I just read an article about the radiation contamination in Japan. Man, it is getting bad. Read about it here.
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/03/15/japan.nuclear/?hpt=T2

Made me want to bring up the prepare for your AO topic again. In the article they mention that Nukepills.com has donated 50,000 potassium iodide tablets to a Tokyo hospital. PI helps prevent thyroid cancer after exposure to radioactive iodine. Out of curiosity, I visited Nukepills.com to see how much these pills cost. Apparently they donated their entire stock. Even the PI drops were listed as out of stock, and most of their kits. Looks like they have donated or sold out of everything. If you live near a nuclear reactor and a fault line, it may be a good idea to have one of there kits in your house or car.

I am not trying to freak anyone out or help their sales, doesn't look like they'll need it any time soon, but who wants to hope the government and its infamous FEMA shows up to save the day before radiation sickness kicks in?

Check out this map. Looks like the entire eastern US is littered with reactors.
http://www.insc.anl.gov/pwrmaps/map/united_states.png

Who knows? Maybe I'm just paranoid and overly cautious, but I am thankful I am moving to the Midwest.

That map may just be a handy piece of information to have! Thanks JJ!

Man this is bad!

http://www.abc.net.au/news/events/japan-quake-2011/beforeafter.htm

Amazing photos, Fred! Nice find.

Japan's landscape looks like the aftermath of a bombing raid. I can't imagine what those people are going through over there. My prayers go out to the country of Japan and it's people.

Well got my Tactical Tailor 3 day pack in and IT IS AWSOME! Never had a pack so well built. Now if I can just figure out what all the extra buckles hanging off of it are fore. got one center top, one on each side just below shoulder level and one on each side down at the bottom where the straps are sewn at and a couple on the very bottom of the pack. It's the squeeze buckles, I guess you would say the male ends. Now I just got to figure out what else I need to get to hang on it! (and hang them on with)

If you want a link to this fine pack for a really really good price, shoot me a PM and I'll give it to YA.

Randy, what color did you get? Is the external straps for rope, a bed roll, por something like that?

It's the green one. The straps ARE for attaching other items, but each trap only has the male buckle end on it! that's why It is confusing to me.

The external straps and buckles are compression straps. If the pack isn't filled up and you don't want the stuff inside moving around, you tighten those to take up the slack. They also take stress off the zippers when it is full. And, of course you can use them for bed rolls and the like.

P.S. Send me that link again

No problem JJ. But the straps I am talking about don't have anywhere to attach to to compress anything!

PMing the link to you in about a minute.

I wondered into the clothing store on base yesterday and snagged one of these Leatherman Micras. It was in a clearance bin for $5. I through it in my first aid kit.

The Compression straps I have figured out. But there are 4 buckles on the side of the pack that goes against your back. Two, one on each side just below where the shoulder straps are sewn on (the top), and the other two, one on each side just above where the lower part of the shoulder straps are sewn to the pack. Plus there are either two or 3 buckles on the very bottom of the pack.

As I said, all the buckles that do not have anything to attach to are the male portion of the buckle.

I like the looks of that leatherman, it might well be a lot handier than you would at first think.