With the new design of the GoPro Hero5 also comes a ton of new accessories, like screen protectors, batteries, grips etc.
I’ve been shooting a ton with my GoPro Hero5 and have been putting together this nice list of all the best accessories for this camera. This list doesn’t have everything yet and I’m still testing out a lot of stuff, but I will continue to update it.
Best Accessories | GoPro Hero5
Best Batteries For The GoPro Hero 5
Recent firmware has made it so current 3rd party batteries do not work. Now if you want batteries for your GoPro Hero 5 you need to buy the official GoPro batteries. They are the best batteries anyway.
The reason is that while voltage, amps, capacity all might be the same, the batteres could still have a different internal design that affects the discharge rate and heat. When a battery gets hot, it will often drop its power output. If the third-party batteries are not correctly designed to manage heat while matching the GoPro batteries discharge rate, then this could result in camera crashes and lockups. Also, third-party camera chargers could be charging the batteries at a higher charge rate, which also can affect the batteries discharge rate.
I know a lot of people are upset by this, but there are good reasons to not use third-party batteries. Myself and readers of this site have had lots of problems with Sony batteries, and apparently it’s a problem with the Fujifilm XT2 when using XT1 batteries which although match the same specs, are internally designed differently.
Official GoPro Hero5 Battery – Amazon
Official GoPro Hero5 Dual Charger + Battery – Amazon – I use this and love it.
Wasabi GoPro Hero5 Battery + Charger – Amazon – After firmware Update 1.55, there has been an issue with third-party batteries. Avoid for now.
Fast Chargers (Supercharge) Four Your GoPro / Karma Grip
If you’re looking to fast charge your GoPro or your Karma Grip there are a few options. GoPro offers a wall plug with fast charge capabilities. I think to fast charge you need something that puts out 5v /3 Amp. So this got me searching for battery banks that could do the same thing and I found a few that might be better options than the official GoPro Supercharger.
Official GoPro Supercharge
One nice thing about the Supercharge is it has USB C built into it so you can use it for your other devices such as your new cellphones, or even Nintendo Switch that are quick charge capable with USB C. This will also fast charge your Karma Grip.
RavPower USB C 20100mAh Power Bank + QC3.0 USB Charger
I wasn’t to impressed by the battery life of the Karma Grip so I went out searching for something that could extend the life of the batteries. I found this.
It’s a little big but does come with a wall charger that will fast charge, but instead you can just charge with the power bank, or get a USB C to USB C cable and put the power bank in your backpack while leaving the USB C connected to your Karma Grip and get at least 5-6 hours of life out of your grip before the batteries all die. (I haven’t tested it that long yet, but it goes for a long time. Longer then you’ll ever need.)
There are a few other options out here if you want something smaller, but you’ll want USB C that does 5v at 3 Amps.
USB-C to USB-C Cable
You’ll need extra USB C to USB C cables to use the above power bank with your Karma Grip.
Anker Wall Charger
Anker has a wall charger that also is QC3.0 capable with USB-C that does the same thing the GoPro Supercharger does at half the price.
Best Screen Protectors GoPro Hero5
With the integrated touch-screen, you now should consider putting a protector on your GoPro Hero 5 if you don’t go under water a lot. I’ll be testing this soon.
If you ever have trouble with dust when apply a screen protector, get some scotch tape, circle it around your finger with the sticky side out, and use it to pick up the dust between the screen protector and the screen.
Afunta Screen Protector Water Proof, Tempered Glass (2-Pack)
Afunta Screen & Lens Protector, Tempered Glass (2-pack)
This one offers protectors for the screen and lens. It might degrade quality to put a protector over the lens.
Dayard Screen Protector & Lens Cover Cap, Tempered Glass (2-Pack)
This one offers protector for the screen but only a lens cap for the lens.
Best Memory Cards For The GoPro Hero5
The GoPro is very fickle about which memory cards you use. It really doesn’t like most memory cards. To find the best cards, I went out and purchased every popular microSD memory card I could find and have been benchmarking them and testing them in camera to see which cards work well and which don’t.
Unfortunately, even the recommended GoPro memory cards still have bugs in camera. Hopefully we get new firmware soon and GoPro hires some professionals to write it instead of these fresh out of college interns they seem to be using for everything. Sorry, I’ll stop making fun of GoPro now.
See the Best Memory Cards For The GoPro Hero5.
GoPro Hero5 Dive Case
If you want to take your GoPro Hero 5 deep underwater you’ll need to get a dive case. This allows you to go as deep as 60 meters (about 200 feet).
GoPro Super Suit – Amazon
If you’re using the Super Suit in the water while Surfing or something, you might want a Floaty. I used this one for years while surfing or snorkeling and never lost my camera. It will disappear for a while in waves, but always floats back up . . . eventually.
