Hey Raven, does that mean I'm a gear snob dude?
Does that mean that when I walk around with my ruck on, I have to stick out my pinkie finger? LOL!
<img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
I agree that it get's a bit silly, but when all I'm paying for are the upgrades to the pack, and the rest gets paid for by "ALL OF US" (read also the tax payers). I would say it's an investment in national security. We were given a pot of money to work from, and when we asked for these systems the boss said he would meet us halfway. We worked it out and the government get's a lot of good mileage out of this gear, when I retire, it goes with me. It's already paid for itself with a lot of rough ground.
Would I buy this out of my own pocket? Heck No! What do you think they pay G.I.'s these days?
I had a hard enough time convincing my wife to give me a four month advance on my allowance to get this far! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Have a nice quiet day everyone.
Keep your feet and powder dry, and your heads down.

Mike