so ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the storm last month knocked out power for three days I finally got serious about it. got a Yaesu FT-857D that I want to make the centerpiece of the kit, already have a couple of LiFePO4 batteries (one 20ah and one bigger 50ah) and a small solar panel setup. throw in some coax, a wire antenna I can string up in a hurry, and I figure im most of the way there.

but then I started reading more about go-kits and everyone seems to have slightly different opinions on what actually needs to be in one. some guys have these massive Pelican cases with everything including the kitchen sink and others keep it really minimal. my situation is I serve as an ARES net control occasionally and id like to be able to operate independently for at least 72 hours if I had to.

so my question is basically what are the things people forget until they actually need them? like the non-obvious stuff. I have the radio gear handled I think but im worried about the stuff that seems obvious after the fact. power connectors? logging stuff? audio cables? I genuinely dont know what I dont know here.

the things that always get forgotten in my experience — fuses. spare fuses for everything. I have a whole little ziplock bag just with assorted inline fuses and blade fuses because the one time you blow a fuse in the field at 2am you will be absolutely grateful you thought of it. also anderson powerpole adapters in a few different configurations because you'll inevitably encounter someone whose gear is wired differently than yours.

beyond that honestly the thing that saves me most often is just a laminated quick-reference card with my most-used frequencies, the ARES net schedules for my county, and the ICS forms I need. sounds dumb but when you're stressed and tired your brain does not cooperate the way it does at home. headlamp with fresh batteries goes without saying but say it anyway because I forgot mine once. also a small notebook and multiple pens, not pencils, actual pens that work in the cold. you'd think that's obvious but.

dont forget a way to charge your phone separately from your radio batteries. I made that mistake during a flood activation a few years back, ended up draining my main battery just trying to keep my phone alive for ICS messaging. got a dedicated small USB power bank now that stays in the kit and never gets borrowed for camping trips lol.

also if you're doing net control specifically, a headset with a boom mic makes a huge difference over a long activation. your hand gets tired holding a mic and your voice fatigues less when you're not fighting background noise. I picked up a cheap one that works with my IC-7300 and honestly wish I'd done it sooner.