I recently got back from a mini-vacation in San Francisco and Houston for business and a wedding. In preparation for my first trip to Hawaii and my bucket list solo adventure to Japan, I've been looking for ways to capture video while still being able to live in the moment. Thankfully, a friend of mine was able to loan me his GoPro Hero 5 Black.

With five-day long weekend under my belt with a GoPro, here are my quick thoughts:

• it's kind of awkward to use a GoPro around friends when we're not doing anything particularly adventurous or exciting.
• in an effort to record quick video while still living in the moment, the seemingly 4-5 second boot time to start up and record was a big disappointment for me.
• when the GoPro was actually recording, it felt great because I didn't have to put any effort into framing the shot; the wide angle is a game-changer for capturing moments.
• The short battery life was a big disappointment for me. I just hated how conscious and conservative I had to be of the battery when i was out for a whole day.

Overall, unless I was repeatedly doing adventurous activities or doing solo trips, my lifestyle probably won't justify the $299 price tag.