After thinking about the matter more, I believe there is a need for three split threads:

1) Getting Home.
2) Bugging-In.
3) Bugging-Out.

All three are interrelated, but too specialized / complex to handle within one thread frame work. I'll gladly start one for the other two topics, and will answer Getting Home questions in this thread.

We can all read books and/or websites full of "lists of gear" that we "need" to survive. However, if you follow those lists you'll end up like me several years ago. I had a 71# ruck without a drop of water in it. Obviously this was stupid, but it happened because I didn't evaluate my own needs - and didn't learn skills / test my skills enough to know what was practical.

Its more interesting to ask someone what boots they wear than WHY they feel the need to wear boots everyday.

For example...

I wear ALTAMA LiteSpeed tactical boots everyday to work (while most people in my role would wear some sort of "loafer" shoe). Why did I choose those boots? Both pairs I've owned have been durable, and comfortable enough to run in. The tread is equally well suited to urban and rural terrain, and the ability to quickly ingress/egress from them (due to a side zipper) while they still have great ankle support makes them a "tier one" boot IMHO.

But WHY do I wear boots to work?

My pre-planning determined that if something happens I might need to navigate through collapsed buildings; or broken terrain to get home. Additionally, they offer greater protection during day-to-day life. (Side note: I CRINGE every time I see somebody wearing flip-flops in public. Think about all of the broken glass on Wal-Mart's floor if an earthquake hits...).

A big mistake people make is trying to buy everything on someone else's list. You need to determine your crisis situations, and what you need to do to mitigate them. Boil down a plan and gear list from that ... test your plan and train ... and you WILL survive.