The $85 GoPro Mouth Mount vs. the $15 Chest Harness
“I spent $85 on a mount that requires me to bite down and drool while kiteboarding. The chest harness costs $15, gives stable footage, and lets me breathe like a normal human being. The footage angle is slightly different. My jaw thanks me.”
GoPro Bite Mount + Floaty (Official Accessory)
3,432 reviews
Pros
- +Official GoPro accessory — guaranteed compatibility
- +Floaty catches the camera if you drop it
- +POV footage looks incredible — exactly eye level
Cons
- -You bite down on it. With your mouth. While kiteboarding.
- -Jaw gets tired after 10 minutes
- -You drool. A lot. You become a drooling camera holder.
- -$85 to clench your jaw and drool
Sametop Chest Mount Harness for GoPro
21,345 reviews
Pros
- +Straps to your chest — completely hands-free (and mouth-free)
- +Adjustable fit over wetsuits and life vests
- +Stable footage — less shake than head or mouth mounts
- +21,000 reviews at 4.5 stars
- +$15 — the GoPro itself cost 30x more
Cons
- -Chest-level POV instead of eye-level
- -Can slip if straps aren't tight enough
- -You look like a tactical operator (not necessarily a con)
The Story
I wanted to film my kiteboarding sessions at Crandon Park. I watched YouTube videos of pros with insane POV footage and saw they were using mouth mounts. 'That's the shot,' I thought. 'I need that angle.'
The GoPro Bite Mount arrived, and it's exactly what it sounds like: you bite down on a silicone mouthpiece attached to your camera. Like a football mouthguard, but with a $400 camera hanging off it.
First session: I bit down, launched my kite, started riding. The footage was incredible for about 8 minutes until my jaw started cramping. I'm a Salesforce developer, not a professional jaw athlete. My masseter muscle was not conditioned for this.
By minute 12, I was drooling uncontrollably. Saltwater plus jaw fatigue plus wind equals a drool situation that would embarrass a Great Dane. I wiped out, lost the bite mount (the floaty saved it), and sat on the beach massaging my jaw like I'd just left the dentist.
The next session, I wore the Sametop chest harness. Strapped it over my vest in 30 seconds. Rode for two hours. Zero jaw pain. Zero drooling. The footage is from chest level instead of eye level, which honestly looks cooler because you can see your hands on the bar and the kite in frame.
I watched the footage back. The mouth mount POV: shakier (because my jaw was trembling), wetter (because drool), and 8 minutes long (because jaw failure). The chest mount POV: smooth, dry, two hours of usable footage.
The pros use mouth mounts because they have professional jaw strength. I have developer jaw strength. It's not the same.
The Lesson
Use the mount that lets you actually enjoy the sport. Eye-level POV isn't worth lockjaw and a drool waterfall.
Affiliate Disclosure: Links on this page go to Amazon and include an affiliate tag. If you buy something, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is an honest comparison of products I've actually used. Product details, prices, ratings, and review counts are approximate and may be outdated. This page was created with AI assistance. Not professional product advice — just one guy's experience.
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Glen's Musings — AI, investing, and building things. Occasional. Free.
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