I’m sure you are already aware of the benefits of blocking out the sunlight in your surveillance vehicle with window shades, both to reduce glare and for your own comfort, but I bet you get annoyed that they don’t stay put!
I have used the two circular shades that fold up for the last decade. They are just so versatile! You can choose between the reflective silver side, or the light absorbent black side, based on your needs or the sun. I even have an extra smaller set that I use to block my side windows when the sunlight is blasting my face, or just putting too much light in my car. Extra shades also work as a great solution for investigators who don’t have very dark tint, or need to use a rental car. But the problem I always had with using the shades on my side windows is they just don’t stay put. I’m constantly having to push items against them in my car or use my visor to hold them in place, but they still fall all the time.
Then one day I was following a guy around a tractor supply store, snagging video, when I saw these little plastic spring clips for around a buck a piece. So I picked up a few and let me tell you, they work great! I just clip the shade to my handrail above my windows and it stays on better than ever before. All it takes is a quick tug to pull them down if your subject gets active and you need to see out of that window for mobile surveillance. Pick some up, and the next time the sunlight is making your surveillance miserable, you can clamp some extra shades up and know they’ll stay put. It’s all about the little tweaks and tricks that make a long day of surveillance just a tad more enjoyable!
I like the 4-inch spring clamps, they offer a wide enough opening to clasp onto most items in your car. I also like the plastic ones over metal so they don’t damage my vehicle or rip the shades. You can buy them at hardware stores individually, or you can just get a whole set of them online (Amazon: http://a.co/aioKupz) and give some extras to a fellow investigator.
