments to the drone following you in ActiveTrack. There are trees with bare branches, there are power lines, gotta watch out for those as even Skydio won't cover crashes due to hitting those. Imho Mavic 3 is pretty good at ActiveTrack, not as good as Skydio, but it's still pretty good. The only thing is if there are a lot of obstacles around you, like a tree canopy, you may need to slow down as the drones sometimes like to take its time to think out the best path to avoid those obstacles. Skydio is a bit faster when avoiding obstacles, but Skydio does not have 10 bit video / HLG, so I prefer to use Mavic 3 for ActiveTrack / follow me mode.