When we think of survival scenarios we don’t often think of packing important documents: Drivers License, Handgun Carry Permit, Passport etc. However, I think this is a bad idea, and here’s why you should pack a survival flash drive in your Bug Out Bag.
Consider Your Odds
First, the chances of you finding yourself in a regional survival situation, such as Katrina or Haiti, are much greater than an end of the world scenario.
So let’s assume you were in an area-wide situation, had to bug out, and all of your stuff that’s not on your back got destroyed.
Fear the Bureaucrats
So you made it out, but with all your stuff gone you might not have any of your important documents with you. While that doesn’t really seem important compared to your life, the years worth of red tape and bureaucratic paperwork that we call a government doesn’t care. In fact, at that point you are a non-person.
How do they know you are who you say you are? You have no proof of identification and a terrorist attack just destroyed your city. How do we know you aren’t the terrorist? (After all you had an escape plan prepared)
While this may sound ridiculous, given the nature of our government these days it’s really not that far fetched.
Survival Flash Drive
To prepare for a localized survival scenario in which you will eventually have to re-enter regular society make it much easier on yourself and back-up your most important documents ahead of time.
All you have to do is buy a cheap USB flash drive, (or a waterproof one) scan all of your important documents, and store them on your flash drive in your Bug Out Bag. Bug Out and you’ve brought your all important “life on paper” with you. You can also keep this USB in a element proof bag like a Loksak Bag.
*Don’t go buy a scanner if you don’t have one, just take the stuff to Kinkos or Office Max and have them scan it all for you.
**Warning: Modern Copy Machine and Scanners have an internal Hard Drive that keep a digital copy of everything they scan. All it takes is one malicious worker at the store to steal your identity. If at all possible find a private copy machine and scanner. (Thanks Josh)
What to put on your Flash Drive
Driver’s License- Handgun Carry Permit
- Passport
- Bank Account Documents
- Birth Certificate
- Social Security Card
- Insurance Information
- Marriage Certificate
- All of the above for all Children
- Important Family Pictures
Be extremely careful keeping up with your Survival Flash drive, back in the regular world that is your identity.
Amazon has a million different ones. Here is a heavy duty waterproof one. or a simple one by HP
What Else?
I am looking for more ideas, What else would you put on your survival flash drive?
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Great idea. I have paper copies of most of that in waterproof bags but hadn't thought about a simple Flash drive as well.
Melbo, I don't think many people have thought about it because survivalists usually avoid technology because in a lot of situations it will be useless.
With waterproof flashdrives it just makes sense and is really a lot easier to protect than paper copies.
Plus I like that it gives me the option to take things that aren't necessary for survival like family pictures.
Lucas
I also keep several different survival and field manual on my flash drive. Its probably not a bad idea to keep an updated address book of friends and family for use during an emergency.
Survivor_1997,
That's a great idea!
Some people might argue with the survival field manuals and such because you have got to have something to view them with and when the SHTF that might not be available.
However, the updated address book and contact information is a great idea!
Imagine how many people today do not know the phone numbers of people they would need to get to after a local emergency because they are all in their cell phone, which may not be working.
Just a thought, How about using one of those new "Kindles", those electronic/digital book readers for reading manuals and books during TSHTF. If you hook it up to one of those hand crank cellphone chargers you will never have to use batteries.
I have this very setup right now. I've had my kindle since last September and just recently bought the Eton fr160 multipurpose radio thingy. I can confirm that it will charge the kindle and that it gets very boring very quickly. I'd recommend a solar charger as your primary and keep the hand crank as a backup.
P.S. the kindle screens are easier to crack than you might think and may not survive a lot of jostling around. Mine didn't survive a ride in the back of a van(Amazon's C.S. is excellent btw; I had a replacement in my hands less than two days after it broke, with just a seven minute call). I don't want to lose another one. So, I ordered this memo sized aluminum clipboard.
http://www.amazon.com/Saunders-Recycled-Antimicro…
After removing the inner flaps, my kindle2 in the Belkin neoprene sleeve fits snugly(a bit of foam glued to the sides would work just as well if you don't have the same sleeve)with just enough room left over for the charging cable. Toss all that in a dry sack and it should survive anything you can throw at it.
P.P.S. I know this is all crazy excessive, but I seriously love my kindle.
Good to know, thanks for sharing. I dont have a Kindle (yet), but it is definitely on the wish list.
I found this the other day. It is something to consider if you have the extra time to do it.
http://www.tcnj.edu/~jones37/usb_armor.html
Now THAT is a heavy duty Flash Drive!
