I love this post so far. With your solar "array", will you be trickle charging a battery? HTs are great for day hikes and can may get you through a week or two. I'd like to know if there are circuits/kits/projects out there that will allow you to charge an HT battery by solar or even 12v from a car outlet.

My BOB/SIGINT plan consists of my IC-7000 because of the multiband aspect. I'm more HF-centric so since the 7000 is a beefcake power consumer, in a SHTF scenario, it would be used VERY sparingly if power consumption is a concern. This is assuming I'm buggin' with a vehicle. On foot, sorry IC-7000, we'll see ya later.

An HT is a viable option which I agree with, again, those batteries don't last forever so a solar option would be awesome.

What I forsee myself mainly using is a QRP rig. Lightweight, low power, small, inexpensive, I don't see many downsides other than the fact it's QRP. We all know a 5w HT can go pretty far on high ground, nay even into space. But in most earthly conditions, the range is localized.

I'm still working on BOB/SIGINT but it's becoming a reality very soon.

Let me also share the QRP rig I have my eye on. It's a beaut.

MantiZ Transceivers

Caleb