GoPro Floaty – Amazon
GoPro Hero5 Remote
Voice activation still need some work but, I do find it useful when I want to quickly take a picture when I’m in video mode without having to switch over.
GoPro Hero5 Voice Activated Remote – Amazon
GoPro Hero5 Mounting Kits / Grips
Back when I first bought my Hero2 we could buy mounting kit bundles that were reasonably priced. Now everything by GoPro is marked up and way expensive, but the GoPro stuff still seems to be the best. So I’ll list what they have to offer, which is mostly what I have, as well as some less expensive alternatives which also work great.
Best GoPro Hero5 HandGrips
There are a lot of grips out there I have the Karma Grip and the GoPro Hand Grip. I love them both but really love the new Karma Grip, I highly recommend it if you like buttery smooth footage.
Official GoPro Karma Grip
This is really the best grip out there. It has buttons built-in to allow you to control your GoPro from the grip, and it will charge your GoPro as you go. I also use mine with an external USB C external power bank listed above to massively extend the battery life.
(There were some issues with random tilting that you may have heard about that have been fixed with new firmware. Be sure to update with new firmware when you get it.)
Official GoPro Hand Grip
I use this handgrip. It’s been great but less expensive options will probably get the job done just fine.
CamKix Floating Hand Grip
My brother uses one like this, they are cheap and great if you’re just looking to go to the beach or somewhere where you don’t mind things getting a little thrashed.
SP Gadgets POV Dive Buoy
This is like the CamKix but has a little nicer of a grip.
Mini Tripod Grip For Your GoPro
I actually use my hand grip a lot, however, if I’m traveling with my kid I use a Gorilla Pod. I use it as a handgrip as well as a sort of tripod I can wrap around things like a baby stroller. It was amazing to have when I was traveling all over Japan with the child.
Only thing is, it’s a little big to use as a handgrip but it can work and you can find so many uses for it. I also haven’t tried it out in beach sand, which I imagine would create some problems.
Joby Gorilla Pod
There are various sizes. I use one that’s pretty big.
You’ll need the GoPro Tripod Mount to use this.
There is one built for the Joby Pod like this – Amazon
There is also the Offical GoPro Tripod Mount – Amazon – This is what I use.
GoPro Bike Mounts
There are a few different methods you can use to mount a GoPro to your bike. There are two different bike mounts, one is new. I think the first one here probably gives you more options. You can also use the Bar Mount to mount the GoPro to various bars as well.
Bike Handlebar Seatpost Mount – Amazon
New Bike Handlebar Seatpost Mount – Amazon
GoPro Bike/Seatpost/Pole Mount – Amazon
Bar Mount – Amazon
GoPro Straps
The Strap (Hand / Wrist / Leg etc) – Amazon
Official GoPro Head Strap w/ Quick Release – Amazon
Amazon GoPro Head Strap – Amazon
Suction Cup
I use this suction cup to stick the camera inside of the window of my car. I don’t know if I trust these things to mount to the exterior. But apparently people do it.
GoPro Suction Cup Mount – Amazon
Chest Mount Harness
I love these for when I’m riding giant eagles through the fjords of New Zealand.
GoPro Chest Mount Harness – Amazon
CamKix Chest Mount Harness – Amazon
GoPro Mount Kits
If you’re looking to save a ton of money and don’t mind cheap stuff, check out these Mount Kits. They’re great to have just because you’ll get so many mounts and you’ll never know when you’ll need something. There are so many of these kits on Amazon but they are all very similar.
BlackPro GoPro Mount Kit – Amazon
LifeLimit GoPro Hero5 Starter Kit – Amazon
See all the kits here – Amazon
Best GoPro Hero5 Cases & Bags
I haven’t found any case I really love yet for the GoPro. If you know of something please recommend it in the comments and I’ll check it out.
Amazon GoPro Carrying Case (3 Different Sizes) – Amazon
Smartree GoPro Carrying Case – Amazon
GoPro Hero5 Replacement Parts
If you lose a part to your Hero5, like a door, a cable, or you need to replace the lens or something, there is hope!
This stuff also exists for the GoPro Hero5 Session as well but the below items will not work for that.
GoPro Replacement Side Door – Amazon
GoPro Hero5 Protective Lens Replacement – Amazon
Best GoPro Hero5 Accessories | Conclusion
This is some of the best stuff I’ve been using or have found that looks promising. I personally prefer to use GoPro brand gear just because it’s often slightly better and I feel like this matters especially if you’re mounting to your bike or something.
Of course it all depends on what you need and what you’ll be using it for. One thing that does matter though is memory cards. Be sure to get the recommended cards to avoid problems.
I’ll continue to update this as I learn more about the new Hero 5.
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I am a professional commercial / trailer editor, blogger and landscape photographer based out of Los Angeles CA.