Equipment

Howie Glatter Laser Collimator	I'm using the holographic grid model. A basic single dot unit would work just as well, but the holographic grid is useful for determining if your secondary is centered (square) with your focusing tube and if your secondary is centered about the primary. I also have a Cheshire eyepiece which I keep in my eyepiece case to remind me what a pain in the butt that thing is to use. It works, but trying to collimate in low light or at night is not very easy. Still, it's a safety backup if the laser collimator battery dies.
Howie Glatter SkyPointer™ Green Laser Pointer	I bought a green laser pointer because I go to star parties fairly often. This has got to be one of the neatest things to be introduced to amateur astronomy. This unit projects a green beam that extends several hundred yards (meters) into the night sky. I get instant "oohs and ahhs" every time I use this, and everyone knows exactly where I'm pointing. This thing is great for pointing out satellites that are passing overhead. Fairly expensive, but well worth the cost. The price has dropped significantly since I bought this unit. Light pollution (inner city, Moon, etc.) really affects how visible the beam is to onlookers.
Canon 10x30 Image Stabilizing Binoculars	The binoculars are great because they really help bring out detail when looking at night sky objects. I estimate being able to discern 1/4 to 1/2 magnitude fainter objects when using the image stabilizing feature. Jupiter's satellites are distinct. I haven't viewed Saturn yet, but will post an update as far as resolution of the rings and satellites. The 10 x 30 set is not too heavy or unwieldy which allows me to use them with a Telrad (see Tips & Techniques page)
Olympus VN-180 Digital Voice Recorder	I decided to get a voice recorder to help me capture more detail in my observation notes. I chose a digital storage medium vs. analog tape because of my (bad) experience with tapes being "eaten" by the tape recorder. This particular Olympus model has a 3 hour recording capacity which is more than enough, even for a motor mouth like me. It also time and date stamps each "entry" which is also useful for record keeping purposes.