When getting started with purchasing an off-roading vehicle such as an ATV there are a lot of apparel and gear options out there for both adults and kids. What you should buy is really dependent on each family and the type of riding they wish to do as well as how much money they have available to spend. But we do have 3 gear recommendations that are must haves for our kiddos.
The first is a helmet. This is the single most important piece of protective gear we highly recommend you get. Their brain is very important, and a chance of a fall or crash can happen in any type of riding and all terrain types. For us specifically, our kids drive their ATVs in a wooded area and the chances of them running into a tree is high. Kids are kids and regardless of how many times you tell them to slow down, and pay attention to their surroundings, they truly aren’t invincible, and crashes still happen. Honestly, a bike helmet is better than nothing and if that is what best fits your situation then please use it. A bike helmet is what we put on our youngest for nearly a year before he got upgraded to a Fly Racing Helmet to match his brothers and that was only purchased because a trip we plan on taking later this year requires a full-faced helmet for kids their ages.
The key to any helmet is making sure it fits the rider and it passes the various industry-related testing.
We have the Fly Racing Kinetic Helmets for our boys. They each got their own different color with the 8 year old wearing a Large. The 6 and 3 year old are both wearing Mediums. The 3 year old has a slightly bigger head for a kid his age.
You can find them on Amazon here. The prices vary a bit depending on size but are generally under $100. Even though I love the ease of online shopping if you don’t know what size helmet your kid would need, I would highly recommend going to a Power Sports Dealer to try them on. If you happen to live near southern Michigan, our favorite place to go is Planet Powersports. Check them out here and be sure to ask for Connie!
The second must have is some type of eye protection. We prefer riding goggles because our kids use the full-faced Fly Racing Helmets and you can’t comfortably wear sunglasses or similar types of eye protection with those. Getting debris in your eyes whether it is sand, dust, dirt, sticks, or whatever type of surface you or your kids are riding on is very uncomfortable in general. But it if were to happen while someone was riding an ATV that could very easily result in a crash if they panic or if they stop abruptly and someone is riding close behind them that can’t stop quickly. A bonus with goggles is using them for other activities such as sledding in the winter. It is amazing how much warmer your face is (or at least the illusion of it) when you have goggles on compared to no eye protection.
We personally have the Youth Fly Racing Focus Goggles. They have 10+ colors in the youth sizes and cost under $25 on Amazon. Check them out here.
The last of our must have gear recommendations is riding gloves. Fingers and hands are important but are definitely more durable and less likely to suffer permanent damage compared to head or eye injuries. The reason why riding gloves are in the top 3 gear for kids is that if a kid catches a rock or branch to the knuckles while riding that is going to be very painful and could result in them reacting in a way that could lead to a crash thus a potential for a head or other injuries. I’m sure there are even a few adults out there that have experienced a crash that stemmed from debris hitting their hands and knuckles.
If you’ve noticed a theme yet it shouldn’t surprise you that we also have Fly Racing Gloves for our kiddos as well. Amazon has them in sizes ranging from Youth XXS – Large and cost under $25. They have a variety of colors, but a lot depends on the size you need. Check them out here.
Our 8 year old wears a Youth Medium (size 5). The 6 and 3 year old wears a Youth X-Small (size 3). The smaller option wasn’t available for the youngest kid but his is more to just look cool like his older brothers.
ATVs and other off-roading vehicles are definitely a thrill and provide so much fun for our family. The kids love going fast and racing each other and I love that they are outside. There are so many great options out there for travel and family adventures beyond our backyard and I’m excited about the memories we will be making. We just are doing our best to make sure the memories have the minimal amount of injuries as possible.
My Offroad Family 