Winter quad ride

[roosta]

Hey,

My brother is in town and I've rented him a quad. As luck would have it, turns out mother nature is having a laugh and the day we riding is max -20C! He is only visiting for a short while so no chance of moving the day.
What do you guys do to help in such extreme cold?

I plan to go to Mclean Creek to hopefully get more snow packed trails, got chains for rear tires to. Rental has no hand / thumb warmers...
I'll buy some of those hand & foot warmers.
Still I'm worried we're just gonna freeze...

Anywhere possibly to go where it may be a little warmer and maybe not quite so much snow?

Thanks!

[bronze]

Get a cheap atv windshield and the hand warmers. There is no place on a quad to hide from the wind like on a snowmobile and visors on helmets alway frost up.

[Smokinyotes]

Quads are cold. If it were me i wouldnt be going.

[nast70]

Originally Posted by bronze

Get a cheap atv windshield and the hand warmers. There is no place on a quad to hide from the wind like on a snowmobile and visors on helmets alway frost up.

Cruising down a cutline at 40km/h in -30 all day is nothing on a snowmobile.
We did it a couple years ago at the Whitecourt Rally, with our kids! Back in the days when something called snow would fall from the sky in the winter.
Anything below 0 on a quad and you had better be dressed to the max, then add some more!

[Sooner]

I used to drape a old sleeping bag across my lap, let it hang down and catch engine heat. I was put putting along hunting in Nov but it added some warmth. You may be able to find those glove type hand warmers for handlebars at princess auto. Those would break up the wind on the fingers. Without a windshield I would be wearing a full face sled helmet.

Hopefully you get a Chinook come through on ride day.

[blgoodbrand1]

Originally Posted by Smokinyotes

Quads are cold. If it were me i wouldnt be going.

There ya have it folks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KnifeFan007]

I quad all the time in the winter.
It's great, everything is froze up and you can go a lot more places.
Dress warm, lots of layers. Snow suit or parka, insulate coveralls, big winter boots.
The face and hands get the coldest. Wear a balaclava under your helmet and heavy gloves or mits (or both).
gear up, go out and have fun.
Be safe.

[nimrod]

I have a set of those covers that go over your hands when driving, I can lend them to you if you want, Camrose area for pick up

[hayseed]

How about dress for minus 40.

Stop and have a fire to warm up. Have some tea and smokies.

Don't let a little cold stop ya.

[58thecat]

Dress in layers, balaclava under skid lid,wear mukluk type boots with those hand/toe warmers, thin gloves inside heavy mitts and insert a hand warmer on the thumb throttle hand, bring food, etc, stop and have a fire, eat some smokies, enjoy...better than sitting at home.

[Tactical Lever]

I thought AO was a Canadian site..

I have been out in -30 riding out to hunting spots, and just fooling around at -40 just to get out of the house for a while on 3 wheelers. It is not so bad when you dress for it; though -30 with 70 kmh wind is pretty chilly after a while.

The biggest thing is the wind. Slow down a little, and enjoy the ride. My recipe for comfort in the worst weather is pretty straightforward. I rarely get to this level, because it is usually overkill: Fluffy Helly Hanson long johns, cheap polar fleece pants, good wool blend socks and rubber winter boots. Think they are Kamiks, good for about -30 or -40. HH long sleeve underwear top, with waffle weave on top of that, and shirt or sweater. Then a wool surplus bush jacket on top of that. Tough Duck insulated covys on top, and I can fit some old regular coveralls over that. For my head and neck, I will put on some combo of scarf, neoprene facemask, or fleece hood that covers the shoulders and neck and top it off with a trapper style hat, either sheep skin or double layer polar fleece. For my hands, I will wear thin fleece gloves under heavy welding gauntlets, or some top quality gloves, or some big mitts from PA or UFA, with wool liners underneath.

I might have a thin fleece vest underneath, and I might bring extra gloves or socks to either add flexibility, or in case of getting wet.

A few winters ago, crossing some swampy area, if was probably -25 to -30, and was a very cold fall and winter, when I dropped the front wheel through some ice. I figured everything should have been well frozen over, as I had been able to cross a swift little creek before that. Was not a big deal, as I was able to jump to a grass clump and lift it out and push it backwards. But the heat of fermentation kept it soft.

I always travel with some good fire starting stuff, and a come along is not a bad thing to bring along.

