What Is ATGATT? All The Gear, All The Time

You’ll see the acronym everywhere in motorcycling: ATGATT—All The Gear, All The Time. It’s not a product or a brand; it’s a simple discipline: wear full protective gear on everyride, not just the long ones. That’s the whole idea, and it’s worth more than any single piece of expensive kit, because the best gear in your closet protects nothing on the days you leave it there.

Why “all the time” is the important part

The temptation every rider knows is the “quick trip”—the run to the store, the ride around the block—where full gear feels like overkill. But a large share of crashes happen close to home, at low speed, when you’re relaxed and not fully warmed up. And low speed is not low consequence: 25 mph is plenty fast enough to take skin down to the bone. ATGATT is the discipline of not making that bet, ever. It doesn’t mean buying the most expensive gear—it means the gear you own goes on every single time.

What each piece does

• Helmet— protects the one part of you that doesn’t heal. Non-negotiable, and the piece to get right first.
• Gloves— your hands brace instinctively in a fall, so they’re among the most likely parts to hit the road. A hard knuckle and abrasion-resistant palm are the minimum.
• Jacket— abrasion protection for your torso plus CE armor at the shoulders, elbows and (ideally) back, where impacts land.
• Boots— brace and protect the ankle, a joint that rolls and crushes easily and heals slowly.
• Riding pants— abrasion protection and hip/knee armor for the lower half, from armored jeans to full textile pants.

The CE armor levels, briefly

“Get good gear” becomes a checkable standard once you understand two European ratings. EN 1621rates the armor—the protectors at the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and back. Level 1 passes a lower impact-transmission threshold; Level 2 transmits less force and is the higher rating. EN 17092rates the whole garment for abrasion and tear strength, from Class A (lowest street rating) up to AAA (highest). When a jacket states “CE Level 1 shoulder and elbow armor, EN 17092 Class A,” that’s a real, checkable claim—and where a maker only says “CE approved” without a level, that’s worth noticing. For most road riding, Level 1 armor plus a back protector is a solid baseline; Level 2 is the upgrade for maximum protection.

Turn the philosophy into a kit

ATGATT is easy to agree with and easy to skip. The way to make it stick is to actually own a complete set, so there’s never a “I don’t have the gloves” excuse. Our first-gear checklist turns this philosophy into a head-to-toe shopping list with a specific pick for each piece, and the budget gear setup shows how to do it affordably. The gear only works if it’s on—so own it all, and wear it all the time.