On the eastern seaboard you can walk in just about any direction and get to a road with traffic in a day or less. This does not include Maine. Since in the worst case scenario you may have to do a bit of walking, bring at least a well supplied day pack and good hiking boots. When we are out west, where the nearest road might be a couple of days walk, we always carry our completely outfitted back packs. We carry three safety kits, one for vehicle repair , one in the vehicle for humans and another in our back packs. A third bag includes vehicle extraction tools. In the very best case of worst case scenarios it can be argued to stay with your vehicle, someone will eventually come along, which is the very best thing to do in most cases. However, in the very worst case scenario your vehicle is gone then what? Time to start walking.
Sat phone? Myself and millions of others have been doing this for multiple decades without a sat phone here in the lower 48. We always have a relative expecting our phone call at a specified time. If we are 24 hours late, they know to call the local rangers so a search can begin. If you begin to venture way deep into the back country outside of the lower 48 then ya, a Sat phone may come in handy if you have the need to communicate with loved ones when off grid for weeks at a time. In reality, using one here in the lower 48 is a very expensive luxury. As a much less expensive alternative we carry a PLB in case of dire emergency.
You have started with a great vehicle and great tires, so no need to upgrade anything on it for quite some time, however, a good set of rock sliders would be a first thing to do. My son in law has a 2018 Trail edition of the 4Runner. With sliders and with a minimal 2" suspension lift that vehicle can traverse 99% of all trails in North America and probably 99% of the world. It is a Toyota, there is no need to go crazy with aftermarket modifications. Later on, you may want to begin with a rack up top, then get that spare tire out from below with a rear bumper and tire carrier. Then a front bumper. But that is years away as those simple modifications quickly add up to right around 10 thousand dollars. My brother in law spent more than that on a build for his chevy pick up truck in less than 4 months. He has reconsidering much of what he has done and starting over again. The poor guy watched too many you tube videos.
To sum up, always be prepared for the worst case scenario. Then, practice a drill for it. As an example, in the case of a vehicle fire, I practice removing our two backpacks from a compartment in our trailer here at home and I've got it down to less than 20 seconds from a sitting position in the drivers seat. Once they are thrown clear, I unhook the trailer and give it a shove. Good luck with your new hobby..
Here is a video from a guy down in Australia doing a very mild build on a very similar vehicle.
enjoy !
