BOG-POD: steady, versatile and well designed

BOG-POD is a versatile and steady platform that will enhance your hunting /scouting experience regardless of what kind of terrain you are hunting.  The folks at BOGgear have put some thinking on this “filed tool” and came up with a steady combination of a sturdy rifle rest tripod that can be instantly converted to a platform to support your field optics being that a camera, a spotting scope or your binoculars.

We tested our BOG-POD during an antelope hunt in the great SE Oregon desert and we were truly impressed.

BOG-POD is a solidly built unit with attention paid to the small but important details. The aluminum surfaces are treated with a permanent anodized finish while quality steel fasteners are used on all connections.  The telescoping legs extend, with positive incremental clicks, from 22” to 68”.

The 3 legs cleverly hinged to the swivel holder, will allow you for a wide array of adjustments. If you spread the 3 legs all the way to reach roughly 70° (with the extensions fully retracted) your rifle will rest 17.5” from the ground.  With the legs kept at 45° angle – and no extension on the legs -  your rifle’s height will now be 25-26” and you can go from here all the way up to 68”. To give you an idea how high are 68” in a tripod,  I am 5-11” and my ideal tripod rest height for shooting from a standing up position is 56” (with legs spread at 45° angle to achieve maximum stability). Lots of room here to find your ideal set up for shooting or scoping.  The only suggestion I could humbly make is to use, a positive locking system instead of the “screw-in” to tight mechanism currently provided.  But, guess what? My wish has been granted for I just noticed that BOG-POD is now sold with a “rapid adjust lever lock” which will improve the original version.

Few more features worthy of mention. The upper part of the legs are equipped with a 7.5” red rubber grip which helps holding and setting the tripod and gives extra protection to the carrier against cold hands.  The telescoping legs are divided in 3 sections two of which are adjustable all the way to a visible “STOP” mark. The lower sections extend 18” while the middle sections travel a full 19”. A very convenient Velcro strap holds the 3 legs tightly bound when not in use. This is important to keep the legs from becoming a nuisance during your stalks. BOG-POD also comes standard with a carrying bag and shoulder strap which protects the unit and facilitate it usage and transport.

The BOG-POD can be outfitted with a quick change Switcheroo™ head system.  This allows the tripod unit to switch between a rifle rest and an optical platform.  It really takes seconds to pop the shooting rest out and place the optic platform in. Cleverly done and very useful.

We tested our BOG-POD (with the additional Switcheroo™) in the wonderful stretch of Oregon desert that borders Idaho and Nevada for a long awaited antelope hunt.  We used BOG-POD as our main optical spotting platform, but several times every day we brought it into its natural rifle-resting mode in seconds. It worked fast and quietly to our total satisfaction. Alas, our targets were still too far away for us to take an ethical shot and we passed on several of these long range encounters.  We finally decided to play true to the definition of “still hunting” and spend more time waiting for the antelopes to come to us. It was not long until we were rewarded by harvesting our antelope buck with a clean shot. In this instance the contour of the terrain provided the rest for our rifle.

In all, our BOG-POD unit proved to be a very comforting, discrete and efficient companion which performed better than expected allowing us to concentrate on the beauty of our experience and our quarry.

Thank you BOG-POD. No doubt we will always find a spot for you in our next outdoor adventures.

BOGgear.com | 1-877-BOG-PODS