"I have tried, unsuccessfully, to find a very fine series of posts by Schwert on this very topic some years ago (I am a search Neanderthal). He had very thoughtfully considered the specifics of getting home in his situation and had assembled a very decent, compact kit. His work is well worth reading."

Hikermor, are you perhaps thinking of Schwert's articles entitled "Urban Preparation Kits," that were originally published in Outdoors Magazine?

A Google search turned up archived versions here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17338131/Urban-Preparation-Kit-Part-I-On

http://www.canadianwildernesssurvival.com/Pdf%20Articles/Urban-Preparation-Kit-Part-II.pdf