ATV Summer Riding Tips

Summer is on the horizon and that means that it’s time to start thinking about your upcoming ATV adventures. Riding in warm, sunny weather might not sound like it’s dangerous, but the heat here in Texas can get pretty unbearable at times and, depending on where you’re riding, you may not find much respite from it. That doesn’t mean you can’t still go ATV riding. You just need to take extra precautions to ensure that you stay safe. 

Cowboy Powersports, located in Beaumont, is your southern Texas ATV dealer. Here are some tips for riding your ATV in the hot Southern summers so that you can stay safe and enjoy every off-road opportunity.

1. Dress For Heat

Texas gets hot in the summer and, while it makes sense that you might wish to wear short sleeves and sandals for hot-weather ATV riding, it’s simply not safe to do so. You’ll need to continue to wear the protective gear that you always wear while off-roading to protect yourself from injury.

Wear a lighter helmet like a motocross helmet instead of a motorcycle helmet and pair it with some goggles to keep your head protected without encasing it entirely. Your clothing should be made from breathable fabrics in light colors. It might seem counterintuitive to wear long sleeves and pants in the heat, but think about desert-dwellers in their long robes: preventing the sun from hitting your skin will actually help you to stay cooler. Gloves and boots are still necessary, but you can look for lightweight riding gloves that have breathable fabric over the backs of your hands.

2. Stick to the Shade

While this tip might be tough to follow in certain open desert areas of our state, there are still several places in Texas that offer some sylvan respite, like the OHV areas in the Sam Houston National Forest, for one example. If you can find shady areas to ride your ATV, you’ll be able to prevent sun exposure and stay a little cooler.

3. Protect Your Skin & Eyes

Invest in a tinted face shield or pair of goggles that provide UV protection to shield your eyes from the bright sun. Otherwise, you’ll need to fit some sunglasses under your face shield. Cover all exposed skin with sweat-proof, high-SPF sunscreen and reapply it every few hours. Areas to focus on include your nose, the back of your neck, your wrists and your chest if your shirt is at all open in the front.

4. Stay Hydrated

Dehydration can set in pretty quickly if you’re sweating a lot, so it’s important to keep some water with you and make sure you’re drinking it. Your body will lose water through sweat in addition to electrolytes, so you may want to add a salty snack or a sports drink to your kit to replenish salts. Know the signs of dehydration so that you can react to them promptly by consuming fluids: loss of focus, confusion, dizziness, thirst and fatigue.

5. Take Frequent Breaks

While ATV riding is fun and thrilling, you can’t expect to ride for three or four hours without rest in the heat. Allow yourself the opportunity to take a rest break every hour or so where you remove your helmet, walk around, drink water, have a snack and stretch your muscles. You’ll be able to enjoy your riding much more when you hop back on your ATV if you give yourself some ten-minute rest breaks.

We hope these tips help you to stay cool and comfortable while off-roading this summer. Looking for ATVs for sale in southern Texas? Visit our dealership in Beaumont to check out our full selection of new and used ATVs for sale. Cowboy Powersports proudly serves the cities of Lake Charles, Pasadena and Baytown, TX.