At Powersportsid, we've got a lot of great riding gear that's been specifically designed to make riding an ATV, UTV, snowmobile, or watercraft safer, more comfortable, and a lot more enjoyable. A quick read of our related article New To Riding? What Are The Best Choices For Your First Set Of Riding Gear? will provide you with a good overview of everything we offer.
Here, we take a more focused look at riding gear items best suited to each of the four different types of powersport vehicles mentioned above. This is not meant to be a full list of everything worth considering - only top recommendations based on our own experiences and customer feedback.
ATVs
Thanks to motorcycle-like handlebars, seating position, and controls for throttle and brakes, ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) are often described as 4-wheel off-road bikes. And like a motorcycle, the general ATV riding position gives the operator similar opportunities to lean into turns and maintain balance while bouncing, skidding, and jumping. When you consider the fun nature of their intended off-road use, falling off of an ATV is almost as easy as getting thrown from a mechanical bull.
For ATVs, we recommend some key off-road gear items designed with maximum protection for the hands, feet, and body. Plus, we'll let you know about "hydration packs" that provide effortless, hands-free refreshment while you ride.
Off-Road Gloves
Let's face it, the ability of ATVs to tackle and bounce over unpaved ground is what makes them so much fun to ride - and at the same time, so easy to fall off. For this reason, you need a pair of MX & Off-Road Gloves specially designed for impact protection against rocks, abrasive ground, and tree roots.
With a strategic mix of materials on the outside (leather, mesh, and textile fabrics) along with specially placed padding and armor sections inside, off-road gloves protect your hands from hard impacts while being extremely resistant to shredding should your hands slide across the ground. Additionally, these gloves feature strategically-placed grooves that maintain tactile fingertip operation and dexterity necessary to work controls with the finesse you need.
Body Armor & Protection
Because wipeouts against hard, rocky surfaces are the biggest problem on ATVs, we recommend good quality body armor for the best protection against bruises, lacerations, and even broken bones. In this case, "body armor" refers to reinforced chest/back pieces, jackets, pants, wrist & elbow protection, knee/ankle protection, neck braces, and more. Wearing these items, you'll be taking smart preventative steps against major injuries, and you'll be well-shielded against flying rocks and other debris.
Many of the flexible-yet-hard body armor pieces consist of sculpted ABS plastic sections that are extremely difficult to penetrate or crack. On both sides, foam cushioning layers provide comfort for the wearer along with additional impact absorption.
In our chest & back piece armor section, you'll see products described as "roost" deflectors. Because these are narrower than full chest armor pieces, roost protectors can be worn underneath clothing easier, and they allow a wider range of arm movement.
Off-Road Boots
On an ATV, you need to protect your feet from impacts that can occur when rocks, trees and other obstacles reach out of nowhere. And, of course, feet can easily be trapped and twisted under the vehicle should you and the machine take a tumble together. For this reason, we say forget using work boots or other footwear when you're offroading - because they won't provide the protection you need in drastic circumstances.
Off-road boots start by using adjustable straps, buckles, and zippers instead of laces to ensure nothing gets caught in moving parts. Flexible armor pieces, thicker materials, and beefed up soles provide serious impact protection for your shins, toes, feet, and ankles. If a foot gets pinned underneath hot exhaust pipes, these reinforcements won't lose their integrity when subject to high heat levels - and you'll be well protected against burns. Because you may need to put a foot out to stabilize yourself at any point, off-road boots are built with strong soles designed to handle this exact type of pressure.
Off-Road Pants
Off-Road pants are built to handle the physical challenges of riding in the brush on rough trails, with hearty materials such as Cordura, polyester, and nylon. Elastic waistbands keep things snug while extra give around knee and hip areas ensures off-road pants don't slide down, pull up, or chafe. Strategically placed padding around knee, hip, and leg areas provides a higher level of abrasion protection in the event of a fast-moving crash.
Backpacks & Hydration Packs
"Hydration packs" make it easy to stay hydrated and enjoy hands-free liquid refreshment while riding on the trails, on a snowmobile, or even on the water. Similar to a plastic IV drip bag, a hydration bladder features a tube attached to its bottom which the liquid flows through. When the bladder is mounted inside a backpack or carrying pouch, the tube extends up to the mouth area and can be secured inside a helmet. On the tube's end is a durable bite valve that allows liquid to flow only while the piece is being compressed with your teeth.
