Besides the obvious (tent, sleeping bag, riding gear, warm clothes, photo equipment, etc.) my top five items are:

1. pocket knife
2. duct tape
3. bungee cords
4. self-made hobo stove
5. folding shovel

__________________
"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in one pretty and well preserved piece, but to skid across the line broadside, thoroughly used up, worn out, leaking oil, shouting GERONIMO!"

Here's my tuppence worth.......

1. Large Golf Umbrella! Mine sat nicely between panniers and frame! Good for sun and rain!
2. Petzel headtorch (AA batteries as they're easier to find/replace) as guarenteed it'll get dark somewhere!
3. Cable ties large size, it's easier to make large ones small than small ones large!
4. Mini Laptop for blog and picture management
5. Juggling balls great for stiff arms and strained eyes at the end of the riding day.

I got a few strange looks with the umbrella but I also had a few requests to borrow it too!

__________________
Geoffshing

'Security is a product of one's own imagination, it does not exist in nature as a rule, life is either a daring adventure or nothing.'

Underwear...? Who needs underwear?

__________________
Thomas

"Hey, ...I'm just ridin' shotgun"

Headtorch
Teabags
Babywipes
Heated jacket
Lonely Planet guide with each language so I can learn HELLO, PLEASE and THANK YOU , before I speak to the Border Guards. They become putty in your hands if you try their language.

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Does my bum look big on this bike?

After the obvious essentials including money(credit card), passport, tickets, carnet, visas, the wife, clothes, camping kit, spares and tools I always have:

• Teabags
• Shortwave radio
• Book
• Diary
• Swiss army knife

I also took a folding shovel all the way to Cape Town but never used it.

1 Opinel No. 6 knife (some eating culture folks)
2 Leatherman
3 Duc tape
4 clamp (favourite tool on eath, after duc tape)
5 Spark Plug (minskriders know what I mean)

1. Peanut butter (can sustain life )
2. Goop (you can buy this in any Canadian tire and will repair almost anything)
3. Toilet paper (always comes in handy)
4. Merino wool
5. Gore-tex riding boots (i like my feet dry)

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Canada to Argentina 2010:http://nomi-beto-adventures.blogspot.com/

Website:www.MotoLara.com

Looks more like a desert island survival kit rather than stuff you'll need in North America.

I would change the £20 note for dollars before you go!

Damn, i bet even Rambo hasn't heard of most of that stuff......

I haven't done any motorcycle traveling like you lot, but when travelling "normally" going canoeing or just on my everyday walkabouts especially in summer, I carry:

1: A Klean Kanteen. The biggest one in unpainted steel. In a pinch it can be used as a kettle.

2: My calender/notebook, which doubles as a wallet, ticket holder etc.

3: Fountain pen, with ink in a tiny nalgene bottle. I'm a leftie and tend to "jab" the paper with ball point pens, and much to my surprise fountain pens were the solution. I use "permanent" Noodler's ink which reacts to the cellulose in the paper and dry really fast, which results in very little smudging (being a leftie, that is a real consideration). My fountain pen doesn't look fancy at all. It's a classic minimalist design. It's the Lamy 2000:



4: A small recorder (Olympus LS11) and headphones to monitor the recording.

5: Ebook reader. I have both a PRS900 and a PRS650. The latter is the smallest one, and so gets carried most of the time.


Edit: Damn, I forgot I also carry a small "friction folder" -Think old school razor knife mechanism - but I think I forgot to mention it, because it resides in my calender along with SDHC-cards, receipts and so on.

1. ex officio underwear.
2. Kleen Canteen
3. G12 Camera
4. Road snacks like granola of trail mix
5. Silk Scarf

Over the last couple of years I've discovered a new number 1!

This has to be my Asus Eee Netbook.

At £160 it was not prohibitively expensive and has a multitude of uses:

Writing the diary
Back up storage for photos
Email contact
Music (mines a bit slow for smooth video)
Etc etc

But its most obvious and useful benefit is its access to the web (its pretty easy to get wireless in a lot of places now). I've used it on two trips now where its been invaluable. You can pre book accomodation before you get there, check reviews of that accom, check weather forecasts, ski reports (did a 'trans-alpine' trip from slovenia to France last year - just followed the snow reports, prebooking hotels the night before - utterly brilliant hassle free trip and we got amazing skiing - largely because of the netbook). It allows you to pre-plan your trip and avoid all the hassles of searching for accomodation etc.

The down-side is that you lose the feeling of the unkown - its sometimes quite nice not to know where you are sleeping that night - and I wouldn't take it on all my trips. Some I'd rather just head off and see what happens. But for a skiing trip (where conditions are critical) or a holiday where you just want to relax, see the best stuff, stay and eat in the best places etc. the netbook is one of the best pieces of kit I've ever bought - and its so light you barely notice you are carrying it.

Matt

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http://adventure-writing.blogspot.com

http://scotlandnepal.blogspot.com/

*Disclaimer* - I am not saying my bike is better than your bike. I am not saying my way is better than your way. I am not mocking your religion/politics/other belief system. When reading my post imagine me sitting behind a frothing pint of ale, smiling and offering you a bag of peanuts. This is the sentiment in which my post is made. Please accept it as such!

#1 Camera
#2 Passport
#3 Cash
#4 Laptop to write Articles to finance the trip
#5 Tent to keep travel costs down

http://reisemotorrad.eu/?report=en_ausruestung

1. tea bags (PG tips)
2. wet wipes (small pack)
3. leatherman
4. maglite
5. £50 in local currency

1. Small alcohol stove kit for making tea.
2. A decoy wallet with a small amount of money, expired credit card and id.
3. Samsung Galaxy I9000 with a local sim card.
4. $800usd in crip ten dollar bills hidden in various places.
5. Dental floss.

And of course the sense of humour and baby wipes are never far away either.
Beer and wine are also important stapples. As are spirral pasta and a bolognese sauce.
I also always pack what many others mentioned, like two headlamps, two leathermans,
Tire repair kit, patches, extra tubes and electric airpump. Chain tool with spare links, assorted cable ties, nuts bolts, jb-weld, stainless steel safetywire, vise grips, comprehensive tool set, circuit tester, fuses, multi-meter, extra wire electrical tape, extra cotter keys, spare ignition/luggage keys, two clutch cables, throttle cable, choke cable, extra boot buckles and laces three pairs of socks, spare brake pads, Heavy lock and chain. Motorcycle cover, a Kermit chair and an ultra-light sleeping cot. I was on the road six months and was quite comfortable the whole time.
I also usually pack a bottle of unpasturized cider vinegar for purifying water and bump my immune system up, I rarely get sick.