This little book is filled with good advice.

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What to Carry: Gear
Here are some things you might miss:

Can opener
Flashlight
Matches (Army matches are good, the swampproof kind, or waterproof them yourself by dipling in paraffin)
Mess gear (include something to boil water in)
Canteen
A good knife
Backpack (use a frame if you're gonna wear it a lot)
Sleeping bag
tarp-type material to serve as ground cloth and/or makeshift shelter.
Rope
A light tent (a necessity in the Pacific Northwest)
A very small one-burner gas stove for extended trips in very dry areas or woodless areas (the desert, some campgrounds)
A good map so you know where the hell you are going when someone says he'll take you there.
First-aid kit: salt pills, gauze and tape, band-Aids, burn ointment, needle, matches, antiseptic, snake-bite kit (learn how to use it in the Southwest).

What not to cary

Anything that'll get you busted
Avoid carrying dope in bulk; carry no more than you can eat.
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Sound advice indeed.
The book is full of good information, such as: road courtesy, gauging a trip, whom to travel with, a state-by-state *switchboard directory list, a list of state laws (and attitudes) regarding hitchhikers, and most importantly advice on how to keep safe when accepting a lift.
As a warning the book also contains a transcript of a court case involving a young woman who was forcibly raped by two men in a car.

*Switchboard was a private local, nonprofit organization that provided people with comprehensive telephone counseling and referral services to thousands of social service programs. Crisis hotlines managed by the organization were available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The organization also offered counseling services and prevention programs. The services were offered to the community at no charge. Callers could seek advice confidentially, as no information was needed by the company in order to deliver the services. ( )