Note: This page originally linked to detailed instructions on how to make your own zeppelin windscreen. You can still find the full page in the Internet Archive.
I’m a big fan of DIY gear for shooting video or recording audio when your budget is holding back your ability to produce an otherwise great creative endeavor. You can save a ton of money in many cases and you get the satisfaction of creating something useful along the way. Case in point, the DIY microphone zeppelin windscreen from Joel Greenberg of a blog once called Joel and Karen.

Zeppelins are those fuzzy things you see covering microphones on long boom arms and help to greatly reduce wind noise when recording with a shotgun style microphone. Using some PVC, leaf guard, fur from the fabric store, and a hot glue gun, Joel built a very functional zeppelin to help cut down on wind noise when recording audio in windy outdoor environments in Texas. He details all the steps and provides a before and after audio recording sample to demonstrate the sound difference. As a bonus he also shows how to build a microphone shock mount using PVC too.
I had originally just linked to Joel’s tutorial, but I’ll include additional details in case it disappears from the Internet Archive.

Tools Required to Make a Zeppelin Windscreen
- Joel used a jig saw to cut the PVC. I’ve cut PVC quite successfully with a hack saw
- Cordless Drill for drilling holes for screws and bolts.
- Screw driver and wrench to tighten nuts and bolts
- Hack saw (again) to cut off protruding bolts.
- Sand paper for the rough edges of cut PVC (any grade will work)
Zeppelin Windscreen Parts List

- 4-inch diameter PVC pipe (purchased from a hardware store or scavenged from a construction site)
- 1/2″ threaded PVC cap, for mounting the handle
- 1/2″ threaded PVC pipe, 5″ – 8″ long for the handle (the shorter the better, but at least long enough for the width of your hand).
- Bicycle handle bar grip (to go over the 1/2″ PVC pipe).
- Rubber bands for shock mounts.
- Six screw eyes, the smaller the better
- Two retainers for the mic. Joel used 3/4 Inch Metal Stud Grommet Pipe Eye from Lowes plumbing section
- Electrical tape to wrap the mic retainers.
- Leaf guard available in 20-foot sections at Lowe’s or Home Depot.
- Small bolts with washers and lock washers to bolt the thing together.
- Cable ties or zip ties (to attach the leaf guard to the PVC pipe)
- One yard of fake fur (which should be enough to wrap around the PVC pipe and leave some extra at the end)
- Velcro or generic hook-and-latch fasteners to attach the fur to itself