Thanks for the kind words.

First responder freqs.? Yeah, I thought of that, but I'd need a scanner to listen in on them. If I'm on my own, that's an additional piece of gear. If I were to shelter in place, I'd have access to a receiver with the freqs. already programmed. I'll give it some more thought. . . .

Ref. BNB, I'm confused. The 3-day pack rides on my back. The first responder back either goes around the waist or over the shoulder with the strap. Tools, cash, credit card, etc. are in the "hard cache" that would go in a cargo pants pocket, as would the fishing kit and a few other items. Hydration system stays in the pack, so as I type this, I would be disinclined to dump the pack. If I did, the back-up mil-spec water bag would carry the water. I think I'd stick with the pack and dump stuff (e.g., MRE's, towel, poncho liner).

I've definitely thought about switching over to LED set-ups. I can see this happening in the future for the reasons you list.

As for hoods, there are constraints. Money is not one of them. 1) I'm not convinced, yet, that the threat is severe enough to warrant one. 2) I won't have more protection than those who work for me have. 3) There's a chance that my employer may provide a hood, in which case I'd likely go with what I've been given, assuming I am assured that it is adequate. One caveat there: I will not wear a hood if it is the kind that DoD employees were issued. (I won't mention the brand name.) Forgive me for the crudeness of my description, but that hood looks like a hood with a maxi-pad taped to the front. <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> If were issued those, I'll buy a #@*!%# face mask and get properly trained on its use and maintenance! The cost is the same and I won't look like some freak! <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />