Essential Snowmobile Accessories

If you’re reading this and are lucky enough to get snow where you live, surely you have or are planning to get a snowmobile for your winter thrills on snowy hills. 

Here at Partzilla we’re best known for selling motorcycle, ATV and UTV parts and accessories, but we also sell Ski-Doo, Polaris and Yamaha snowmobile parts and accessories, so we’re going to show snowmobiles some love. 

When it comes to “listicles”, what should be included is subjective, and each individual snowmobile owner should research what accessories are essential to their own needs. Things like helmets, goggles, gloves and other offroad riding gear won’t be included, as those will be saved for another list. Other essentials like first-aid kits and survival guides are more necessities than accessories, and as such won’t be included either.  With that in mind, here’s our list of essential accessories every snowmobile owner should have.

Snowmobile Cover

One accessory every snowmobile owner should have is a cover to protect it from harsh weather when it’s not in use. Moisture and even dust can damage a snowmobile’s parts during summer storage. Salt, dirty water and debris during transportation can also harm a snowmobile,  so you’ll need a heavy-duty waterproof breathable cover. 

Lighting Kit

Here’s an accessory that works for aesthetics as well as for riding in the dark. Fitting some extra colorful LED lighting to your snowmobile not only makes it look (no pun intended) cooler, but also serves to keep your machine extra illuminated after dark to help rescuers find you if you get lost or stranded. Most LED lighting kits are remote controlled and easy to install, and could add resale value to your snowmobile for potential buyers who value extra features. 

Hand Guards

Protecting your hands is crucial to snowmobile riding, and fitting handguards to your machine helps guard them from flying debris. OEM handguards are available from some snowmobile manufacturers, or you can opt for universal handguards that fit any machine. Depending on which handguards you get, a separate mounting kit may be required. 

Heated Grips

Besides protecting your hands from debris with handguards, you’ll also want to protect them from the freezing cold with heated grips. Find heated grip or hand warmer kits for your snowmobile that include a thumb warmer and remote controls to adjust the heat levels. 

Tow Straps

When it comes to getting stranded in snow and getting assistance, tow straps are a true lifesaver. These straps are an invaluable accessory that allow other riders to tow your snowmobile behind theirs in emergency situations. Tow straps are also useful for pulling a sled behind your machine to transport extra supplies. 

Escape Kit

Another accessory great for getting a stranded snowmobile out of the snow is an escape kit, which has everything you need to get your machine unstuck from just about any situation. Escape kits come with sled-pulling tools like cords, straps and hooks to attach to other snowmobiles and safely pull your machine out of peril. 

Jump Starter

Cold weather can quickly drain snowmobile batteries. A battery jumpstarter is a device that safely charges offroad vehicle batteries, including snowmobile batteries. Jump starters are basically smart chargers that help prolong battery life. A quality jumpstarter is also an especially useful accessory for group snowmobile outings, as others can lose battery life in their machines, and for multiple snowmobile batteries while in storage. 

GPS Navigator 

Going offroad means getting lost is a major possibility if you don’t know where you’re going. While today’s smartphones all have GPS capabilities, phone batteries die and signals get lost out in the sticks. Get a GPS navigator made for offroad riding that doesn’t require a cell signal to function. Throw in an old-school paper map and flares for good measure, just in case the GPS navigator fails.

Hot Pot

Keeping warm in the snow is helped by having hot meals available in case you’re staying overnight or again, getting lost and awaiting rescue. You should always carry lighters and fire-starting supplies for snowmobiling adventures, but having a hot pot and/or its junior counterpart mounted to your snowmobile helps ensure you can enjoy hot meals while you’re roughing it out in the snow.

Tunnel Bags

Bringing along food to heat on your hot pot works better when you have something to store the food in. Tunnel bags and packs are great for snowmobile storage of food and other essentials like the next item on our list. 

Shovel

An often overlooked item to get a snowmobile unstuck is a good-old fashioned shovel. Get a portable, foldable shovel that fits into a large tunnel bag for situations when you need to dig yourself out of the snow or dig a pit for a campfire. Polaris offers a shovel/saw combination so you can also cut wood for a fire, or cut debris to clear a path. 

Toolkit

Whether you buy a pre-assembled toolkit or put together your own, you should have basic tools available on your snowmobile to fix unexpected mechanical failures. Get a toolkit or tool roll with standard wrenches, screwdrivers, ratches and sockets for emergencies. Throw in a multi-tool for good measure, plus extras like a flashlight, and spare parts like fuses and spark plugs into your toolkit. 

Portable Fuel Storage Tank

Finally, make sure you bring along an extra fuel storage tank or three for those epic daylong or overnight snowmobile adventures. While a jerry can works fine, smaller portable tanks are less clunky, easier to fill up and store, and harder to lose while riding. 

As mentioned before, this is not a comprehensive list of essential snowmobile accessories, but it’s a good “starter pack” to get you going. Happy snow trails!