so ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the windstorm last month that knocked out power for three days I finally got serious about it. got a pelican case, my ft-891, a couple of Anderson powerpole cables, and I ordered one of those bioenno 20ah lifepo4 batteries. threw in some coax and a roll of wire for a field antenna.

my question is more about the stuff thats easy to forget — like I know the radio stuff pretty well but what about the non-radio stuff. logging sheets, headphones, do I need a copy of my license in there or does the FCC digital copy thing cover it. also not sure if I should put a small notebook in there for frequencies because I rely on my phone for that usually and obviously cant count on cell service in an emergency.

anyway figured id ask here before I declared victory and put the case in the closet for another year

the frequency notebook is a really good call and honestly something I see people forget constantly. I laminated a card with all my local repeaters, simplex calling frequencies, and the ARES/RACES frequencies for my county and it just lives in the kit permanently. also throw in a printed copy of whatever nets you participate in and their schedules.

one thing that bit me at my first activation — power. I had the battery, great, but I forgot the charging cable for it and a way to charge it from solar or a car. ended up borrowing a cable which was embarrassing. also a small 12v car adapter for when you are near a running vehicle is worth having. oh and spare fuses, like just tape a few to the inside of the case.

the license thing, technically you just need to be able to provide your callsign and the FCC database is the official record now, but some served agencies still want to see a physical card especially if youre working with people who dont know you. I just printed mine out and put it in a ziplock with my ARES ID card.

headlamp. seriously. I dont know why its not the first thing people think of but half the emergencies where you need radio comms are at night or in a building with no power and youre trying to tune something or read a meter and you need both hands. my kit has a headlamp with fresh batteries duct taped right to the inside lid of the case so I literally cannot open the thing and not see it.

also snacks lol. sounds dumb but if you get deployed for 8 hours you will be very grateful for the granola bars you packed six months ago