Nice write-up on your test run. Great exercise that, together with your other thread, has rejuvenated my own planning. Thanks.

Originally Posted By: wolfepack
While the radio made the trip go faster, it probably also lulled me into not paying as close attention to my surroundings as I should. I wonder about the trade-off between alertness and help with the psychology of getting home.

You touch on something — situation awareness — that's an important piece of your "survival toolkit." Since it depends on what you see and what you hear going on around you, wearing headphones would impair your effectiveness. Depending on nature and severity of disaster, time of day, and neighborhood/area you're traveling, could mean increased peril.

Granted, the radio would presumably provide information useful to broader SA, but perhaps best monitored selectively.

Here's brief write-up on situation awareness, some of which you might find applicable.
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"Things that have never happened before happen all the time." — Scott Sagan, The Limits of Safety