A note about the picture at the top:

That photo was taken on a trip to cross the Denali Highway last summer with my friend Joe. I had racks, but Happy Trails had not sent the panniers yet, so I went to the local Army Surplus store (owned by a Russian fellow who has the vanity license plate "KGBSPY") and bought two .50 caliber ammo cans, sprayed them with black paint from a rattle can, and bolted them on. I was inspired to do so by an article by Lois Pryce that encouraged riders to just make do and go with what you have. Your bike doesn't have to be "drug through the Touratech catalog" as Murph says. It was a great trip, and I'll post a link to the Flickr page someday soon. Of particular note was how Joe strapped his rifle to his camping gear. Mothers with children covered their eyes.