We recently ran an article asking you what your top five favorite farkles are. This time we’re going to drill down a bit. We’re going to look at one of those farkles, your tank bag.

It happens to be my number one farkle. Why? Because it lets me get to things, I want quickly and easily. Since it’s right in front of me, I can easily retrieve my items without having to get off of the bike. And, even though its in the way when it’s time to refuel, all I have to do is click two quick-release buckles, and the tank bag is out of the way.

What’s in your tank bag?

But this leads me to the reason for this article. If you own one, what’s in your tank bag, and why? Do the contents of your tank bag change depending on your mission for the day?

For this article, let’s limit the number of items in your tank bag to five different things. So you’re going to have to decide what’s most important to you if you like to jam a lot of stuff into your tank bag.

My top five

Here’s a list of my top five items (not in order):

1. Visor cleaner with a microfiber rag.
   • Living in the woods can mean lots of insects. So during the spring and summer, your visor can get skanky pretty quickly. And for those days on the road where you ride in that misty rain, clearing road grime off your visor without scratching it is crucial. Having excellent visibility is a big deal for me.
2. Paper map and pen
   • GPSs are nice, but for a big picture view of where I am and where I am headed, having a paper map is a “must-have” for me.
3. First aid kit
   1. I’m not talking about a kit for a major trauma accident; I mean a small prepacked kit for the day to day potential needs. Things like band-aids for minor cuts, gauze pads and tape, anti-bacterial cream and even some over the counter drugs. Things like anti-histamines for insect bites and antacids for these times when something doesn’t agree with you. For more serious injuries, I carry a bigger and more capable first aid kit elsewhere on the bike.
4. Sunglasses
   1. Whether I didn’t have them when I started due to rain, or it gets dark before I get to the day’s destination, it’s nice to have a place to keep sunglasses that is easily accessible.
5. Multi-tool
   • Having a good multi-tool can be a godsend when you just need to tweak something or get into something. Having a knife, screwdriver, bottle opener, and the usual multi-tool items makes doing those little but important tasks fast and easy.

So what’s in your tank bag? Let us know in the comments below. And, if you don’t have or use a tank bag, let us know why in the comments below too.