so i've been meaning to do this for like two years and i finally just sat down this weekend and started pulling stuff together for a proper go-kit. i'm an extra class, been licensed about six years, but honestly i've never done any real emcomm activations, mostly just contest operating from home. figured with how things have been lately it's probably smart to have something ready to grab if things go sideways.

what i have so far: IC-7300 (yeah i know it's probably overkill for a go-kit but it's what i have), a 40ah lifepo4 battery i picked up last year, a random wire antenna with a 9:1 unun, some coax, my log book, a few basic tools. i threw it all in a plastic tote from the hardware store which is fine i guess but it's not exactly organized.

i feel like im definitely missing stuff but i cant figure out what. like i know theres gonna be that moment where im set up somewhere and i go "oh i forgot the thing" — that always happens. anyone been doing this a while and can tell me what the obvious stuff is that i'll kick myself for forgetting?

the thing you'll forget is always something stupid like a power cable or the right adapter. i'd say the number one thing people overlook is having a written copy of their freq plan and any nets they're supposed to check into — because in an actual emergency you might not have your phone and your memory gets real fuzzy when things are stressful. print it out and laminate it or at least stick it in a ziplock.

also headphones. people forget headphones and then they're trying to copy traffic in a noisy shelter or EOC and it's a mess. a simple set of earbuds works fine but have something.

the 7300 is honestly not that crazy for a go-kit if you have the battery capacity for it, just watch your power draw on SSB. might want to think about adding a small VHF/UHF rig too for local coordination since HF isn't always what the agency needs from you right away. a cheap Yaesu FT-65 or even an old 2m mobile thrown in there doesn't hurt.

the tote is fine to start. don't let the perfect be the enemy of good — a lot of guys spend more time obsessing over the pelican case than they ever spend actually training.

im basically in the same boat as you, just started putting mine together a few months ago. one thing i didn't think about was lighting — like if you're setting up at night or in a building with no power you need a headlamp at minimum. sounds obvious but i literally didn't have one in my kit until my elmer pointed it out.

also snacks lol. and cash. and a notepad that isn't your nice logbook because sometimes you're just scribbling stuff fast and you dont want to mess up your real log.