"When I was birding a lot in college we had a very basic wood shotgun stock that could hold a spotting scope and it was great for passing around and looking at birds.  But never compared to a tripod... And sometimes we giggled when people gave us a second look. I would be nervous even flashing that around these days.  Maybe on safari where the environment is constrained and wacky stuff seems ok.Functionally I would assume any decent wildlife photographer would need more flexibility than this thing provides. How do you switch from horizontal to vertical shooting in a hurry?    "

"Your first statement is cringe inducing, Rain... its really not true on average, and feels like an easy overstatement about a developing world location that feels right but really just isnt.  There are cars all over the place in East Africa, but they are expensive to own and operate compared to motorcycles, and out of reach to people who live in poverty (currently pegged at $1.90 income per day).  Even taxi rides.    These folks need cheaper forms of on-call transport, enter the boda boda.  And there are certainly less cars per capita (US 800+, Uganda 12, Kenya 29, if wikipedia is to be believed) but not hard to come by really. There is also lots of mass transit there. Matatus (mini buses, also highly decorated) are everywhere and easy to use, though unreliable and in very rural places, not frequent. There are also major bus services to almost every locale.  Some trains also.  But 'nonexistant' is flat out not the case, especially in a mega city like Nairobi.  I'm not an expert, but have been there and used the mass transit. Apologies if this seems picky, but hard to read this type of generalization about developing world (esp a place I have been/know) and let it slide!  This is a cool entry though, and I'm glad you posted it. I suspect the various transportation/design/ingenuity stuff that could be uncovered in this part of the world would be book-worthy.... Thanks!"

"Nice! I have been wondering about those long saws.  A good companion is a Red Devil winch or similar (goes on the list products that haven't changed in a long time - no relation to me).  For $14o clams (and maybe some additional strapping or chain) you can drag that tree safely to the ground after the first cut - and get your rig unstuck too. Come-a-long winches sill pose risk, but easier to predict and mitigate than sawing an ever-increasing upright tree/widow maker.   We do this a lot with windfall locust. There are some hinge tricks that also allow the tree to break and move under winch pressure so you don't have to do it all with the saw. Be safe out there!"