Buy screen and lens protection first, spare batteries second, and mounts third. A scratched lens cover appears in every frame you shoot and costs a fraction of the camera to replace. Action cameras also run hot and drain fast at 4K, so a single battery limits you to under an hour of real shooting.
The order that actually matters
1. Tempered glass for screen and lens
This is the cheapest insurance available for an action camera. The lens cover is glass and it sits proud of the body, so it takes the first impact against rock, sand or a car door. Once scratched, the flaw appears in every single frame — and on most models the lens cover is not user-replaceable, so a scratch can effectively write off the camera.
A set of tempered films costs a small fraction of that risk. Fit them before the first trip, not after the first scratch.
2. Spare batteries
Manufacturer runtime figures assume moderate resolution and mild temperatures. Shooting 4K in Egyptian summer heat gives markedly less. Two spares is the practical minimum for a day out; three if you are diving or driving somewhere without power.
3. A mount that suits how you actually film
Most people buy a mount set and use one mount. Think about what you genuinely do:
- Driving or riding — suction cup or handlebar clamp.
- Walking and vlogging — a short extension pole or grip doubles as a tripod.
- Diving and snorkelling — a floating grip, so a dropped camera surfaces.
- Hands-free — chest or head harness.
What most owners never use
Large mount bundles look like value and mostly are not. Helmet front mounts, curved adhesive pads for surfboards and complex articulating arms sit unused in the majority of kits sold. Buy the two mounts matching your actual activity and add later if a need appears.
Check your model generation
GoPro body dimensions changed between Hero generations, so cases, cages and housings are model-specific. Mounts using the standard two-prong finger pattern cross-fit widely; anything that wraps the body does not. Always confirm the generation before ordering.
Browse GoPro Accessories & Mounts and Tripods & Camera Mounts.
Memory cards: the accessory people get wrong
A card that is fast enough for photos may not sustain 4K video. When write speed cannot keep up, the camera stops recording mid-clip — usually without warning and usually on the shot you wanted.
Look for a V30 rating or better for 4K, and treat capacity as secondary to speed. Two smaller fast cards are more useful than one large slow one, because a corrupted card takes everything on it. Format in the camera rather than on a computer, and reformat between trips rather than deleting files individually.
Heat matters too. Cards sitting in a car in an Egyptian summer degrade faster than the specification assumes, so keep spares in the shade.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a waterproof case if the camera is already waterproof?
For swimming, no. For diving beyond a few metres, yes — the built-in rating is far shallower than recreational diving depth.
Are third-party batteries safe?
Reputable third-party cells are fine and considerably cheaper. Avoid unbranded cells with no capacity marking.
Which mount for a motorbike?
A clamp on the bar rather than a suction cup, and always with a safety tether at road speed.