so ive been a ham for about 3 years now (general class) and keep telling myself im going to put together a proper go-kit for emergencies but never actually do it. after the storms we had last month and our county ARES group getting activated i figured i really need to stop procrastinating on this.

the thing is i dont really know what the baseline should be. like i have my IC-7300 at home which obviously isnt going anywhere in a hurry, and a handheld (BF-F8HP baofeng, i know i know) but beyond that im kind of lost. do most people build around an HF rig or just VHF/UHF for local stuff? and power - batteries, solar, what are people actually using out in the field.

also curious how organized people keep this stuff. do you have it literally packed and ready to grab or is it more like a checklist you work through before deployment. our net control guy mentioned something about a 72 hour self-sufficiency standard but that seems like a lot of gear to haul around

Good on you for finally making the move on this. The 72 hour thing is real and actually not that hard to hit once you break it down. For most county ARES activations though you're honestly looking at a fraction of that so dont let it overwhelm you right out of the gate.

My go kit started as just a cheap Pelican-style case with my FT-857D, a 40Ah lithium battery (the bioenno ones are popular for this), a chameleon vertical antenna and a handful of cables and adapters in a ziplock. That got me through my first few deployments just fine. Took me another year to add a solar panel setup and a second battery, a small laptop with winlink set up, and some creature comforts like a headlamp and a cheap folding table strap to the outside.

The key thing nobody tells you is to actually go USE it before a real activation. Set it up in your backyard or a park, run it off battery only for a few hours. Youll find out real fast whats missing. I discovered i forgot a freaking ground rod the first time i did that. Also write down your frequencies, your nets, everything - when its 2am and stressful you dont want to be digging through your phone trying to remember stuff.

As for packed vs checklist - i do both. The core stuff lives in the case ready to go. Consumables and personal stuff get checked off a laminated card i keep inside the lid. Works well enough.

honestly just start small and dont try to build the perfect kit all at once or youll never finish it, that was my problem for like two years lol. i basically just grabbed a decent portable rig - ended up with a yaesu ft-891 because it does HF and is pretty compact - threw it in a rolling toolbox from harbor freight with a 33ah battery and called that version 1. its not pretty but it works.

the baofeng will absolutely do for local VHF stuff at an EOC or shelter, dont let anyone give you grief about it as long as it works reliably. just program it properly with chirp and youre good for that role.

one thing i wish someone had told me earlier - make sure your kit can run independent of your house power for charging too. i added a 100w panel and a cheap charge controller and now the whole thing is pretty self contained. also keep some cash in the kit, like small bills. sounds dumb but vending machines and stuff matter on long activations trust me