DIY car window mount for scope (1 Viewer)

There have been a few threads about car window mounts for scopes but having searched for a suitable mount for my car/scope combination I couldn't really find anything that looked like it would work for me. My car has rather low slung seats and I felt that typical window clamps would result in my scope being positioned too high. Being somewhat clumsy I was also paranoid about shattering the car window.

So I decided to try to make my own from bits of wood I found in the garage. It's a bit crude but it actually works very well. Hopefully the pics convey the idea. It was important that it could accommodate the weight of my scope and tripod head hanging off the "shelf" without the whole thing being unstable or wobbling. The crucial bit of wood that goes down the outside of the door has some microfibre cloth attached to it to avoid scratching the paintwork.

There are a few downsides. It requires a hide clamp to attach the scope to the "shelf" and it will obviously only fit the vehicle it is made for. It also require a means of angling the eyepiece towards me which is no problem with my scope. When I get round to making v2 I will make the "shelf" a bit thicker since it flexes a little and is the main weak point. But overall I have been very pleased with it considering it cost me nothing to make and my woodworking skills are somewhat crude to put it mildly. I use it regularly at a local car park that provides an ideal spot for seawatching at all times of year as well as scanning the local beaches and saltmarshes for waders. It is very quick and easy to set up and because the window is fully open I also have no difficulty using my camera form the normal seated position. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has any suggestions to improve the design for v2.

Hi Andrea,
Very interesting post with images.
Could you please tell me which tripod head you are using ?
I have similar set up but with a velbron centre which is not really stable.
Your system looks very stable.
Thank you
Andrew

The tripod head is a Benro BWH4. It came as part of the Benro Wild 2 tripod kit. Whilst I do like the head, the four section tripod legs aren't quite so good so I'm on the lookout for something to replace them.

The weakest point in my car window mount is actually the horizontal shelf that the hide clamp attaches to. It's too skinny and flexes a little so needs replacing with something sturdier.

Hi Andrea,

Thank you very much for the reply.

All comments noted.

Andrew