so i've been meaning to do this for like two years and after the storms we had last month i finally got off my butt and started building a real go-kit. right now i've got my ft-857d in a pelican case with a powerwerx power panel, a 40ah lifepo4 battery, and im using a buddipole for the antenna situation. threw in some coax, a few adapters, my logging book and a couple pens.

thing is i keep getting this nagging feeling i'm missing something obvious. like the kind of stuff that only comes up when you actually need it and then you're standing there feeling like an idiot. ive done a couple of ARES activations but never really had a complete kit, always borrowing stuff from other guys or running back to the car for things.

anybody who's done actual deployments or even just serious field day stuff, what ended up being the thing you always forgot or wished you had? not looking for a master list off some website, more just personal experience stuff. what bit you in the rear when it mattered

headlamp. seriously. i know it sounds dumb but i showed up to a deployment after a tornado came through, pitch black, fumbling around trying to set up with my phone flashlight while holding coax with my teeth. now i have two headlamps in the kit plus extra batteries and i will fight anyone who tells me thats overkill.

also a laminated card with your frequencies, your net info, any local repeater stuff. when things get chaotic your brain goes sideways and having that right there saves you from blanking at the worst moment. i also started keeping a small notebook with my radio's menu shortcuts written out because i always forget how to get into the weird sub-menus on the 857 when im stressed.

food and water sounds obvious but people really do forget it or figure they'll just grab something. i went on a six hour activation once thinking id be back for dinner and nope. also a small portable fan if you're going to be in a trailer or a vehicle in summer, radios get hot and so do operators lol. and honestly just a change of clothes or at least dry socks. nobody talks about that but man.

on the radio side of things, i'd double check you have a way to program your radio without a computer just in case. and a backup HT with it's own battery. the 857 is great but if something happens to it mid deployment you dont want to be completely dark.