been putting together a go kit for emergency deployment and wondering if im missing anything obvious. got my ft-857d, power supply, couple antennas, coax, swr meter, basic tools. threw in some snacks and water too but feel like theres probably stuff i havent thought of that would be really important when youre out there for hours trying to help with communications

this would be my first time doing any real emergency work so any advice from folks who have been there would be great. what did you wish you had packed after your first deployment?

you'll definitely want more power options - i learned this the hard way during a hurricane deployment couple years back. battery pack died after 3 hours and i was scrambling. now i carry multiple battery options, car adapter, and even a small solar panel. also dont forget spare fuses, they always blow at the worst time

oh and duct tape. lots of duct tape. and ziplock bags to keep everything dry

Good list so far! One thing that gets overlooked is comfort items for long deployments. Folding chair, small table or clipboard for logging, good headlamp with extra batteries. Your back will thank you after sitting on the ground for 8 hours trying to copy weak signals. And definitely agree on the power redundancy - I carry 3 different battery packs now after getting caught short once.