Y’know, being Commander Zero is an expensive lifestyle. For example, any other human being would simply go to Wal-mart, grab a ‘made in China’ backpack off the rack for $19.95 and call it a day.

But, when youre the Zero you have to factor in things like:
~ Color – must be subdued. Olive, black, brown, etc.
~ Durability – I must be able to wear this backpack, tie a rope to the end of it, throw it off the side of a cliff, drag it back up, hang by the straps like a gorilla, and get it soaking wet with all the contents remaining dry. All snaps, flaps, zippers, catches, etc, have to be compeltely replaceable with readily avaiable parts and have secondary systems in case priamry fail (ex: if the zipper wont work, are there straps to keep the pack closed?)
~ Versatility – Must be able to carry ammo, gear, unusual shaped objects, have lashing points to attacj gear, have various carry handles, etc.
– Manufacture – Preferably surplus military to take advantage of the billion dollar research and development that went into making the thing. Doesnt have to be American military…the Swiss, Germans and Swedes make great gear. Soviet stuff tends to be crap.

So, as you can see, although the gear is top notch, it can be spendy. But when youre trekking through the middle of nowhere with only what you can carry, it does give a bit of relief to know your gear is up to the task.

Has it paid off? Sure. When I go hunting I know I can tumble off the side of a cliff, get muddy, bloody, wet and snowed on and my gear will still do what its supposed to.

But its still spendy stuff….