A few years back, we did a post about mounting options for iPads in our Cooling Case. Pretty much all of the mounting options in that article still works today, but we thought it is worth updating it with more details and our additional DIY adaptations. So here are our list of 4 mounting systems that work with our Cooling Cases, from ones that will work straight out the box to ones needing off-the-shelf adaptors and modified adaptors and making one up on our own!
1. RAM mount options
RAM mounts have a huge line up of mountings that work in lots of different scenarios and I am just mentioning a few that (we know of) that can work with our Cooling Case. There is the X-Grip Universal Holder for 7"-8" tablets paired with Ram's twist lock suction cup mount, which is one of the most universal mounting solution I have seen. It holds on to an iPad mini in our cooling case really well - both the iPad Mini 6 Cooling Case with and without pencil holder.
We could also directly attach the RAM round plate with ball to the back of our Cooling Case and connect the ball to the same suction cup mount with extension arm.
There's also the Tab-Tite with the suction mount option. We haven't tried this ourselves but based on the spec, it can hold an iPad Mini in heavy duty cases of up to 1" (25.4mm) and our Cooling Case is around 22mm.
2. MyGoFlight mount (with adaptor)
MyGoFlight or MGF is another company that has developed lots of innovative iPad mounting solutions as well as iPad cases/kneeboards for aviators. They have a unique mounting/locking system that allows their iPad cases to quickly attach or detach from their mounts.
Although their locking system doesn't work directly on our Cooling Case, they do make adaptors that can fit onto our case via the AMPS 4 hole pattern. So with either the Sport GPS adapter or Sport X-naut adapter, they can be fitted onto our Cooling Case which then works with the rest of the MGF mounting products.
MGF also has a Sport Universal Cradle that fits 7"-11" tablets. It is mentioned that they will fit iPads with thicker cases so there is a good chance it could fit our Cooling Case. We have yet to test it to verify. But from what we can see on their website, it looks plausible.
3. Quad Lock Mount (with universal adaptor + mod)
Next we have the Quad Lock mount option. Quad Lock is quite popular amongst the cyclists, motorcyclists and drivers who wants to mount their smartphones on their bikes or in their cars. They have got a patented quick release mounting system that allows smartphones (with the Quad Lock case) to lock on easily onto their mounts.
We thought it would be cool to integrate that with our Cooling Case using their Universal Adaptor. Then, combining their Ball Adaptor with a RAM suction cup mount and extension/socket arm, we have a Quad Lock mounting for our Cooling Case!
To ensure that it is more secure, we drilled four holes on the Universal Adaptor in the AMPS 4 hole pattern and attached the Universal Adaptor to our Cooling Case with screws. You can check out how we did it here: link.
4. Pivot Mount (with DIY adaptor)
Lastly, we have the Pivot Mount option. Similar to MGF, Pivot developed their own iPad cases with their unique mounting system where the Pivot case slides into their mount. A number of pilots I spoke to asked if our Cooling Case would work with the Pivot Mounting system. In the beginning, I thought its not possible or too hard. But later on I decided to look into it and designed an adaptor for our Cooling Case or any device with the AMPS 4 hole pattern.
The adaptor can be 3D printed, which I did on an FDM printer using ABS. I then tested it using the Pivot mounting plate with a Ram suction cup mount. It works pretty well although I didn't stress test it or used it for extended periods. For those who are interested, here's how it started: link.
Summary
The goal of putting this together is to highlight the different mounting options available to use with our Cooling Case. I am sure there would be other iPad mounting solutions out there that I have missed but these are the ones we have gathered so far.
I can't say which one is better because it all comes down to personal preference and sometimes what mounting solution each user already owns and is familiar with. So here's a summary table (from the perspective of using the Cooling Case with the mounting options):
Want to see how each one of the mounts work with our Cooling Case? Check out the video below: