so i've been a ham for about three years now and keep telling myself i'll get a proper go-kit together but never actually do it. well after watching what happened to some folks in the flooding last month i finally sat down and started pulling stuff together this weekend.

right now i've got my FT-891 set aside for it, a 40ah LiFePO4 battery, some coax, and a random wire antenna i built last year. i threw in a notebook and some pens because my ARES group lead always says paper logs when everything else fails. i've also got a small DC power strip thingy from Powerwerx.

but i feel like im definitely forgetting stuff. like i know theres more to it than just the radio and power. anybody who actually deploys with their kit — what do you wish you'd thought of before you needed it the time? not looking for a perfect list just real world stuff people forget

the thing that got me the first time i actually deployed was not having any way to charge the battery. had a great 50ah battery, used it all up overnight, and then just had a dead kit. a small folding solar panel or even just the right cables to charge off a vehicle would have saved me. i use a Renogy 100w panel now and keep a DC-to-DC charger in the kit permanently.

also dont forget a headlamp, not a flashlight, a headlamp specifically. when you're trying to connect coax at 2am with both hands you'll understand why. i've also started keeping a printed copy of my most used frequencies and the local ARES net schedules laminated in the front pocket because i always think i'll remember them and i never do once the adrenaline kicks in.

sounds like you're off to a solid start honestly, the 891 is a great choice for portable ops.

yeah the charging thing is real, i learned that the hard way too. one thing i'd add — and this might sound dumb — is make sure everything actually fits in whatever bag or case you're using before something happens. i spent like four months thinking my kit was ready and then tried to actually pack it up fast one night for a drill and half the stuff didnt fit or i couldnt find the right cable. now i do a full pack-up and power-on test every few months just to stay honest with myself about what's actually in there.

also an SWR meter or at minimum an antenna analyzer is worth having. you'll be putting up antennas in weird spots at weird angles and you really want to know if something's wrong before you start wondering why nobody can hear you.