Actually, you'd probably come closer to finding an Israeli child's gas mask. Congrats on the bag. Nothing like the thrill of the find after a hard search.
Not many ticks around the desert, not enough trees or high weeds. Bed bugs are a different story, they are all across the nation.
Only peice of gear that I keep a lanyard on. Gets used all the time. Too useful to do without and too beloved to lose. I just gave the old one away to a relatively homeless gent I met. I passed him walking and saw his WW2 backpack, stopped to talk to him, and found out he was really nice, full of conversation, and missing a P-38 can opener. He said he could only walk about a mile and wanted to know where the army surplus was. (Not less than a mile). I was close to home so I got mine, a SAK I bought for .50¢, and that prybar, and drove back up to where I had last seen him. He was more pleased with the P-38 than anything, and only took the prybar because it said "US Govt" on it. Said "Whats this?!" Then I distractd him with the P-38...kid in a candystore moment.