LONG GUNS
The question of long guns in the car brings up a good point and some other things to consider, like what kind of a long gun gun is appropriate for getting you home on foot. One thing to consider is do you want to be Billy Badass open carrying an AR, etc. vs concealing a broken down rifle that has to be assembled vs concealing some sort of a a long gun that can be concealed ready to fire. I choose the later because #1 I want to look unprepared and not carrying much if anything of value, and #2 if I need a rifle I will most likely need it quickly. I think carrying an AR, etc. openly invites someone to snipe you in the back for that high value item and whatever else you are probably carrying.
I used to keep a Sub2000 cable locked under my passenger seat. I had worked out how to conceal it on my person while folded using a single point sling under an unbuttoned shirt. Although not technically ready to fire it took me only 3 seconds to unfold it and put rounds on target. There are few long guns that fit that bill, especially while being lightweight which is of high importance in this scenario. Bullpups are typically heavy, AKs with folding stocks are often not short enough. I don't have a Sub2K anymore but my latest acquisition is a CMR-30 that I believe I can carry concealed, I just haven't worked out the details yet. I also have an AR pistol in 9mm but it is 3-4 times heavier than the CMR.
A concealable long gun does not take the place of your sidearm. You can't deploy a concealed long arm nearly as fast as you can a handgun and I expect most threats are going to be up close and immediate. I see a long arm being useful if one or a group pf people take notice of you and begin to flank/intercept you, then you can engage at a distance (warning shots optional) but you might not have much time to assemble anything.
ROUTE STRATEGY
On any typical work day I will usually be days from home. If in Raleigh it could take a week. if in Greensboro maybe a little less. Coming from Raleigh the big choke points will be Jordan Lake and the Haw river. I could bypass the lake but it would be adding 20 miles or so.
How to travel? Stay on the road, overland paralleling the road, or just completely cross country? Staying on the road invites all the dangers one would think, hostiles, ambushes, etc. The alternative however means crossing private property, and under the circumstances that could be even more dangerous. I wouldn't expect to be able to do it undetected, primarily because of dogs. It will also be much slower due to attempting to remain stealthy. Do you really want to give a home/property owner a reason to take you out, especially out in the woods where ShootShovelShutup is likely? Except for bypassing obvious choke points/ambushes, at this point I'm considering staying on the road, which is one of the reasons I'm putting a lot of consideration into how I appear to others.
I figure at some point after the first 24 hours even the most brain dead sheep will start to realize the implications of the event and begin to turn desperate. When the event itself happens it will be pretty obvious to some of us immediately however, and my plan is to approach nearby homes and buy/barter, etc. for a bicycle. After a day or two that will be next to impossible, so I'll be trying to get one while the getting is good. For this reason it would be a good thing to have something of value allocated to that purpose, and initially cash would probably be the best thing. Unfortunately after a day or two just being on a bike (something everyone on the road will want) could get me shot as well. Hopefully I will have biked home before then.
That's it for now, please add your own strategies for making it home.