If you ride an ATV or motocross bike, you know the true value of a good chest protector. If you haven't had the chance to ride and you're doing research on what you need to ride, you will definitely need a chest protector.
Debris and lots of it gets kicked up when you ride ATVs and motocross bikes. Flying rocks (also called "roost"), can hit with enough force to cause injury if you're not wearing chest protection. Also, if you fall off your vehicle or have an impact with a tree, not only will your helmet help protect you, so will a good chest protector.
There are a lot of choices out there for chest protectors and finding the right one for yourself can seem daunting at first. Most chest protectors are designed to protect your chest, back, shoulders, and clavical (collar bone) with protective materials such as high-impact plastic, heavy duty nylon and even kevlar. There are two main types of chest protectors available.
Plastic Chest Protectors or Deflectors which is a type of chest protector designed to be worn over your riding jersey and normally has an injection molded durable heavy duty chassis and molded shoulders. Back protection is normally included and upper arms also. Most of these type of chest protectors have venting to keep you cool and an easy on/easy off closure system. For the best protection when you're riding fast and hard or racing, a plastic chest protector is usually the best choice for this type of riding.
Protective Body Armor is another choice and is worn under your jersey and fits snugly to your body. The good thing about protective body armor is that it is less restrictive of movement than plastic chest protectors.
Depending on your riding style, an under-jersey or over-jersey body armor will be your choice, but always wear chest protection when you ride.
