so i've been meaning to do this for like two years and after the last bad storm season i finally sat down and started pulling stuff together for a proper go-kit. right now i have my FT-891 in an ammo can with a power pole strip, a 40ah lithium battery, and im working on getting a decent antenna situation sorted out. thinking either a EFHW or maybe a vertical that can break down small enough.

my question is mostly about what people forget until it's too late. like the radio and the battery stuff seems obvious but what are the little things that bite you when you're actually deployed somewhere and trying to set up in a hurry or in the dark or whatever. i went through a checklist i found online but honestly it felt like it was written by someone who has never actually deployed anywhere, very generic stuff.

also not sure how much documentation i should be keeping in the kit itself — like printed freq lists, ICS forms, that kind of thing. is that overkill or do people actually use that stuff in the field?

the documentation thing is NOT overkill, do not skip that. i did my first real ARES activation a few years back during some flooding and i was so glad i had laminated freq sheets because my phone was dead and trying to remember the repeater PL tones for a county i dont usually operate in would have been a disaster. i keep a small binder with local and regional freqs, a few blank ICS-214 forms, and a simplified net script just in case whoever shows up doesnt know what theyre doing.

the thing most people forget honestly is lighting. a headlamp sounds stupidly obvious but you'd be amazed how many operators show up to nighttime deployments squinting at their radio with their phone flashlight. also coax adapters -- i carry like a little ziplock with SO-239 to BNC, a couple PL-259s, a barrel connector, all that stuff. you will absolutely need the one you dont have if you dont bring them all.

and i'll just say it -- a paper log. not trying to be old fashioned but when stuff gets chaotic digital logging sometimes just isn't practical.

im pretty new to all this but i just finished my technician and i've been reading a lot about go-kits because i want to be useful in my local ARES group eventually. one thing i saw mentioned in a webinar was having a small notepad and pens that actually work in the cold, apparently regular ballpoints fail and people use fisher space pens or just pencils. seemed like a small thing but the guy presenting was pretty emphatic about it lol.

also your antenna question -- ive heard a lot of people really like the wolf river coils for portability but i dont have personal experience. someone in my club uses a linked dipole in a backpack and sets it up in maybe 10 minutes which seems pretty good.