so i finally did my first SOTA activation last weekend, summited W6/NS-175 which is only like a 2 mile hike but still, got up there and realized i forgot the coax adapter for my end fed. just sat there staring at my kit like an idiot for a solid 5 minutes. ended up borrowing a chunk of wire from my buddy and just made a janky counterpoise situation that kinda worked. managed 6 contacts on 20m SSB before the wind picked up so bad i just packed it in. no QRP rig either, was running my IC-705 off a 3ah lipo. battery was totally fine actually that thing sips power. anyway got the 4 contacts for credit so it counts i guess but man i felt unprepared. anyone else have a disaster first activation story cause i cant be the only one

oh man yes my first activation i drove like 45 minutes to the trailhead and left my entire antenna at home on the workbench. just the feedline and nothing else. had to turn around and do it the next weekend. now i have a checklist taped inside my pack lid, been doing that for 2 years and havent forgotten anything since. the IC-705 is a great choice for SOTA though, i run mine with a 5ah pack and it lasts all day on low power

6 contacts on 20m in bad wind with a janky wire is honestly not bad for a first time. i did mine on 40m cw which made it easier to get contacts fast but i totally get the stress of it. you kinda figure out your kit after a few activations, now i basically have a separate dedicated go-bag just for POTA and SOTA stuff so nothings ever missing