Skylerbone
Member
I can’t say I know a lot about it yet, but I thought while the iron is hot I’d write a quick review of my impressions of Caldwell’s Fieldpod.
I needed an in-the-field support for my 11 year old daughter that was easier for her to use than a Bogpod (two-legged shooting stick) and more supportive than a traditional shooting stick. Odds favored whatever choice being used inside a blind and be simple enough to adjust in low light conditions.
For around the cost of a Harris 25 series Enter the Caldwell. It’s heavier, bulkier, isn’t firmly attached, but is steadier...under certain conditions. Let’s rewind a bit to features which I have also photographed for reference.
Folded the heretofore with Pod is approx. 24” in length. It includes a 1” nylon shoulder strap to lug its WAG 3 lbs around and for that it worked fine. Fully extended the Pod reaches somewhere around 41 3/4” to my CVA’s barrel centerline with a max leg spread of 21”. This is enough to perfectly reach the pocket of my shoulder when taking a knee while otherwise fully upright.
There are adjustments for overall height via 3-section camlock legs and individual cradle adjusters. Cant is manual within the cradles or by virtue of leg adjustment but no bubble level is included. The vertical position can be smoothly adjusted from 40 degrees uphill to around 52 degrees downhill, the latter useful perhaps at the top of a cliff shooting down? I’ll note that these adjustments are made with a centrally located knob that can be tightened to increase friction if your target is likely to change elevation or locked in.
Horizontal movement is an unrestricted 360 degrees with the same smooth pan or lock option via another knob. Finally, the swivel point can be loosened to allow for balancing the rifle by sliding the cradle fore or aft and the distance between cradles can be adjusted using cam locks.
I’m certain there’s plenty more to read about on Cladwell’s Official Site but those are the ones that come to mind. On to how it worked. In short, it was steady but often awkward with a somewhat steep learning curve placement wise. Whereas a bipod can easily be lifted and moved quickly to shoot an alternate direction while seated, the Pod requires hefting the whole affair and possibly a repositioning of legs. That’s a no-go for an 11 year old in my case. That meant at least one missed opportunity at a pair of majestic 8-pointers that made an appearance to her left. For an adult that’s probably less of a problem so long as arm strength isn’t an issue or the deer don’t bolt from such extreme movement.
Using a net blind or behind cover might have made a big difference but again, the circumstances we hunted in allowed for sparse cover and limited communication on what was needed to make the shot. Seeing 7 deer in the course of a single day may have added to the stress for a neophyte hunter but I hope to update next week and be sharing positive results. On to pictures!
Reasonably compact.
Center knob controlling vertical axis.
Each yoke can be folded and raised/lowered with a knob.
Partially deployed, the yokes fold 90 degrees for stowing and align perpendicular when rotated. Compare height position with above photo.
The other centrally located knob for horizontal pan control gives 360 degree coverage and increased friction up to lock if need be. Panned left.
Panned right.
Cradles centered for a balanced rifle. Note visible yoke at bottom of photo.
Adjusted for barrel heavy (ok extreme) again noting cradle position.
These camlocks adjust distance between cradles for shorter or longer rifles (think Manlicher Style).
Continued in second post.
I needed an in-the-field support for my 11 year old daughter that was easier for her to use than a Bogpod (two-legged shooting stick) and more supportive than a traditional shooting stick. Odds favored whatever choice being used inside a blind and be simple enough to adjust in low light conditions.
For around the cost of a Harris 25 series Enter the Caldwell. It’s heavier, bulkier, isn’t firmly attached, but is steadier...under certain conditions. Let’s rewind a bit to features which I have also photographed for reference.
Folded the heretofore with Pod is approx. 24” in length. It includes a 1” nylon shoulder strap to lug its WAG 3 lbs around and for that it worked fine. Fully extended the Pod reaches somewhere around 41 3/4” to my CVA’s barrel centerline with a max leg spread of 21”. This is enough to perfectly reach the pocket of my shoulder when taking a knee while otherwise fully upright.
There are adjustments for overall height via 3-section camlock legs and individual cradle adjusters. Cant is manual within the cradles or by virtue of leg adjustment but no bubble level is included. The vertical position can be smoothly adjusted from 40 degrees uphill to around 52 degrees downhill, the latter useful perhaps at the top of a cliff shooting down? I’ll note that these adjustments are made with a centrally located knob that can be tightened to increase friction if your target is likely to change elevation or locked in.
Horizontal movement is an unrestricted 360 degrees with the same smooth pan or lock option via another knob. Finally, the swivel point can be loosened to allow for balancing the rifle by sliding the cradle fore or aft and the distance between cradles can be adjusted using cam locks.
I’m certain there’s plenty more to read about on Cladwell’s Official Site but those are the ones that come to mind. On to how it worked. In short, it was steady but often awkward with a somewhat steep learning curve placement wise. Whereas a bipod can easily be lifted and moved quickly to shoot an alternate direction while seated, the Pod requires hefting the whole affair and possibly a repositioning of legs. That’s a no-go for an 11 year old in my case. That meant at least one missed opportunity at a pair of majestic 8-pointers that made an appearance to her left. For an adult that’s probably less of a problem so long as arm strength isn’t an issue or the deer don’t bolt from such extreme movement.
Using a net blind or behind cover might have made a big difference but again, the circumstances we hunted in allowed for sparse cover and limited communication on what was needed to make the shot. Seeing 7 deer in the course of a single day may have added to the stress for a neophyte hunter but I hope to update next week and be sharing positive results. On to pictures!
Reasonably compact.
Center knob controlling vertical axis.
Each yoke can be folded and raised/lowered with a knob.
Partially deployed, the yokes fold 90 degrees for stowing and align perpendicular when rotated. Compare height position with above photo.
The other centrally located knob for horizontal pan control gives 360 degree coverage and increased friction up to lock if need be. Panned left.
Panned right.
Cradles centered for a balanced rifle. Note visible yoke at bottom of photo.
Adjusted for barrel heavy (ok extreme) again noting cradle position.
These camlocks adjust distance between cradles for shorter or longer rifles (think Manlicher Style).
Continued in second post.
