Equipment Tip: Add a cell phone holder to your observing chair

More and more I find I like to observe with my binoculars, using my Bino Body Mount. The problem with binocular observing is it takes two hands. I like to use Sky Safari on my phone as my charting app, and I got tired of my phone sliding off of my ever-expanding belly onto the dewy grass in the dark. It's uncomfortable to constantly be reaching over for the phone on a fold up table, so I needed something else.

A cheap gooseneck cell phone holder came free with something else I bought, so I use that, but there are plenty of similar ones such as this one you can buy. I recommend a clip rather than a clamp just for ease of use in the dark, although a clamp might work better for certain chairs. I clip it onto the arm of my zero gravity chair and I have my chart right there at hand, easily using the app with one hand while the Bino Body Mount is perched on my shoulders.

I did find that, at least on my chair, I had to clip the holder behind the locking knob (some chairs have a lever) or the arm would slide past the knob when I leaned the chair back and knock the holder off the chair. Behind the knob there is no obstruction, so I can adjust the chair in any position and the holder will stay on.

Yeah, they wobble like crazy, but when you're using your phone you're holding it steady in your hand. The holder is just to keep it handy within easy reach so you know where it is.