To me, the perfect radio for emergency use is the Elecraft KX1. It is the size of a paperback novel, and can run nearly 5W of CW on HF.

In the middle of the woods, a VHF HT will not get out very much. Maybe two miles in a vally, or maybe 10-20 miles on a mountaintop (assuming that you are able enough to reach the top). And hopefully, another person will be listening. Read up on the "wilderness protocol." Note that I am NOT an expert on this, as I live in an area completely devoid of mountains. I find that a VHF HT on 2M will hit the local repeater for about 10-15 miles, but going HT to HT will get about 2 miles.

If you get on HF, you have the potential to send a signal 1000 miles or more. Of course, you cannot do this with just a tech. You will need to upgrade to general.

Just my $0.02.

KG4ZUD