First and foremost for all OHV riding, is a good helmet. It needs to fit snugly but comfortably. If it is too tight it will give you a headache. If it is too loose it will spin around and get in the way when you try to look to the side or back over your shoulder and it will bounce around and jar your head, again giving you a headache and/or a stiff neck. Don't be cheap about buying a helmet. If you have a $10 head you can put it in a $10 helmet. Be very leery of used helmets. They may look OK, but if they've been involved in an accident, the interior padding may have been crushed so it no longer will protect your head from impact. The padding is designed to crush to absorb impact and there is no non-destructive way to test the padding. If the outer shell is cracked or badly scarred, it has probably suffered a hit strong enough to damage the padding. Full-face helmets are recommended for OHV use over open face helmets because they provide more protection against branches, brush, and flying debris kicked up by other riders. On one of our forest outings I saw a 70 year old man air-lifted to the hospital after catching a low-hanging branch across his chin through his open face helmet. His jaw was nearly ripped completely off his face! I believe a proper full face helmet would have given him much better protection and avoided a painful and expensive injury.
Goggles are the second most important piece of personal protective equipment. Eyes are kind of fragile and riding an OHV subjects them to a lot of abuse if they are not properly protected. Your goggles should fit snugly against your face. The padding should be clean and pliant. Use an anti-fog solution on the inside to prevent condensation from limiting your vision. If you don't have any anti-fog solution, try spitting on the inside surface and wiping it dry. The chemicals in saliva help a little bit. Tinted goggles are recommended for daytime use to protect your eyes against glare and damaging UV rays. As the sun goes down you want to switch to a clear lens so the tint doesn't interfere with your vision. You can buy lenses that are sun-sensitive. They turn dark in bright sunlight and get lighter when the sun goes down. Expect to pay extra for that feature, but is may well be worth it. Its easy enough to choose the right goggles if you're planning an afternoon ride or an evening ride, but few riders carry extra goggles in case they get caught out on the trails longer than expected, which happens more often than most riders want to admit. With color changing lenses you don't have to worry. They will automatically lighten up as it gets darker. Keeping your goggles clean is very important. Dusty or foggy goggles will impair your vision and create a serious safety hazard. Never just wipe dust off goggles without a little goggle cleaner. Dust will scour the plastic lens and make it hard to see through. For fog control the best solution I have seen is something called Cat Crap. Don't let the name turn you off. This stuff really works!
Good riding boots are especially critical on dirt bikes and ATVs where your feet may be exposed to obstacles along the trail. You'll see people riding in all kinds of footwear. Sturdy hiking boots are better than lighter shoes, but do not offer the same level of protection as riding boots. You should NEVER ride in flimsy shoes -- tennis shoes, dress shoes, or flipflops! I've seen people do it and I've also seen some serious injuries that could have been avoided with proper footwear.
Proper hand protection is necessary to avoid blisters from the hand grips and to protect your hands from injury from brush or falling off your ride. Riding gloves have pads on the outside of the fingers and the back of the hand, yet have flexible palms and joints to maintain dexterity to manipulate controls. Leather work gloves provide some protection, but lack the protective pads and are usually somewhat too bulky and clumsy to access the controls properly. It is tempting to use ski gloves for winter riding, but you're are better off investing in some Windchill Gloves or glove liners for added warmth so you maintain proper protection and dexterity. We found that very often we could buy inexpensive knit gloves that would work as glove liners. Sometimes that meant the guys were wearing baby blue or even pink "girlie" gloves, but since they were hidden inside regular gloves, nobody cared. I've even fond suitable knit gloves (2 pair for $1.00) at Dollar Tree so they don;t have to be expensive. Real glove liners will fit better and be a little bit more comfortable but will set you back $15 or so a pair. For occasional use the cheap knit gloves work great for us.
Knee protection runs the gambit from simple knee pads that fit in your riding pants to custom-made or semi-custom knee braces. Always at least wear knee pads. Knee braces give added protection against lateral displacement and over-extension, both of which are common occurrences when you hit the ground after you and your ride forcibly part company, especially if you go over the bars. Both knee pads and knee braces have cups that protect your knee cap from impact which can save a lot of pain and suffering. Knee caps are very tender and subject to very painful injury if not properly protected. Knee pads are the larger ones on the outside in the photo below. The inner ones are matching elbow pads.
Hip pads are usually built in or fasten to the inside of your riding pants with velcro. They are soft pads to help mitigate bumping your hips when you fall. Without them you are very likely to bruise your hips bones on even an easy get off. For comfort and flexibility they do not include hard armor like knee and elbow pads, but they go a long way in reducing pain and injuries when you fall. They attach via velcro to the inside of your riding pants.
Elbow guards and elbow pads help protect your elbows and your forearms. Some riding jerseys have light elbow pads built in for some cushioning, but for full elbow and forearm protection, wear hard shell elbow pads. I've seen riders use soft skate-board pads, and those might be better than nothing, but real off-road elbow pads have a hard plastic outer shell that protects your forearm as well as your funny bone. I never did think bumping my funny bone was very funny! Elbow pads are the smaller pads on the inside in the photo below.
