so ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the last storm that knocked out power for three days in my area I finally stopped procrastinating. started pulling together what I think a decent go-kit should have but honestly im not sure if ive got the priorities right.

right now I have my FT-817ND, a 40ah LiFePO4 battery, a roll of RG-8X with a few connectors already on it, and my slim jim hanging antenna on some paracord. got a small DC power strip from powerwerx, logbook, a few spare fuses, and my APRS tracker. threw it all in a Pelican 1510 which just barely fits.

what im not sure about is whether I should have a dedicated HF antenna situation vs just relying on whatever I can throw up when I get somewhere, and also how much do you guys actually test this stuff before you need it? feels like I put stuff in a box and then never touch it until the battery is dead and something doesnt work. I want to actually be useful if our ARES group gets activated and not be the guy fumbling around for an hour trying to remember how to set up his own gear.

the testing thing is huge and honestly most people don't do it enough including me sometimes. what helped me was treating my go-kit like a deployed station once a month, just set the whole thing up in the backyard or driveway from scratch like you actually got called out, time yourself, see what you forgot or what doesnt work. found out my PL-259 on the coax had a cold solder joint that way, would have been embarrassing in the field.

for the antenna question, I keep a Wolf River Coils silver bullet in mine because it's compact and covers 40 through 10 reasonably well with just a whip, but I also have a linked dipole cut for 40 and 20 folded up in a freezer bag. the EFHW transformers are popular in go-kits too, just need a long wire and a support. depends on what your ARES group actually needs you to do, if youre mostly doing local stuff on VHF maybe the HF antenna is secondary but if youre backup comms for EOC then you want something reliable on 40.

your list honestly sounds pretty solid, only thing I'd maybe add is a small notepad and some kind of laminated quick-reference card with your net frequencies, CTCSS tones for local repeaters, and your tactical call if your group uses those. sounds dumb but under stress you forget stuff you know cold.

I went through basically this same thing last year. one thing that bit me was assuming my battery was fine because I charged it before I packed the kit and then didn't check it for four months. LiFePO4 holds pretty well but still, I showed up to a drill with like 60% capacity and was kind of embarrassed. now i have a recurring phone reminder every six weeks just to top it off and do a quick radio check.

also dont overlook the boring stuff like a headlamp, a couple granola bars if you might be somewhere a while, and some way to charge your phone. I use a small USB power bank for the phone stuff separate from the radio battery so they dont compete. and zip ties, always more zip ties than you think you need