so ive been meaning to do this for like two years now and after the last storm that knocked out power for four days i finally got serious about it. got a Yaesu FT-857D that im planning to build the kit around, already have a 35ah LiFePO4 battery and a decent portable antenna situation sorted out.

the thing is i keep second guessing myself on what else needs to go in the bag or case or whatever. i have a checklist ive been building but every time i think im done i read something on here or on reddit and realize i forgot something obvious. like i completely forgot about coax adapters for three days until someone mentioned it offhand in another thread.

what are the things that you guys always grab that a newer guy might not think of? not the obvious radio and power stuff but the little things. also curious what people are using for cases, im currently leaning toward one of those harbor freight pelican knockoffs but open to ideas.

the coax adapters thing is so real, i keep a little ziplock in mine with like every adapter combo i might ever need. PL-259 to SO-239, BNC adapters, a couple barrel connectors. weighs almost nothing and has saved me more than once.

other stuff i always forget to mention when people ask -- a small notepad and multiple pens, not pencils, pens. sounds dumb but when youre logging in the field or passing traffic you dont want to be hunting for something to write with. also a headlamp with fresh batteries, separate from whatever you have in your regular gear bag. and honestly a printed copy of your local ARES nets and frequencies because you cannot always rely on having your phone or being able to pull something up digitally when things get weird.

for cases i went with a real pelican and yeah it was expensive but ive thrown that thing around enough times now that i dont regret it. the harbor freight ones are fine for home storage but the latches on mine started getting fussy after about a year of actual use. depends how rough you think youll be with it i guess.

DC power cables. like extra ones with the right fuse holders already on them. i showed up to a deployment once and the guy next to me had a perfectly good radio and a dead cigarette lighter adapter and nothing else and we spent 45 minutes improvising something. also a cigarette lighter to powerpole adapter if your battery doesn't already have powerpoles which it probably does but still.

the 857 is a solid choice for a go kit by the way, runs HF/VHF/UHF so you dont need a second radio for local stuff which really simplifies things. only thing is it eats a bit more current than some people expect on transmit so keep that in mind with your 35ah battery when youre planning how long you need to run.