Haha pretty awesome project but I don't know a lot of people that have a machine shop for a project like that. Very cool if you can do it.
When I was research for this post I can across this video on how to create a waterproof FlashDrive using epoxy.
http://revision3.com/systm/waterproof
Obviously it isn't going to be as strong as yours but something you could easily do at home in a few minutes.
Lucas
Excellent! Thank you for sharing!
You should really consider encrypting the flash drive, or the data. One thing you can do is make a TrueCrypt drive with the software on it, and an encrypted volume file containing your documents.
Otherwise, if your flash drive is lost or stolen, you've just given someone an identity theft starter kit.
The great things about TrueCrypt are (a) it's open-source, so it's not dependent on a particular company (and it's also more likely to be secure, which may seem counter-intuitive), (b) it can be self-contained by using both the software and an encrypted volume file on the same drive, and (c) it employs military-grade encryption. Plus it's not too hard to use.
Keepass is another good one to go with Truecrypt. free opensource password vault. same encryption as Truecrypt.
Agreed. I have been using KeePass for years and it is an excellent password vault.
Brock,
Thanks for the comment. I completely agree. I've used TrueCrypt before and it was great. I've heard nothing but good things about it.
Funny you should mention that, the guys over at ITS Tactical just did an entire article on TruCrypt and how to use it:
http://www.itstactical.com/2010/05/10/infosec-and…
one thing to bear in mind is even with these copies on your flash drive you might want to store in a water proof case some where in your BOB a paper copy of them it would be a lot better for proof of identity
Good point, I also think that having paper copies makes it easier as far as not losing your thumbdrive, (a daily occurrence in my case).
It's not a good idea to bring all your personal information to be scanned at Kinkos and saved on their hard drives. All it takes is one scammer who works there to copy all your personal info and spread it / sell it.
That's a very good point Josh.
That's bad OpSec on my part.
I've edited the article to include your warning.
I down loaded several survival manuals and such to a Simpletech back up hard drive 200 gigs. Also all of My wifes family pictures and back woods country cooking stuff. Checking into IPads as the reader.
The cheapest way to waterproof a USB drive would be to wrap it in Blu-tac (or the Yellow stuff). Even if it claims to be a waterproof drive. Maybe then cram it into an empty kinder surprise 'egg' with some tape around it. You won't need to use the drive while traveling but will be there safe and sound if you need to show any authorities anything.
certificates and college records!!! You can say your a nurse to get in somewhere but if something happens and the world rights itself you may need to prove you can use the skills that you've been practicing ( I know how crazy this sounds)
I have a cruzer titaniun plus flashdrive and this thing is tuff as nails, plan to try truecrypt my info
then I will put it in a water proof match case with some closed cell foam padding then in my bug out bag it will go. I think the match case will work well.
This is a great idea. I would suggest also:
- store the files in a couple of different, common formats like PDF, jpg, or even tiff to be sure they can be read and printed by different systems. Having a PDF or image program for pc and Mac on the drive wouldn't be a bad idea either.
-consider an iPod, epicture frame or other device that can display the doc without the need for a computer. May be bulkier and fragile but may also allow you to have on the spot proof you can show the local authority on the spot.
- a list of accounts, passwords, and contact info is a good idea in case you have access to the web and need to get to account online.
- a copy of your bug out plan, maps, contacts, rally points, etc.
IMO i wouldn't shell out the money for a water proof usb… just buy a cheap one and stick it in a old pill bottle…
The zip drive idea is a great idea I also included on mine Blood group,Any meds I take and known allergies it may sound a little obvious but it's always the little details that get forgotten
With the lowering cost of netbooks, it might be worth just getting one for this reason if your budget allows for it.
Another thing to consider putting on your flash drive is medical records. Easy to do and valuable any time you have to go to an emergency room, quite often it can provide a doctor with pertinent information prior to running a barage of tests!
I have this a thumb drive with papers, photos and manuals but I store mine inside a lexan water bottle in my bug out bag(if the bottle keeps water in it’ll keep water out too). I found a website where you can download the foxfire books in pdf format free of charge, probably the most practical manuals available in a teotwawki scenario.
It also gives hope that in a really bad scenario, there is the potential for a return to normalcy.
a small usb drive can be put into a balloon. pull the neck open — buy the larger balloon. and then tye the balloon shut.. when you need to access it you will likely have to cut it out but it will be protected.
Fantastic Idea !!!!!!!! one of the many reasons I love this site !
another good idea in case of urban survival is putting some linux distribution on the USB… Imagine you get lucky and get access to some PC still 100% working, but it's password-protected. What are you gonna do? Stare at it instead of using it for calling for help? Just plug your USB and reboot, and you are done. Also, copying the same data on a CD or DVD might be a bright idea, too.
