First of all hello and welcome. A wealth of information here.

1) Casio makes some VERY tough watches. They have several solar models that also have compasses on them. I currently own this one:

http://www.shoplite.com/spf70-1v.htm

2) The SAS survival guides are a great source of infromation. Not so much in the hunting category, but do have info on traps/snares and such. There are several versions of the SAS Guide, including the Collins Gem version (small pocket guide) the original book and a waterproof "flick" book. All are reviewed here on ETS. Also, check out Cody Lundin's 98 degrees. An excellent read.

3) Leatherman makes a good multi-tool. What you should buy depends on your needs and budget. Victorinox also makes a good multi-tool. Again it is about preference.

4) If you need a truck, then by all means get one, but a truck isn't alsways the best idea for a "bug out vehicle". They get much worse gas milage than a car. If diesel is cheaper in your area, then great, but that isn't the case in a lot of areas. There are several manufacturers making thier vehicles available in diesel. Including Jeep with the Liberty available with a diesel engine. A smaller SUV, but decent gas milage and a decent ammount of storage. Also slated for 21mpg city, 26mpg highway.

I have a VW Jetta TDI as our "save on fuel" car, and it has quite a decent ammount of room and is excellent on fuel. I am currently getting between 45-48 mpg highway. It also now has 100,000 miles on her and going strong.

As for other info, spend some time on the main site reading reviews and using the very good search engine. There is a wealth of info here at ETS.

I joined, like most everyone else, to get the information needed to make sure I wasn't caught with my pants down in an emergency situation. Plus, I have always been a gear junky.