Highly Recommended GoPro mounts and accessories

So you've just bought a GoPro and wondering what kind of accessories you will need? This post is just for you. I've given a brief detailing of various popular mounts available and their purpose. Depending on your need and usage you can pickup a few of these.

I bought my GoPro via GoPro.com 2 years ago. [My Original Experience here] as it wasn't available in India except for few amazon sellers reselling illegally. Recently Reliance Digital is reportedly appointed as re-seller and Sterio Vision was also appointed as distributor an year ago [Details]

Photos from Flipkart Indiblogger Outdoors meet Feb 2016 where lots of action cameras were put to test.

If you've not bought your GoPro/Action camera yet, do read this post before buying. GoPro FAQs are covered here.

Below table lists 15 different GoPro accessories, their purpose and approx cost.

#	Item	Used for	Approx Price	Things to remember
1	Head Mount	Positioned on the forehead for hands free shooting	Rs 350	May not be convenient if you've to wear a helmet too.
2	Helmet Mount	For use on a helmet, ideal for bikers, para-gliders etc	Rs 700
3	Selfie Stick		Rs 300-600	No brainier. Opt for a strong one. Cheapest ones will fail soon n risk your camera too
4	3 Way Mount	Similar to selfie stick but instead of extending in length, this one can be tilted in different angles	Rs 1400	Comes with a tripod, can be used instead of selfie stick. Bit delicate and relatively expensive
5	Suction Mount	Holds on to a flat surface like windshield	Rs 300-Rs 3000	Price varies by diameter (larger the diameter or radius, higher the holding power) Sometimes can fail unexpectedly. If mounted outside a car, one should keep an eye
6	Handlebar Mount	Can be fixed on bike handlebars, boat rails or other pipe like objects	Rs 600	Ideal for bikers
7	Extra Battery and Charger		Rs 3000	If used continuously, GoPro battery will die in couple of hours. With two batteries and heavily rationed usage (switching off when not needed etc) I am able to manage from morning to evening
8	Chest Mount (Body Strap)	Takes video at chest level	Rs 500 to 3000	Ideal when head/hand or other mounts are not viable
9	Wrist Mount	Mount on your wrist, operate/rotate with other hand	Rs 400	Good if your hands are free to position and click
10	Adhesive mount		Comes with box	Very minimal usage-a few come standard with the box. Moderate reliability and very little re-usability
11	Gorilla tripod	Useful for hanging from random stuff.	Rs 400 to 4000	Won’t be stable on a moving car/bike
12	Dog collar Mount	A customized version of chest & head mount for use on pet animals	Rs 4000	To get a dog's perspective
13	Surf Board mount	Can be clipped to the edge of surf boards	Rs 1750
14	Floating Mount	Helps GoPro float in water-useful for water adventures Useful during snorkeling, swimming and other water activities	Rs 400	Take care to ensure that it stays connected,while using in running waters Check online and buy here
15	Gimbal	Stabilizes shakes and ensures smooth video by stabilizing movement on 3 axis	Rs 2000-20000	Can be very expensive but useful if you're into lots of video shooting
16	Misc- Drone Mic etc	Drone for Areial view Mic for extra sound capture	1 lakh approx	Drones are illegal in India as of now

Note: Price is indicative, taken from Amazon.in at the time of drafting this post- may vary depending on brand, selling site, offers, time and so on.

Combo deals are often offered clubbing 3 or more of above items- go for it if you need all items included in the combo.

Few mounts explained in little detail
1. Head Mount: I've used this extensively. 
Check some sample videos- JetSki ride in Goa * Auto Driving in Chennai

2. Selfie Stick & 3 Way mount
Most common mount for regular tourists. Below shot during hot air balloon ride is clicked using 3 Way mount (though not visible in the pic). Longer sticks will give more wider perspective.
3. Joby Action Clamp GoPro stand that I had picked up in Singapore earlier this year- Can be fitted to bikes, edges etc. Check a sample video here.

4. Suction Mount
I have a cheap one bought online- which works but not 100% reliable. I use it very occasionally during car drivers, to mount the camera on the windshield. If the surface is not clean and flat, within minute the grip may fail and camera may fall off. There are many expensive models, which might be more capable. Strength is often decided by surface area of the suction cup. Holders with 3 different legs with suction cups are also available.

Check my Youtube channel for more videos

What kind of accessories do I need?

This largely depends on what you intend to do with your GoPro. To make it simple, I have drawn 3 typical profiles- see where you best fit in

Profile	Description	Typical Needs	Accessories to buy
Regular tourist with occasional mild adventures	Visits places of tourist interests, occasionally indulges in mild activities like boat rides, para sailing etc	1 Selfie 2 Wide Angle pic of attraction 3 Hands free capture during activities 4 Short videos	Selfie Stick/3 Way mount Head Mount Extra Batteries and charger
Road Tripper	Often goes on long rides or drives with other bikers or friends	1 Capture the journey and nature 2 Extra battery life for multi day trips 3 Camera should not fall off	High Quality Suction Mount Handlebar Mount Extra batteries, Charger and power bank
Extreme Adventure Sports	Skydiving, Surfing, Racing and such extreme sports/adventure activities	1 Need to shoot the adventure action from different perspectives 2 Need to get it right first time, second try may not be viable	Buy additional cameras for shooting the action from multiple perspectives Head/Helmet Mount Chest Mount And more mounts specific to adventure sport you indulge.

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Related: GoPro Mount warranty claim experience * Action Camera Battle- GoPro vs Sony vs Polaroid *