so ive been a ham for about 3 years now and i keep telling myself im going to put together a real go-kit and then never actually do it. after the storms we had last month knocked out power here for almost 4 days i figured i really need to stop procrastinating on this.

right now i have a yaesu ft-857d that i was thinking of making the centerpiece of it, runs HF/VHF/UHF which seems like a good all-arounder for emergency use. ive got a 40ah lifepo4 battery i picked up last year, a basic antenna tuner, and a handful of random coax jumpers. i was going to throw it all in a pelican case but honestly im not sure if thats the right move or if i should use something more like a backpack setup depending on what kind of deployment im thinking about.

what do i actually need that im probably not thinking about? i feel like there are a dozen little things that people forget until they really need them. spare fuses, power connectors, that kind of thing. anyone been through a real activation and can share what you wished you had packed?

the things that always bite people are the stupid small stuff — anderson powerpole connectors and a handful of different adapters, a good multimeter, coax adapters (BNC to PL-259, SMA to BNC, etc) because you will always need the one you dont have. also a notebook and pencils, like actual physical paper, because logging on a device when your battery situation is uncertain is just asking for trouble.

the pelican vs backpack question really does depend on what kind of deployment you're thinking. if you're setting up at an EOC or a fixed location for a while, the case is great because you can organize everything and it protects the gear. if you might need to hump it any distance at all, you want a backpack or at least a rolling case. i actually ended up with two kits eventually — a lighter grab-and-go bag with a smaller radio (ft-818 in my case) and then a bigger more capable setup in a case for when i have a vehicle and a real deployment. took me a couple actual ARES activations to figure that out the hard way.

also dont forget a headlamp. sounds dumb but you'd be amazed how often you're trying to set up an antenna at 2am.

good timing on getting this sorted out, the 857d is a solid choice for that kind of kit. one thing i'd add that a lot of people overlook is some kind of solar charging option even if its small, because if you're out for more than a day or two that 40ah battery is going to go fast especially if you're transmitting much. even a 50 watt panel and a basic charge controller makes a big difference.

oh and bring more food and water than you think you need for yourself. sounds obvious but people get so focused on the radio stuff and then theyre miserable 6 hours into a deployment