Here's what's in my E&E Pack, tailored for my skills. It's designed to let me get back to my rally point quickly (therefore, lightly). YMMV.
1.) Pack: Jansport Equinox 33 (has waist belt, bottle pockets)
2.) Hooded Space Blanket (In Olive Drab, has grommets, so you can use it like a tarp, or just sit under a tree with a lit candle between your feet and wait for morning)
3.) Uco Candle Lantern w/ 2 Spare candles (Heat and light source, candle lantern in Neoprene Case) in a ziplock bag
4.) Klean Kanteen 40oz wide mouth (You can boil water inside of it as necessary because it's completely stainless steel)
5.) Coleman Max Solo cook set w/ Light My Fire Spork (The lid has duct tape wrapped around, but under the lip; useful for repairs, fire starter)
6.) Triple fire redundancy (Bic Lighter in safety orange, flint and magnesium, matches in water proof case)
7.) Folding Trowel (E-Tool): Sanitation, trenching shelter as necessary, dakota fire pit
8.) Folding Saw: Camp set up, fire-wood as necessary *edit: I use an Ultimate Survival Sabercut, it works well and it's compact*
9.) Basic First Aid Kit (several sizes bandaids, neosporene, butterfly sutures, alcohol wipes, 500mg Tylenol in pill bottle, anti-histamines, 4x6 gauze pads, tape)
10.) Small bottle of hand sanitizer (hygiene, fire-starter)
11.) Several days worth of TP in a ziplock bag (hygiene, fire starter)
12.) Trail food (2 cups brown rice, jerky, 4 foil packed tuna, 4 packs oatmeal, salt and pepper shaker: all in a one gallon ziplock bag) one freeze dried meal
13.) Small pack towel (in a ziplock bag)
14.) Extra set weather appropriate clothing, except pants, tied off in a black trash bag (strapped to the bottom of the pack)
15.) Misc. Bag (extra lock blade knife, repair/sewing kit, potable aqua tablets, extra handkerchief, small fishing kit) (all in a ziplock bag)
16.) 50 rounds 9mm ball in plastic case, inside of a ziplock bag
17.) Two black 55 gallon trash bags (Emergency water proofing for a shelter, cover for pack, emergency poncho, ground cloth to catch soil from dakota fire etc.) (both folded and inside a ziplock bag)
18.) 100 ft 550 cord (in ziplock bag with trash bags)
19.) Adventure Medical Thermo-Lite bivvy
20.) Compass
That's about it. The ziplock bags are there in force for a lot of reasons: Compartmentalizing the pack contents makes it easier to get to a single thing quickly, the ziplock bags themselves are useful for other things like gathering tinder, SODIS water purification, and as emergency "gloves" for handling things you'd rather not touch (waste, bodies, whathaveyou). It sounds like a weighty list, but it all fits inside a day pack and it's enough to move quickly for several days without being slowed down.
*Edit 2: Forgot to mention that I carry a Coleman Max flashlight, with selectable green and red LED for maintaining my night vision