ATV Adventures: Christmas gift ideas for your ATV friends
This picture shows a Polaris RZR secured to a trailer using ShockStrap tie-downs. The neoprene bone flexes keep the strap tight in transport.
Lynn Blamires
ATV Adventures
Buying gifts for your ATV friends, whether it is for Christmas or a birthday, can be tricky. They are known to be pretty picky — I know, I am one of them. One Christmas, my wife gave me a 4-gallon flat gas can because she had heard me talking about them. The right thing to do would have been to gratefully receive the gift; it would have worked just fine. But no, I wanted a 2-gallon can so I took it back. No wonder my Christmas mornings are getting so bleak.
However, here are some gift ideas that will please even the pickiest ATV people on your list:
Jump starter
A jump starter is a compact power source with multiple uses. ATV engines are so big these days that there are no kick-start options to back up the electric starters. If you are caught in the back country with a dead battery, you better have a tow strap and a friend or a jump starter.
About the size of an iPhone, one with an 800-amp rating will be able to jump your car as well as an ATV or UTV. I have one with 2,500 amps that is a little larger. But if you go with a higher amp rating, the product gets big and bulky.
The bonus of gifting one of these is that it has a variety of ports to charge tablets, cellphones and other devices. This comes in handy on a long trip or on the trail.
Tire repair kit
Carrying a spare tire, while practical on a UTV, is not on an ATV and it is an expensive option. While it looks cool, a tire repair kit is a less expensive choice. It consists of a reaming tool, an insert tool, some tire plugs, a mini compressor and a low-pressure tire gauge.
While plugging a tire can be a permanent fix, sometimes it is not, but at least the tire will hold air until you can get back to civilization. I have had good and bad luck with tire plugs. If your friend has a complete kit, he will at least like finding an extra supply of plugs in his stocking.
Grab handles
A UTV never has places for hanging on. These handles Velcro to the role cage bars and come in handy for getting in and out of the vehicle or for just hanging on while your crazy friend drives.
Neck gators
A neck gator is a scarf that you don’t have to tie around your neck. They are cloth tubes that slip over your head. When they first came out, I thought they were great for keeping the sun off my neck or for warmth on cooler days. Now, during this pandemic, I wear one constantly for a face mask. They make a great stocking stuffer.
Tie-down straps
I have a 22-foot trailer to transport ATVs. That is big enough to take friends when I ride. Some of the tie-downs I have seen them use to secure their machines are little better than rubber bands. The best plan is to arrive at the trailhead with as many machines as you started with.
A good strap should have a ratchet handle to draw the strap tight to secure your machine. I prefer to use ShockStrap tie-downs. They use a neoprene bone that stretches when you tighten the strap. That bone will give during transport, keeping the strap tight and your machine safe.
Trail maps
Trail maps make a great gift. Even if your friend is a seasoned rider, maps are being updated all the time with new trails and other changes. It is also nice to have a map that is in one piece. I have come back from a ride where that is no longer the case and a new map would be nice to have.
National Geographic has some great Utah ATV trail maps. Their map of the Paiute Trail System, for example, is waterproof and detailed with trails color-coded for difficulty. Your ATV dealer will be able to help you with a wide variety of trail maps.
Well, these are a few ideas to help take the angst out of some of your Christmas shopping. Your ATV dealer will be able to help you with all of these ideas and more. When you ride, take plenty of water, keep the rubber side down and if this is more than you can handle, buy a gift card.