so ive been meaning to do this for like two years and after the storms we had last month I finally got serious about it. got a Yaesu FT-857D that I'm planning to use as the main rig, hooked up to a 40ah LiFePO4 battery I picked up a few months back. threw everything in a pelican-style case from harbor freight (the actual pelican ones are way out of my budget right now).

my plan is basically to have everything I need to set up a functional HF and VHF/UHF station within like 20-30 minutes of arriving somewhere. I've got a roll of RG-8X, some coax connectors, a basic dipole kit that I can string between trees or whatever, and a little logging notebook. also keeping a printed copy of local ARES frequencies and the ICS forms in a ziploc in there.

but I feel like im definitely forgetting something obvious. this is my first real attempt at a go-kit so I'm not sure what I'll wish I had until I actually need it and it's too late. anyone been through this process and have stuff they always forget or wish they'd packed? also curious what people use for antennas when you cant guarantee any support structures nearby.

honestly that sounds pretty solid for a first go-kit, way ahead of where most people start. the thing I see people forget most often is a way to actually power everything when the battery runs low — do you have a solar panel or a way to charge from a vehicle? 40ah goes faster than you think if you're on HF running any kind of power. I learned that the hard way during a deployment a few years back, thought I had plenty of reserve and by hour six I was rationing transmissions.

also — headlamp. sounds obvious but I have seen people show up to a night activation with nothing. and a small notebook is fine but I'd also throw a few extra pens in there, and maybe a sharpie for labeling cables on the fly because you will absolutely forget which end is which when you're tired and stressed.

for antennas without support structures, I've had good luck with a basic vertical on a drive-on mount, you can set it up in a parking lot in ten minutes. some guys swear by the wolf river coils for portable work, havent used one myself but they seem popular in the ARES crowd around here.

the ICS forms thing is smart, I totally forgot those the first time I showed up for a drill and felt like an idiot. one thing I'd add — a laminated card with your callsign info, any relevant credentials or ARES member number, and the net control frequencies. sounds dumb but when things are chaotic you don't want to be digging through your phone.

I'm still pretty new to all this (got my general last year) so I'm also kind of building out my own kit as I go. been following this thread with interest actually