With the majority of the hydration backpacks we sell, you'll get additional storage pockets for other things you want to bring along. Or, maximize your carrying capacity with any of our standard rider bags. In our Hydration Packs section, you'll also find individual hydration bladder reservoirs, tubes, coupling pieces, bite valves, and specially-designed backpacks of various sizes.
UTVs
Because a UTV operator and passenger are belted firmly into forward-facing seats and surrounded by a sturdy protective roll cage, the odds of "falling off" are pretty much zero. And with four wheels located much farther apart than an ATV's, flipping the whole vehicle over isn't as likely.
However, you will be exposed to plenty of flying dirt and debris. And because UTVs can occasionally flip over when driven aggressively, you still need to be prepared with upper and lower abrasion protection - especially if your UTV doesn't have side doors or body panels.
For UTVs, we recommend starting with a look through what we've referenced in the ATVs section above - giving special consideration to an off-road jacket or pants if you're more exposed. If you don't need as much clothing protection and prefer to be cooler in hot climates, we recommend medium-weight textile pants or lighter-weight mesh pants available in solid colors or wild colorful designs. Plus, we've got specialized cooling vests below.
Cooling Vests
When you're blasting through dirt trails on a humid day, it's easy to get hot and sweaty yourself. Sure, you can keep chugging water, but that usually requires stopping. A more effective way to remedy the sweats is a cooling vest that surrounds you to keep your body and blood temperature lower.
Before you head out, simply soak the vest for a short period in cold water to get the highly insulated polymer fibers cool. You then wring the vest out until it's dry on the outside. At this point, the mesh fabric will hold and slowly release the remaining moisture through evaporation over 5 to 10 hours. As it does, the vest remains cool without surface wetness.
Textile Pants
In our textile pants section, you'll find a selection of medium-weight pants made from sturdy knitted polyester, fleece, cotton canvas, Cordura, and more. What these textile materials excel at is versatility - comfortable, breathable protection for a range of temperatures and climates. Textiles naturally repel water, and many are available with waterproof liners and pockets.
Mesh Pants
The idea behind mesh pants is to provide protection against abrasion with lightweight construction and greater ventilation that keeps the wearer cool in hot climates. Mesh pants can usually be equipped with padding for off-road applications, but they'll generally feature thinner materials that trap less heat. They may also be worn over other pants if ordered a size or two larger. And since many can be equipped with waterproof or thermal liners, they're quite versatile. Our mesh pants are available in solid hues or wild colorful designs.
Snowmobiles
Heated Gear
Blasting through the snow is much more fun when you can stay warm and dry. For warmth, we recommend a look through our Heated Gear section where we've got electrically heated jackets, vests, socks, pants, gloves, and insoles. These draw power via a cord that can be attached to a portable pocket-size battery, or to your vehicle's electrical system. For staying dry, you may also appreciate a few specially-designed waterproof rain suits, pants, jackets, boot covers, and more found located in our Rain Gear section.
Base & Mid Layer Clothes
Another effective way to stay warm is with undergarments found in our Base & Mid Layers section. There, you'll find nicely snug "base layer" shirts, pants, and body suits (both one- and two-piece) that hug your skin to retain additional warmth that would otherwise be lost. For really cold, damp climates, consider adding another layer of underwarmth with "mid layer" fleece/thermal pants or zip-up inner jackets.
We haven't forgotten core essentials such as socks and underwear. In our Riding Socks subsection, you'll find long, short, and ankle-height socks of varying snugness levels in solid or colorful designs. We've also got heated socks & heated insole pieces for inserting inside shoes or boots.
Winter Jackets
For snowmobile riding, there's nothing better than a durable, water-resistant winter jacket that's easy to spot thanks to available bright colors. If you're looking for value, we've got durable, water-resistant jackets which are lighter in weight (wear extra clothing or heated layers underneath).
High-Visibility Clothing
If you're out in the snow, some high visibility clothing items are worth your while to bring along. Consider a high-visibility vest that can be worn over another jacket. Or, choose one of our high-visibility jackets - many of which are waterproof.
