I ride in the desert, so my top three are:

Tire plugging kit and CO2.
Winch.
Water.

 

Beer for the first stop
Beer for the second stop
And beer while we wait for our buddy to fix his Polaris

 

People drinking too much beer is why people like me need bumpers. I got rear-ended while I was sitting in a driveway.

I'm the one who's always waiting while my friend does his monthly valve lashing on his Grizzly while I've never had mine done on any Polaris I've owned.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: celltech

Beer for the first stop

Beer for the second stop

And beer while we wait for our buddy to fix his Polaris</end quote></div>

That was hilarious.

 

that was funny.

Basic land navigation will save your life. I learned (and instructed) some advanced land nav in the military and I still am amazed at how easy it is to get disorientated, especially when moving fairly quickly along a trail that winds around.

A decent compass is about $12 and worth the quad's weight in gold. A basic plan is the best. Find a 'panic azimuth' as a minimum.

I like the ease of a GPS, but honestly I almost never even turn mine on. Usually I set a single waypoint- back where the truck is. Mostly to help pinpoint it after dark when I've been hunting all day. The more you know about navigation, the less use you'll have for GPS.

Too many people I've seen rely on electronics without backing it up with knowledge of land nav. GPS won't help when the batteries die.

Not an addition to the machine itself per se, but basic medical kit is also a lifesaver. A small 'hunting' kit is all you need, gauze, pressure bandage, etc. Along with that a basic Red Cross class is time well spent.

But that's all getting away from add ons for the machine itself....................just shows that adding things to the machine is actually the least helpful investment to make. But it's alot more fun to show off that shiny new winch than it is to brag about your compass.....

 

Having been trained in woodland ops, I agree land nav is important. Therefore, I keep a compass in my storage box. In fact, I keep enough supplies in my front storage box to sustain myself for several days. I don't really ride anywhere that I can't walk out of in a days hike, but that is assuming I can walk. Nevertheless, it's comforting to know that if anything ever happened I would be prepared. With that being said, the ease of a GPS is really nice and I use it everytime I ride.

 

if you buy the quad with good tires, a winch, and lots of storage, like i did... 3 additional add ons would be:
- gun holder
- brush guard
- GPS

 

Cup holder
Full cooler
Designated driver

 

:Winch
Cell Phone
.44 Magnum

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Dearlh

:Winch

Cell Phone

.44 Magnum</end quote></div>

Those 3 can get you out of a lot of trouble.
I don't have a cellphone but probably should get one for when I ride alone.