so ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the storm last month kind of lit a fire under me. we lost power for about 36 hours and my shack was useless because everything is plugged into the wall like an idiot. so now im actually putting together a proper go-kit.

got a pelican case, a Yaesu FT-891 im planning to use as the main rig, and im pulling together some coax and a roll of wire for a quick end-fed. also have a 20ah lifepo4 battery that should be enough for a few hours of operating at reasonable power. have a small solar panel too but havent actually tested how well it charges under real conditions yet.

my question is kind of open ended — what are the things people always forget until they actually need them and then kick themselves. im not asking for the obvious stuff like a radio and a battery. more like the little things. already have a notebook and pens in there, Anderson powerpoles on everything. what else

the thing that got me the first time I deployed was not having a way to mount anything. like you show up somewhere and theyre like great set up over there and youre standing there holding a radio and a battery with no table, no way to prop up the antenna, nothing. I started keeping a small piece of pegboard and some velcro straps in mine after that. also zip ties, like way more zip ties than you think you need.

other thing — and this sounds dumb — is a printed copy of your frequencies and local repeater info. your phone dies, your laptop dies, and suddenly you cant remember if the county EOC net is on .760 or .860. I laminated a little card and it lives in the lid of my case now. also dont forget a headlamp because youre probably setting this thing up in the dark in the rain knowing how these things go.

honestly the solar panel thing you mentioned — test it now, not when you need it. i made that mistake. thought my panel plus my battery would keep me going indefinitely and then found out my panel puts out like 8 watts in real conditions not the 25 it claims and my radio was pulling more than that on receive alone. wasnt pretty.

one thing i dont see people mention enough is a short patch cable or two and a small audio interface if you plan to do any digital modes during an activation. winlink has saved the day at a few exercises i was at when voice traffic was too congested. just something to think about depending on what your served agency actually needs from you.