Your jersey and riding pants may not seem much like armor, but they are also an essential part of proper personal protective equipment. They are more than just a fashion statement for dirt bikers and ATV riders. But they are much more that. Jerseys are designed to allow adequate movement you need to control your bike, usually include some padding at the elbow, and are usually ventilated to help keep you cool. Even on the hottest days you will soon regret riding in a T-shirt as you sunburn your arms! Riding pants provide a surprising amount of protection against scrapes and scratches. They are usually made of a tough nylon material. Sometimes riding pants are called "leathers" because the original motorcycle riding pants were made of leather. You might still find some vintage leathers around and they provide excellent protection but they tend to be hot and much less flexible than modern riding pants. Riding pants include features for hip pads and knee pads for even more protection. Some of the fancy plastic logos and design elements also offer additional impact protection. DON'T neglect these important parts of your personal protection equipment!
A kidney belt is a wide elastic belt that supports your midsection. It protects your kidneys against impact and jarring and takes some of the stress off your lower back.
The most visible and largest piece of body armor is the chest protector. It might better be described as a "torso protector" because it provides protection for your spine and shoulder blades as well as your chest and abdomen. Some of the original "Rock Jackets" lacked the shoulder pads that are part of many modern chest protectors. Some riders objected to the shoulder pads because they can get in the way of your full face helmet when turning your head. However, with a little practice, you get used to it, and the shoulder pads provide a lot of extra protection. I broke a collar bone wearing a Rock Jacket and probably would not have been injured if I'd been wearing a chest protector with shoulder pads. Chest protectors really do work. I have some deep scratches in the shoulder of my chest protector that would have been in my flesh if I hadn't been wearing it. I like to put a Velcro tab in the middle of the chest and a matching tab on the bite valve of my Camelbak hydration system so I can easily keep track of the bite valve so I can get a drink while riding.
Complete upper body armor is available that includes chest protection, shoulder and elbow pads, and kidney belt, all attached to a form-fitting fabric "shirt". Some riders like having it all together, others find it too warm or too clumsy. I prefer an external chest protector that has more extensive shoulder pads since they protect collar bones better.
A bandana is a simple part of my body armor. Although it is not a hard item like most other parts of body armor, it is still important. I roll it up and tie it around my neck and it serves two primary purposes. First, it protects my neck from sunburn and second, when I dampen it, it helps keep me cool. A bandana can also be used as an emergency bandage or a sling for an inured rider. If you encounter unusually dusty conditions, you can wear it like a bandit mask to cover your nose and mouth. Sometimes if it turns cold outside, you might wear it like that to help keep your nose and chin warmer. You can use it to wipe the sweat off your brow to keep it from dripping in your eyes and to clean your goggles (but avoid wiping them dry when they're dusty because that puts micro-scratches in them). You can buy bandanas that are printed with survival tips and with first aid instructions but most are a kind of paisley print. They are available in a variety of colors to match or complement just about any other riding gear you're wearing.
Although not strictly body armor, a related piece of safety gear is your hydration pack. Dehydration is a serious problem when riding in hot weather and can even happen in cold weather. The best way to stay hydrated is to frequently take small sips of water. A hydration pack makes that easy. As mentioned above, I glue a piece of Velcro to the bite valve and a matched mating piece to the front center of my chest protector. That keeps the valve where I can easily find it when I want to take a drink and avoids getting it ripped of like often happens if the hose if left dangling and gets caught in the bushes.
A first aid kit is an important part of your safety gear. Proper care for minor injuries will reduce the discomfort and help to avoid infection. The very nature of off-road riding and other remote activities takes us into situations where injuries are fairly commonplace. You should also carry a first aid kit when hiking, fishing, bird watching, sightseeing -- just about all the time! A little pocket first aid kit is usually sufficient for minor injuries. If your ride is a UTV you should consider carrying a larger first aid kit so you'll be prepared for more serious emergencies, whether they be your own or someone you encounter on the trail. Sometimes you can even find them at Dollar Tree so there is no excuse for not having them for everyone.
A trail tool kit is something you should have. If you don't, it is only a matter of time until you wish you did. You don't need or want to pack a ton of tools around, but you should have some basic tools specific to your ride so you can make emergency repairs on the trail. I filled an old canvas shaving kit with tools and bolted it to my back fender. I got a lot of teasing from another rider, who happened to be an editor for Cycle News, about having "everything but the kitchen sink", but then, not 20 minutes later I caught up with him broken down on the trail, and boy, was he ever glad to see me and my "everything but the kitchen sink" tool kit. Tools for hiking don't need to be as complex as for OHVs. A good multitool will probably take care of most repairs. Or a pair of pliers and a double tipped screwdriver. And don't forget your pocketknife!
Survival tools are also a necessary item for off road riding -- and for hiking or any remote outdoor activity. You never know when your ride might break down or you might get separated from your companions. Usually you'll find each other again, but in the unlikely event that you're stranded in the wilderness overnight, some survival tools will make a big difference. I suggest that as a minimum you have a flashlight, a BIC lighter, a flint and steel, some cotton balls, and a good knife or a multi-tool. I also carry a glow stick, tucked safely inside a piece of PVC pipe in the bottom of my tool bag to keep it safe. A rain poncho or a survival blanket would also be a good thing to have. They take up little room and can be critical to your comfort and maybe even your survival if you get caught in bad weather,
Armor up!
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