Sugru Helmet Camera Mount (08/2022)
I had been wanting to attach an action camera to my Caberg Duke II helmet for a while but I was struggling to see how I was going to be able to do it. There are many examples of people attaching cameras to various locations on their helmets, but I couldn’t see how I was going to be able to do it with the mounts supplied with my Drift Ghost XL Pro camera.
My helmet is a flip-front design, which means the bit around the jaw can open so you can go into the shop to pay for petrol without having to take your helmet off. The design and shape of this helmet means that I have to flip the front to get it on – I can’t fit my head in it with the chin guard down. This meant that I couldn’t mount the camera in a way that prevented this operation. The release button is in the middle at the front of the chin guard, so I can’t mount it there (my preferred location), and I couldn’t mount it on the top because when the chin guard is lifted up, the visor covers the top. My only option was to mount it on the side, but due to the slope of the helmet the camera would not be parallel with my line of sight and it would also be rolled so the video wouldn’t be straight. Using the supplied mount I could only compensate for tilt, not these issues.
A few people had mentioned using Sugru to solve similar problems. Sugru is a mouldable glue which is a waterproof, heat and cold resistant, non-runny putty that has an open time of 30 minutes and sets into a silicone rubber after 12-24 hours. I had never heard of it before and it sounded too good to be true; I was sceptical but it was worth a shot…
I used the following items for this project:
- 3x 3.5g sachets of black Sugru
- 3mm Bungee Shock Cord (or equivalent to make tether)
- Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA)
- Scalpel
- Scissors
Framing Square
I first checked what angle I needed the mount to be. I then removed the adhesive from the supplied camera mount and made sure there wasn’t any remaining adhesive residue. I cleaned the mount and the side of the helmet with IPA. Sugru comes in little 3.5g airtight sachets, and I bought a pack of 3 from Amazon which I estimated would be more than enough – as it happened it was just enough… I worked the putty with my fingers and formed a wedge shape on the mount, then pressed it against the helmet and worked it until the angles were correct – the mount was plumb and parallel with my line of vision. Finally, I went round the edges of the Sugru with a scalpel to ensure they were as straight and neat as possible.
While I was waiting for the Sugru to set I made a tether for my camera. It’s always a good idea to have a tether because this way if the mount gives up you won’t lose your camera, and there’s no risk of it hitting a passing vehicle / person.
I was initially very sceptical about using Sugru for this application – an adhesive putty which sticks to smooth surfaces and cures to a flexible rubber, and can be removed without trace when no longer needed? Come on, as if that’s a thing. The first time I went out on my bike I was half expecting to be making use of my tether, however I have to say it performed flawlessly! I will definitely consider using Sugru for future projects, however considering that it is quite expensive (~£1/gram), I would only consider it for smaller niche applications like this one.
Update: The mount is still fine over 2 years and many thousands of miles later, riding in the city, countryside and on the motorway, in rain and shine!