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 pelican case, my ft-857d, a few coax adapters, some misc cables i've accumulated, and a 35ah lithium battery i grabbed off amazon. also threw in a copy of my license and some local repeater frequencies i printed out.

thing is i feel like im still forgetting something obvious. my buddy who does ARES stuff said i should have a dedicated notebook and some way to charge phones but beyond that he kind of trailed off and we got distracted talking about his new antenna. anybody gone through this process and have stuff they wish theyd thought of at the start? not looking for a perfect list or anything just curious what people actually find useful when it hits the fan

headlamp is the first thing that comes to mind honestly. sounds dumb but when you're trying to find a BNC connector at 2am in a shelter or whatever, you really dont want to be holding your phone flashlight in your teeth. i also keep a small roll of electrical tape and a multimeter in mine, not a fancy one just a cheap $12 harbor freight thing.

the other thing i'd say is dont forget about your own comfort — protein bars, water, that kind of stuff. i know its a radio kit but if you're deployed for 8 hours you'll be glad you threw a few granola bars in there. also maybe a spare battery for whatever HT you carry as a backup. the 857 is great but having an HT means you can still move around the served agency site and talk to people.

sounds like you're way further along than most people who show up to our ARES meetings tbh

antenna is the thing I always forget to think through ahead of time. like you have the radio and the power but then you get somewhere and realize all you have is a mag mount that doesn't stick to anything useful or your portable dipole is missing a wing nut. i keep a small ziplock with spare hardware for exactly that reason now.

also — and this might be overkill for some people — i laminated a quick reference card with the local ARES net frequencies, ICS basics, and my call sign info and just taped it inside the lid. saves time fumbling around when someone's asking you a question and you're already stressed out. the notebook idea your buddy mentioned is good too, i use a rite in the rain pad so it doesnt get ruined if its wet outside