Many threats of the sixth world are insidious and deadly... and thankfully rare. Critters such as insect spirits are unlikely to be encountered on your average run, unless you're specifically hunting for them, but unfortunately for runners the risk isn't exactly nonexistent. As a result many men and women in black trenchcoats are packing some form of countermeasure against such a threat.

So how much corner-case gear to you carry?

For instance my Face is never without two clips of KE IV capsules for her holdout, just in case a run turns into a bughunt... heck, in case a stuffer shack employee is a bug in disguise.

Ghouls are more vulnerable to conventional firepower, provided you throw enough at them to down them before they're within reach. Long bursts of gel rounds will work in a pinch as if you can knock them down then you've bought yourself time to run away!

Dragons... well, other than having a gauss rifle strapped to a blimp drone on stand-by, all you can really do is hope you don't run into one when you're not ready.

what other threats and precautions do you guys walk around with?

Special dispensations:
CanRay, I'm going to come right out and say that safehouses do not count as they're no-portable. Sorry.
KarmaInferno, if you could cut your pre-prepared answer down to about 10,000 words that'd be great. Not to stifle your creativity, you understand, but for loading times for readers on mobile devices.
... BTW how many preprepared answers have you got ready for this question? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

bug spirits aren't really worse than other types of spirits. So as long, as there's one spirit-slaying team member, we don't really pack special. This could be a mage (Stunbolt (lame), Banishing (awesome)), an Adept (Killing Hands or Weapon Focus) or a Sam (APDS, Sniper, Gauss). I've never seen anybody pack something like FAB...

as for Dragons, just have a contact prepared to render your services. Or was it never cut a deal with a dragon? I forgot...

In SR3, a bug spirit was less threatening than other spirits, being one of the only ones (the only one?) with an easily exploitabe weakness.

Really? I tend to find that the equation is actually balanced the other direction. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Or even Better, A StunBolt that is restricted to Spirits Only - Called a Spirit Bolt. Far Less drain than even a Stun Bolt, even if it is pretty restricted. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Well, I hate direct damage spells and many others do, too. Mostly because of their low drain and being hard to resist. Banishing has so much flavor.

Sure... Banishing is awesome for flavor, but it is often the last choice, when all other methods have failed. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
Most people are not willing to take the potential levels of Drain that Banishing entails, especially for very high Force Spirits (assuming you encounter any high Force spirits). (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Seconded. In my experience it has usually gone something like this. "Stunbolt the nasty spirit. (or ball if there is more than one). What? Spell defence? Where is the mage? There isn't one? Sigh. Well I guess I can try to banish it. Guys, have the med kit ready. This could get ugly."

Sure, but considering that the spirit will probably kill you while you "flavor" it....

I just don't particularly understand the hate for direct spells. yes in the hands of a powergamer they can be totally broken (but what can't be?) and by all acounts of fiction I have read/played/written. mages are SUPPOSED to be feared, with good reason. best answer to a mage abusing the system (without slapping out house rules)? focused, and concentrated gunfire :3. (or a couple smacks to the head with the hardcover 4erulebook XD)

I find a well placed single shot they don't see coming with Ex Explosive Ammo to work wonders, then they can't get an overinflated ego...because I popped it.

Encountering a lone Bug Spirit isn't any worse than encountering a lone Spirit of Fire or whatever, and the answers are the same: Stunbolt/Manabolt, long bursts of Stick'n'Shock, high-damage weapons with APDS, or another Spirit to have duke it out with him.

The problem with most Bug Spirits is that when you encounter one, you're very likely to encounter more, much more, than one, and they tend to KEKEKE ZERG RUSH you.

The solutions to that are problematic, because there's a large number of bugs coming at you with Immunity to Normal Weapons. The answers involve one or two mages laying down Stunball/Manaball, with someone standing by to provide constant first aid to them to offset the drain. Close air support and powerful explosions help, as does simply piling into a chopper and getting the fuck out of Dodge.

Depending on their Force, suppressive fire with SnS.

Flamethrowers!

How can you use first aid to heal drain (stun damage)? That is something I'm always wondering. My GM says this is not possible and I tend to follow his explanation that first aid can only be used to heal physical damage (unless you say usage of painkillers requires first aid skill).

The rules let it work, so, it works. I guess it is painkillers or something.

Besides, you can always just overcast it a bit.

Suppresive fire with APDS?

It's a bughunt? Take off and nuke the site from orbit. Only way to be sure.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/nyahnyah.gif)

For those with Nuyen to Burn. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Get some, keep the edge.

It's probably open to interpretation, but in my game, banishing is the only way to get rid of a Possession spirit without harming the vessel.

Well, a Spirit Bolt would harm the possessing spirit while leaving the Vessel unharmed. The joys of a restricted spell after all. Especially if you attacked it from the Astral Side (Since the spirit is dual natured)

Back to main topic, something I try to get on my characters is this:

Survival Gear
Two build points for the ability to go into nearly every environment the game has to offer. If your armor is an Evo HEL suit (which I fully endorse) and you buy a drysuit (OXSYS optional) then you're set for the only two conditions the above does not meet.

EDIT: Other than the above I tend to design my characters able to deal with any situation. My offense is intended to be mutually inclusive, and therefore fit for any encounter. Like this, from 0:15 - 0:40.

Ok, new toy from spygames: safejump system. sure, it'll ruin your expensive coat or whatever, but if you really need it then it's probably worth it.

You can still trim down some of the equipment. There are still some overlaps.

Are you talking about the Respirator/Gas Mask? That's because one is more socially acceptable than the other and easier to conceal. If you go with the drysuit and cybergill you'd obviously drop the diving gear from above. Would you care to include any other overlaps?