ATV tours...shorts or long pants?

We are booked for an ATV tour off Princess in Cabo..when reading up on the tours they all say closed toe shoes which makes sence however some say long pants and others don't but the folks in all the pictures are in shorts!!!

Feedback from those that have gone would be great. We don't want to be over dressed but don't want problems if we wear shorts.

Ok...shorts were ok, but mine were really thin cotton and soaked from sweating, so looked like I peed my pants! Maybe heavier shorts....?

The other thing to think about though is what if you crash? It would be safer with pants on. A girl on our tour lost control of her ATV and went over a 25ft embankment and got pretty beat up. She had on capris, but she still had a gash across her knee and was really scraped up and bloody. So be extra careful!

Thanks for the info..think I will take an old pair of kakhi pants figured we would get dusty and a bit dirty. What did you do with your gear...ie cameras,purses/backpacks, etc???

They will hold the stuff behind the counter for you at the starting point. They take your drivers license or Sail n Sign card also til you get back from your ride. I wore my camera case across my body so it wouldn't fall off my arm and just put my cash in it. They do stop so you can take pictures. (and they also blow you off at the end with a shop vac to get all the loose dust off!)

I had my camera case strapped around my waist. Our atv's had a small compartment for putting water and such in. LONGGGGG PANTS! (I thought they were required), and closed toe shoes. As mentioned, this will come in handy if you wreck like one person in our group did badly (and it didn't hurt when I turned mine over fairly softly). Plus they will hep shield you from the plants you will likely graze against.

You all make it sound like ATV'ing in Mexico is extremely dangerous, with the wrecks and turnovers. Were the folks that crashed acting recklessly or is there a good chance of tipping/crashing no matter what?

You all make it sound like ATV'ing in Mexico is extremely dangerous, with the wrecks and turnovers. Were the folks that crashed acting recklessly or is there a good chance of tipping/crashing no matter what?

I like your post! To take it a bit further, why not wear body armor and ballistic vests? Seriously? We've done a few ATV tours, and yes, there is an occasional crash, but we've done it often enough that we take bets (amongst ourselves) before heading out, as to who will crash. They're easy to spot.

Common sense and even the tiniest bit of intelligence, and you will be fine.

I like your post! To take it a bit further, why not wear body armor and ballistic vests? Seriously? We've done a few ATV tours, and yes, there is an occasional crash, but we've done it often enough that we take bets (amongst ourselves) before heading out, as to who will crash. They're easy to spot.

Common sense and even the tiniest bit of intelligence, and you will be fine.

Thanks for the vote of confidence! We will continue pursuing a tour then, and make sure our guide doesn't go crazy enticing us to act recklessly! :)

ATV's are meant to be ridden on flat, level surfaces, which is the case in Cabo. They take you across a dry lake bed, if you crash, it's because you were going too fast.

We did a tour in Manzanillo where we were taken into the back country that had roads with pot holes etc. I ended up going down hard into a pot hole and breaking my wrist, so just be careful and you'll be fine.

We are booked for an ATV tour off Princess in Cabo..when reading up on the tours they all say closed toe shoes which makes sence however some say long pants and others don't but the folks in all the pictures are in shorts!!!

 

Feedback from those that have gone would be great. We don't want to be over dressed but don't want problems if we wear shorts.

I'd for sure bring pants, heavy ones. Yeah its going to be hot... I put this in the same bucket as when I'm driving on a hot summer day look and see motorcyclist with a helmet ( it's the LAW ), but then flip flops and shorts and watch them race off from the read light with a power to weight acceleration ratio that exceeds 100K sports cars...

I love an adventure as much as the next guy ( black diamond skiing, ziplining, snow mobiling, ATV, snow mobiling... ) IMHO most tours even those in Mexico aren't going to put you in areas that you have to push the envelope of safety, it is ALWAYS the participant that does it :D But I would say in my last ziplining in Mexico no question safety was seriously in the hands / equipment of the tour operator and it was very different than what I had experienced in US/Canada, not nearly as third world as I had thought it might be but did slightly fullfill my expectation.

My two ATV experiences while fun, I'd say IMHO it was likely more easy for me to kill myself on that then any of my other listed "fun" activities, but snowmobiling was a close second.

One last thought to consider is it something so unique you can't do closer to home? During our extreme zipling it was comforting to hear the importance of safety as we where 2-3 hours away from any real medical treatment at it was foreign country. I've visited emergency rooms in Cancun, Whistler and Park City.. not cheap but I know my most scary was Mexico.

I'd do long pants.. if you are a crazy thrill seeker bring the body armor that extreme mountain bikers wear :eek: It's Mexico you think they'd turn away a person in shorts?

ATV's are meant to be ridden on flat, level surfaces, which is the case in Cabo. They take you across a dry lake bed, if you crash, it's because you were going too fast.

 

We did a tour in Manzanillo where we were taken into the back country that had roads with pot holes etc. I ended up going down hard into a pot hole and breaking my wrist, so just be careful and you'll be fine.

They're called All Terrain Vehicles for a reason, not flat level surface vehicles. Use care, common sense, and as CW says, be careful, and most importantly, make certain that you are a comfortable distance from the nut-job that is certain to be riding too! Accidents do happen, but most generally, they are caused. Be careful, and you will have a grande time! Just my $0.02P worth! :)

Thanks all, we are booking a 2.5hr mountain & waterfall tour in Loreto. Looks like it should be a great getaway.

-Dave

We booked and completed the ATV tour with Vive Loreto Tours in Loreto MX. None of us had ridden them before and the party was myself, my wife and our young son. The guide took us on easier routes to accommodate the experience and comfort levels of my wife and son, so we had a safe and at times challenging experience. We had some free running on a beach to climbing out of river gullies. We would all repeat the tour again - and we did it in short pants and sleeves!

Long pants. They'll save your skin even if the only hazard is occasional brush on the trail side.