After King of the Hammers and planning for 100 Acre Wood Rally I realized that navigation off the grid was going to be important for shooting this type of racing going forward.
During my research I was looking for a tablet mount to use in multiple vehicles that would be in an easy to reach place as well as very stable during off road expeditions. I first looked into purchasing the RAM mount that attached to the passenger seat bracket bolt. I didn’t know if that would work very well for different vehicles because the floor to seat height varies in each vehicle. In the case of the Jeep from King of the Hammers, I don’t think it would have been tall enough to be in reach. I would also have to carry a wrench with me on trips to mount it which I did not find exciting.
After looking around unsuccessfully, I reached out to ProClip USA to ask if they had a solution for me to use in a variety of vehicles. They responded right away that they had a solution for me in the form of their 11″ Suction Cup Mount and iPad Holder. Since they are located right here in Madison, WI they invited me down to the shop for an install and to chat about their Humane Society benefit car show on June 22nd.
After arriving, I met with Derrick and we talked about my upcoming journey to Missouri to photograph the 100AW Rally and what I needed in the iPad mounting solution. He brought out the suction cup and iPad mount and had one of their product techs assemble and install it for me. After talking for a bit, they also offered a ProClip Center Mount for my phone as well, which would work great for every day use driving around town. I figured I could use it for the iPad also if the suction cup does not work out (more on that later). Here are some photos from the installation, which looked very easy, and very secure.
After the install, I tested out the phone mount and iPad suction cup mount for a few days driving around town and quickly realized that the suction cup mount was too intrusive for what I wanted. The suction cup blocked the windshield too much for the amount of driving I would be doing.
Without another solution and my trip fast approaching I disassembled the iPad mount from the suction cup and mounted it on the ProClip Center mount. This slightly blocked the radio and hazard lights, but it was perfect placement for what I needed. I used this mount on all of my offroad adventures in Missouri covering the 100 Acre Wood Rally, and it held up great. At first I did not have the center swivel screw tight enough so after several rough sections the iPad would not stay in place and would rotate out of the orientation I wanted. But a quick tighten with my multitool fixed that for the rest of the trip. The iPad mount worked excellent, and it was well within arms reach for navigating the narrow dirt tracks of the Ozarks. I plotted photo points, start and finish locations, and planned driving routes which would all be used offline.
As for the suction cup mount, I will definitely keep it around as I think it will be a great asset for a co-driver. When Taylor and I go offroading, we usually take her Forester and she drives while I navigate. My plan is to suction cup this to the passenger door window and have the iPad right in front of the passenger(me) for navigating off-grid. I will report back in the future on this method.
Overall the mounting system is very unique in the way it attaches between trim pieces with just tension and no adhesives or magnets. The iPad mount to the center console will be my go to mount for my personal vehicle and I will definitely be using the mount for my phone going forward. I will also be evaluating iPad mounting solutions for other vehicles in the future. I want to thank ProClip for hooking me up with the mounts and making the installation a breeze. Make sure to check them out for your mobile mounting solutions. Also, stay tuned for my post about when I attend their Car Show June 22nd in Madison, WI.
