On the road all kit is useful, however some kit is more useful than others.

By far the most useful and utilised is gaffa/duct tape for its ability to stick anything back together again.

However we carried and collected a few other items that have been invaluable to us.The Washing Machine

Clothes were mostly washed by jumping up and down on them in the shower while applying Dove soap, but sometimes a more thorough wash was required and there was not always a handy launderette in some remote places.

The solution (as suggested by pannier man, Verne) was to utilise one of our waterproof packing bags.

Here, we see Jean loading our towels in, we would then fill it with water and add detergent. Next the bag would be sealed and strapped to a bike for the day. The water would then be heated by the sun and the bike motion agitated the clothes.

At the end of a days riding we simply drained the bag, rinsed the clothes and dried them. This method is highly recommended for jeans and shirts.

The coffee maker (sock)

We came across this useful item in Panama with the help of our friend Norman.

All you need to do is add ground coffee to the sock and pour on water, perfect filtered coffee each morning. And then it folds flat.

The washing line

Well, we have to dry things out.

The Bike Stand

Unfortunately we don't have a photo of this highly useful, multi purpose item in action as it has now been left in a book exchange.

We had aftermarket main stands fitted to our bikes so we could work on the rear wheels and chains more easily. However they didn't raise the bikes high enough to free the back wheel. So the Lonely Planet Guide to South America was just the right thickness (opened at the 'Columbia' page) to place under the stand and increase its height.