Protective Gear - Whats needed and whats overkill?

[Ovo]

OK so being a newb to the dirt, I would like to know what gear I should be looking at getting.

I know I need a helmet, goggles and I want some off road boots and gloves...outside of that what would you suggest or is that enough?

I do have some fieldsheer mesh pants with knee amour that I am going to wear.

Anything else or is that good?

[hondahawkrider]

OK so being a newb to the dirt, I would like to know what gear I should be looking at getting.

I know I need a helmet, goggles and I want some off road boots and gloves...outside of that what would you suggest or is that enough?

I do have some fieldsheer mesh pants with knee amour that I am going to wear.

Anything else or is that good?

Depends upon your riding to how much you want/need..

I always include a backprotector when I ride... They are build into some pressure suits - but if I pass on my PS - and I am using a ADV jacket only - I usually wear the bp inside it...

[Ovo]

Depends upon your riding to how much you want/need..

Well this would be for basic trail riding and maybe some of the scheduled rides that you find on here.

[Grady]

Gear is really a personal opinion. However, in the unfortunate event that you do go down and injure something, you'll always wish you had something protecting that part of you.

[mdubya]

I would suggest MX/off road type knee protection. They straps directly to your leg and won't move when you fall. I find MX/off road type pants to be more comfortable than sport touring type gear too.

In most cases of true off-roading, you won't be crashing at very high speeds, so you don't need the road rash type of protection, just hard armor over the body parts most likely to bounce off the ground. I wear gloves to protect against sore, raw, blistered hands, more than for crash protection. Having hard armor on the back of the gloves and on your forearms/biceps helps protect against smacking tree limbs as you ride through the woods.

Most coming from a street riding background favor more protection. Most who have ridden off road all their lives favor much less protection.

Although I have had a few rather spectacular off-road crashes, most often, I just tip over or step off at 0 mph. The times I have rag dolled it, my helmet has been the most important safety feature. Sturdy MX type boots are awesome too.

[zooom]

I would suggest MX/off road type knee protection. They straps directly to your leg and won't move when you fall. I find MX/off road type pants to be more comfortable than sport touring type gear too.

In most cases of true off-roading, you won't be crashing at very high speeds, so you don't need the road rash type of protection, just hard armor over the body parts most likely to bounce off the ground. I wear gloves to protect against sore, raw, blistered hands, more than for crash protection. Having hard armor on the back of the gloves and on your forearms/biceps helps protect against smacking tree limbs as you ride through the woods.

Most coming from a street riding background favor more protection. Most who have ridden off road all their lives favor much less protection.

Although I have had a few rather spectacular off-road crashes, most often, I just tip over or step off at 0 mph. The times I have rag dolled it, my helmet has been the most important safety feature. Sturdy MX type boots are awesome too.

and whaddya use to protect you from the guard rails that jump out and get in your way?

[Bucho]

For offroading, I think boots (proper MXboots), helm & goggles, gloves, elbow and knee armor. I think a MX style chest/back protector is nice (and cheap), but not really needed.

At the moment I do have a pressure suit, I probably don't need it for casual trail riding. But since I have it, I wear it.

[Laoch]

Practice crashing and see what hurts the next day

[biffer99]

I would suggest MX/off road type knee protection. They straps directly to your leg and won't move when you fall. I find MX/off road type pants to be more comfortable than sport touring type gear too.

In most cases of true off-roading, you won't be crashing at very high speeds, so you don't need the road rash type of protection, just hard armor over the body parts most likely to bounce off the ground. I wear gloves to protect against sore, raw, blistered hands, more than for crash protection. Having hard armor on the back of the gloves and on your forearms/biceps helps protect against smacking tree limbs as you ride through the woods.

Most coming from a street riding background favor more protection. Most who have ridden off road all their lives favor much less protection.

Although I have had a few rather spectacular off-road crashes, most often, I just tip over or step off at 0 mph. The times I have rag dolled it, my helmet has been the most important safety feature. Sturdy MX type boots are awesome too.

and whaddya use to protect you from the guard rails that jump out and get in your way?

You mean like this???


HELMET, knee pads, boots, and a pressure suit (aka. ballistic jersey) including shoulder/elbow/back/kidney protection. Crashes hurt and I fall over A LOT! (which, around here, has given new meaning to my handle)

[mdubya]

You mean like this???


HELMET, knee pads, boots, and a pressure suit (aka. ballistic jersey) including shoulder/elbow/back/kidney protection. Crashes hurt and I fall over A LOT! (which, around here, has given new meaning to my handle)

Oh sh!!t. When did that happen?