Starting to get to grips with the Mini 3, very impressive piece of kit & I’m looking forward to taking it out into the wild shortly.
Question though - are landing mats useful? I can see the benefit in that it gives the drone a clear & precise take off point, but do many (non pro) people actually use one?
If so, which one?
Thanks.
They can be useful in longish grass or on sand. They might need pegging down. I use a dog cooling mat. Small enough to put on my bag and heavy enough not to need pegs.
The more experienced flyers all advocate hand-catching. I am too much of a novice so I have 2 which I interchange depending on conditions. Happy with both…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B08BJ45CKX?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_image
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B098SSDWXD?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
The 2nd folds up smaller but is heavier.
Have a look here, the search top right is a good tool 
I hand catch all the time. Saves carrying around another piece of equipment.
@milkmanchris got me in to hand takeoff and landing right at the start of my drone journey.
It was a bit nerve wracking the first couple of times but well worth the effort.
I did do the “grab it and turn it upside down” a few times but then got the confidence to land into my outstretched palm.
As mentioned above, it’s one less piece of kit to carry.
Hand launch, hand catch. Once you’ve done it once or twice it’s second nature. Saves expense and carrying extra kit. Plus it’s quicker/better for sneaky wee sites that “don’t allow drones”
I find them very useful, though more so for my Mavic 3, prefer to hand catch my Mini 3 Pro.
Mini 3 Pro is only little, it’s overkill to use a landing mat for it. Very easy to just land it on your hand.
My Mavic 2 Air does this, but my Mini 2 doesn’t. Readers are advised to check correct technique for their drone(s).
Further, my Mini 2 takes off from a bounce in the hand and the Air 2 does not.
I’ve got one it’s in the back of the car, got it when I got my drone and it’s been there since lol.
I always hand launch/land it’s quicker and easier.
just to add a few pennies worth of info from my experiance.
I have used landing mats in the past and as mentioned above great for long grass / sand etc but do learn to hand land / take off but a bit of advice I can give on this is get a lanyard for your controller as you will help you keep control of the controller when you do the power up for take off and then you also don’t need to worry about dropping it.
One less thing to worry about really - plenty of cheep lanyard options available on Amazon and other sites - defo a top bit of kit to have
I think they’re definitely a ‘yea’ when starting out (long grass, uneven ground, sand, if it’s wet, etc, etc). As others have said, once you get comfortable enough flying the drone, give hand-catching a try. It might take a few attempts to get the hang of it, but if you can crack it there’s really no going back.
Edit:
I have one like this. It did the job.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CYH-Universal-Waterproof-Portable-Helicopter/dp/B09PFYRHYB
I have a couple as the kids or family have bought them as gifts for xmas etc.
I fly a mixture of FPV and Camera drones.
Mini Pro - I tend to hand catch on most occasions and launch from almost anywhere.
Fpv & DJI Fpv - I tend to use ground if its flat and clear, hand with the DJI fpv and quite often have used an old car matt that I keep handy in the boot of my car.
I have one but have never used it. I take of from my hard case, and hand land.
I use a car mat if I’m near the car otherwise hand catch/takeoff 99% of the time. 
That’s never occurred to me. I like that idea.
I have only hand launched & caught from my first drone flight until now, truth be told I’ve only flown it about 4 times so far but I find using my hand very easy!
Use one as it is very compact.
However another option is to grab the car mat from the back (or front) and put that on the grass - the rear ones tend to be loose, but the front ones are often anchored down.
My hands do not go as flat as I would like to hand catch etc. However often I will just use a pavement or similar.
Had one, hardly used it, gave it away.
For a Mini drone, nay, for anything bigger, yea. Hand catch and take off.