If you or your brother are short on cold weather gear, Princess Auto, or UFA is not a bad place to pick up hats, mitts, and hoods. Not to mention insulated coveralls, maybe.

[iliketrout]

For me it's the face and hands that get the coldest. A good balaclava that your coat can overlap so that you don't get air straight down your neck is key.

Get some of those disposable heat pack hand warmers and bring an extra pair of dry gloves.

I find that if you're running trails like at McLean you're usually pretty active and not going *too* fast so the slower speeds and activity will both help keep you warm.

A fire for lunch will help you warm up too.

Definitely still go. I love quadding in the winter.

[TROLLER]

I actually prefer the winter, trails not busy and the best part is all the ruts are snow filled so a nice smooth ride and you don't have to spend a few hours cleaning up the mud after.

I wear a good pair of coveralls with mits that I put hand warmer inside same with the boots. Carry a nice thermous and enjoy the day. Not much better than a sunny winter day on the quad. Do not worry about wind does not really bother you once you are in the trees.

[artie]

If you are going to Mclean creek make sure you do not break through the ice and sink in a deep hole. Some ice is still suspect after all that warm weather we had. Years ago I broke through the ice there in a deep mud hole and it was not fun in waist deep water trying to hook up a winch cable.

[roosta]

Thanks for all the replies and info, some tips we're definitely going to do. Appreciate the offer Nimrod, just a little too far away as I'm in Calgary. Going to get a little more clothing on, specially face and hands as mentioned. Already picked up some disposable hand and feet warmers from CT.
Yes we will make a fire too, its all part of being out there. Warms the body and soul!
Got my SPOT too just in case.
Even if its cold, as mentioned, it sure beats being inside!
Thanks again for the responses!

[ghfalls]

I've made the mistake of wearing coveralls on winter atv ing. The cold that comes through the zipper is not pleasant I do neck warmer plus balaclava and ski goggles over helmet. I also have a pint can full of rags and methyl hydrate that is a godsend to warm up cold hands. Or cook hot dogs. Have fun and don't let a little Alberta weather stop you from going.

[jcrayford]

3 simple words.... Full face helmet. Don't care if it tends to fog up once in a while, crack the visor up one notch when you slow down to defog

And everything else already mentioned...

Have fun!

J.

[Remi3006]

Originally Posted by KnifeFan007

I quad all the time in the winter.
It's great, everything is froze up and you can go a lot more places.
Dress warm, lots of layers. Snow suit or parka, insulate coveralls, big winter boots.
The face and hands get the coldest. Wear a balaclava under your helmet and heavy gloves or mits (or both).
gear up, go out and have fun.
Be safe.

If it gets too cold, stop for lunch/coffee and have a fire.

[browning21]

You better get out and do it, won't be long and there will not be anyplace left in Alberta to ride a quad.

[makin tracks]

take every opportunity to check each other for frost bite, watch any exposed skin. bring a few pieces of dry wood, construction cut ends work great as kindling to get fire started, a hand saw or small hatchet for cutting dry dead wood if you can find it. i have rode quads -36, if you can stay out of the wind you will be good. have fun.

[NCC]

Wear mitts (not gloves) with large cuffs so the wind doesn't go up your sleeves. Lots of layers and insulated coveralls over top. Balaclava, goggles, scarf, and a sled helmet. If you can keep you hands, neck and toes warm, you'll be fine. Scarf makes a huge difference.

Ask the rental company to put a windshield on the rental quad. You won't believe the difference it makes until you ride with one.

[MountainTi]

Exhaust works well for a quick hand warm-up.

[Dozer Pete]

Not real good for a rental machine but for your own...

Windshield
Handlebar mittens ..Bass pro or Amazon
Hand and throttle warmers ..Jobber or Ctire
Plug in for a heated helmet visor...wire it hot so heats when key is off
Get the heated visor helmet

Cold out?...dress warm and no problem

[roosta]

We went out, had a great day. Took all the advice given here, made a total of 3 fires so kept warm between riding. Another key factor was keeping our speed down.
Thanks again for all the advice, especially just to get out there and have fun. Sure is better than being stuck inside!

[artie]

Originally Posted by roosta

We went out, had a great day. Took all the advice given here, made a total of 3 fires so kept warm between riding. Another key factor was keeping our speed down.
Thanks again for all the advice, especially just to get out there and have fun. Sure is better than being stuck inside!

good for you guys. I was reading on another site guys were getting out and climbing frozen waterfalls. Good to be doing something as long as you have backup.