What distinguishes "high visibility" clothes is they contain both fluorescent and reflective materials. Bright fluorescent colors and accents make you more visible during the daytime, but it's the reflective strips that allow others to see you easily in the dark.
Winter Pants
Because your legs are literally plowing through the powder along with the snowmobile, you need waterproof winter pants to prevent yourself from getting soaked! What's great about them is that they're well-insulated enough to repel the dampness and cold of snow, yet light and loose enough to wear over other pants. Depending on personal preference, winter pants can be selected with or without shoulder suspenders. And don't forget heated pants which can be worn underneath other layers.
Head Gear
While head gear can be useful on all types of powersports vehicles, we consider face coverings most essential for snowmobile riding - especially if you plan on riding exposed with an open-face helmet (or no helmet at all). For full protection against frostbite, snow, and other muck, start with full face masks - or at least half face masks found in our Head Gear section. For other types of warmer weather powersports craft, you may enjoy looking through our selection of balaclavas, neck gaiters, bandanas, skull caps, headbands, head wraps, baseball caps, beanies, and more.
Winter Gloves
When you're on a snowmobile, you absolutely need warm winter gloves that are also waterproof. Anything less quickly turns into a pair of soggy rags that are simply too cold and damp to provide much benefit. That's why, in our Winter Gloves section, you'll find nicely insulated gloves that keep hands warm and dry thanks to outer layers that can't be permeated by water.
Additionally, those outer layers are ergonomically designed with padding that's optimized to maintain grip on wet handlebars. And, as with all of our riding gloves, ergonomics means padded sections have ridges and creases that allow much more finger movement and dexterity than would normally be achieved. You won't find all of these bonuses in standard gloves designed for shoveling snow.
And for complete cold weather comfort, we've also got heated gloves complete with wiring connectors that hook into other heated jackets or liner sleeves, your vehicle, or an optional battery.
Watercraft
Life Vests & Other Flotation Devices
A life vest can literally save your life if you've capsized in rough water, been thrown from your craft unexpectedly, are dealing with powerful currents, can't swim effectively because of heavy waterlogged clothing, or have been knocked unconscious.
In all of these cases, life vests will keep you floating effortlessly in the water with your head safely above water level for as long as necessary. With a life vest automatically keeping you afloat, you can stay out of trouble - conserving your energy instead of panicking and frantically wasting it. This, again, is a true lifesaver because time is now on your side - especially if your watercraft has been swept away and is harder to reach.
In our Life Vests & Accessories section, we've got a wide selection of recreational life jackets, inflatable life vests, and inflatable belts - all of which contain adjustable straps for a snug yet comfortable fit that properly protects the wearer.
Non-inflating recreational life jackets consist of solid foam flotation pieces surrounded by a nylon, neoprene, or polyester shell. Front and rear sections completely cover your torso, and cinch snugly together via straps and buckles. These represent an excellent zero-maintenance, error-proof, lower-cost choice. We've also got life jackets specially sized to fit children and pets. And if you appreciate a life jacket with lots of built-in storage pockets, check out our Life Jackets section.
Inflatable life vests use a CO2-filled canister that discharges gases into inflatable areas after the canister is punctured manually with a pull-cord or automatically after being submerged in water. Either way, these vests offer the convenience of being more compact and less restrictive for the user.
Sometimes with very physical watersports, a full size life vest just gets in the way. Compact inflatable belts worn around the waist solve this dilemma, and are activated manually by a pull-tab connected to a small CO2 cartridge. As the life vest inside the belt pouch inflates, it emerges and becomes a full-size flotation device tethered to the belt. These represent good value, and are available for less than the cost of a full-size inflatable vest.
Shorts
When you're enjoying life on a boat, jetski, or other watercraft item, long pants can really weigh you down in warm weather months. That's why we've got a great selection of shorts in various styles designed for water use that will also dry quickly once you're out of the water.
Whether you prefer more casual athletic style shorts with elastic waistbands and tie strings, or shorts with more formal belt hooks and zippers, we've got a good selection to choose from. Again, all of them are designed for use in the water, so they're pretty flexible.
To continue your education on powersports gear, we invite you to read other articles on our website regarding helmet styles, materials, certifications, Bluetooth operation, accessories, and more. And if you have any questions, we'll be happy to answer your calls seven days a week!