Let me tell you, I love my GoPro Jaws Flex Clamp. Many anglers use this super versatile and solid mount, clamping it securely onto objects ranging in size from 0.25″ to 2″ in diameter (0.6 cm to 5 cm). The only weakness in my opinion is the short length of the flexible gooseneck, which led me on a quest to create my own DIY extension. Read on for full instructions, including the materials needed and important reminders for your own DIY gooseneck extension.
How to Extend Your GoPro Jaws Flex Clamp
My quest began while using the GoPro Jaws with my Garmin VIRB action camera for a fixed angle to film at night. Immediately, I found that I wanted the flexible gooseneck to be longer, so I could easily use one hand to adjust my camera angle on the fly. I examined the GoPro gooseneck and researched modular hose manufacturers to find the necessary supplies for my project. In particular, Loc-Line makes some suitable extension segments and a tool to clamp the segments of the flex hose together.
Materials for Your DIY Gooseneck Extension
One or two feet of 3/4″ ID Loc-Line Ball Socket Flexible Tube. Segments cost $6.59 per six-inch length.
Loc-Line 3/4″ Hose Assembly Pliers. A pair costs $12.97, and I would recommend getting them. You can complete the project without the special pliers, but it may be a pain—literally. You may accidentally hit yourself in the face, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
I also ordered some generic gooseneck clamps from Amazon to test against the original GoPro gooseneck. I really love modular products, so I wanted to see if the generic clamps would provide a suitable alternative. Unfortunately, the generic clamps are not as tight in the connections between segments.
In addition to the generic clamps I ordered some generic extension segments and tried to mix and match them with the Loc-Line hose segments. The mixed-and-matched segments didn’t fit well together, so you should stick with one supplier.
Overall, the original GoPro Jaws and the original Loc-Line segments worked the best. This setup is a great all-around mount, especially with the longer gooseneck. You can take your extended GoPro Jaws Flex Clamp just about anywhere and easily find an object to clamp it to.
Things to Remember with Your Extended GoPro Jaws
Watch Your Weight
Depending on the weight of the equipment you plan on mounting, you should test different lengths to see at what point it starts to tip over. The shorter you go, the more sturdy it is. The original GoPro Jaws has a 6-inch gooseneck—not including the clamp—and each segment is around 1 inch long, so figure out what you are trying to mount and test it out.
Go as tall as you need, but no more—this will ensure the maximum sturdiness of your mount. I use mine with the ZoomLight GoPro Mountable Flashlight and the Garmin VIRB XE, which together weigh about 13 ounces. I was able to extend them to around 18 inches in total (the original six-inch gooseneck plus a one-foot extension) before it started to become unbalanced. If you are mounting just one camera, you could go up to a total of 2 to 3 feet without worrying about it tipping over.
Use a Tether and Handle with Care
The main thing to be aware of is that the segments can pop off. It takes some force, but you can do it with your bare hands by bending the hose. If you’re bending the gooseneck when you bump into something hard, be aware that it could pop off. Also, be sure to tether the clamp if you are filming underwater shots.
This article by Rex DelRey DeGuzman originally appeared on LiveLiveNow.com.
Rex DelRey DeGuzman explains how to extend the gooseneck of your GoPro Jaws clamp mount. | Feature Photo: Rex DelRey DeGuzman/LiveLiveNow.com
