So ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the storms we had last month I finally got off my butt and started building a proper go-kit. Right now I have my FT-857D, a 40ah LiFePO4 battery, a roll of coax, my SignaLink for digital, and I threw in a cheap SWR meter I had on the shelf. Oh and a headlamp because obviously.

What I'm not sure about is the antenna situation. I have a PAC-12 which I love for portable but I'm wondering if I should have a backup or something more omni for VHF since most of the local ARES nets run on 2m. I dont really have a handheld that I trust for anything serious — my Baofeng is fine but I wouldnt want to depend on it if things got hairy.

Also not sure how to organize all this. Right now it lives in a rubbermaid tub which is fine but when I opened it last week half the connectors were tangled up and I couldnt find my PL-259 adapter for like ten minutes. Probably not ideal if im supposed to be set up and on the air in under 15 minutes which is what our ARES group expects.

Any advice from folks who have done this seriously? What did you end up putting in yours that you didnt think of at first?

The tangled coax and adapters problem is real and honestly it'll drive you crazy at the worst moment. What worked for me was getting one of those small tackle boxes — the kind with adjustable dividers — just for connectors and adapters. Every PL-259, BNC, SMA adapter, everything gets its own little spot. Takes maybe five minutes to sort out and then you never dig through a bag again. I also velcro a laminated checklist to the inside of the lid of my case so I can run through it before I leave the house.

On the antenna question, I'd honestly get a decent dual-band whip for a mobile radio or even a small yagi if you're doing anything like acting as a relay or working a specific site. The PAC-12 is great for HF but yeah for 2m you want something purpose-built. And I know people hate on Baofengs but for backup comms they're fine, just program it properly and test the battery before you need it for real.

one thing i didnt think about until our county did a drill — power for everything else, not just the radio. like my laptop for logging and winlink, my phone, maybe a small fan if you're in a hot EOC for 8 hours. a small inverter and a usb hub with a good power brick made a huge difference. also bring food lol. sounds dumb but i showed up to a 6 hour activation once with nothing and was completely useless by hour four.