To add on to JP-USMC, VA certificate of eligibility letters and other benefit determination letters for all you veteran bubbas.
How about medical records, I have all you listed plus medical records and histories for myself and each family member carries there own with contact info of known family members. I also have garmin tracker clips for my seven year old that links to my garminphone if we get seperated I can track her on my phone. As this is a seperate satelite function the cell towers need not be functioning for this to work.
Add medical data in case someone needs to treat you but you can't speak. Blood type, allergies, known medical conditions, prior surgeries. You can add a photo to each medical database so that physicians can tell what history belongs to whom easily. Also, DOB, height, weight, etc. with your medical information would be helpful (even if its redundant and captured elsewhere on your data. You can even "encrypt" your data by using a QCode generator (like this one: vhttp://qrcode.kaywa.com/)... hospitals should have the ability to read the QCode while still scrambling the data for the average person's eyes.
Rather than a flash drive, you might even consider saving all this stuff on your cellphone flash card. My cellphone locks itself after 10 minutes of inactivity…and I always have it with me. I know it'll be going with me in a BO situation, so storing the data there just makes sense.
Then again, redundancy isn't bad… how about a flash drive *and* your cell phone.
Who has a scanner these days
Use your digital camera. The quality will be just as good in most cases. To get the best picture disable your flash and take pictures of your documents near a light source. I've used this method several times to get 'scans' of documents ect. Always works great.
Another thing to consider putting on your Thumb Drive is Portable Apps. It is open Source, The full install puts Firefox web browser and Open Office Lite. You can synch your Firefox Bookmarks, it has an e-mail program and hundreds of other apps you can install. I have an app to read PDF’s, a Media player. If you have access to a PC you can do almost anything and you run of yopur own drive, no leaving anything behind on the PC
I know it saves space, but TIFF formates are preferable to compressed JPEGS for long term storage. They are lossless and more stable.
One thing that should be mentioned . Make very sure that whatever you name your files , especially graphic files like a scan , that it has the proper name at the end ( . jpg , .tiff , .pdf ) because on a PC , if it does not have that , the comp will not be able to recognize file type and open it . Macs will recognize a graphic file , with or without the file type at the end . You may not remember what type every single file you have is if you do not do this . Pdf is good also because it takes special software to tamper and alter a .pdf if it gets into the wrong hands .
Yes , they can print from a .pdf , then rescan and alter in Photoshop , but that is a heck of a lot of work to get it right and most likely not worth the effort to most criminals .
i would put a map one there to so you can tell where ya are if ya have a laptop,etc. i am getting a netbook for my b.o.b
Other Permits, like I have friends with ordinance permits as well as firearms.
The USB Drive I use and have had no problem with is the Corsair Survivor. But most importantly I made my USB bootable with Hiren's boot CD. This allows me to boot up any USB bootable PC and access my documents with portable versions of applications. Toss in a USB hub and WiFi dongle and you can also give yourself internet access.
http://www.corsair.com/usb-drives/flash-survivor….
Copy of your DD214 for the prior service guys
I also have a complete set of my medical records along with a list of my known illnesses (i.e. hypertension, diabetes, etc.), prescriptions, allergies, emergency contacts, and name of physician stored on my flashdrive. In addition to the one in my bug out bag, I have a second one stored in another location, i.e. bank vault, parents home, trusted family member, bug out location, etc. I have been using a flashdrive from some time now for this very reason. One thing you need to do too, keep all your flashdrives updated, regularly; especially if prescriptions change, new medical conditions arise, you get a new driver's license, etc. Your flashdrive will also hold copies of x-rays, MRIs, CAT scans, etc. In an emergency situation, in another state or geographical location, it is nice to have all this information available.
I have used a Survival Thumb Drive for about three years or so now. I have many items on it including how-to and personal info. All personal info is encrypted. I use truecrypt but it has a major drawback that many don’t talk about. To use truecrypt portable, you have to use a computer with administrator privileges. To get around this you can add an OS to the drive (safest security method) but you may not be able to boot into it due to the target computer is older and does not support usb boot without a kicker cd or the agency you need to show some documents too won’t allow it. I have been trying various other encryption software that will work just as well as truecrypt but without the need for an administrator account. So far, safehouseexplorer is the one I’ve chosen. Not 100% happy with it but it seems to work. At least files that may harm me in the wrong hands will be safe, to a degree. No file is uncrackable but maybe the thief will give up and move on before getting it.
I would not get crazy and carry a computer with me in a EOTWAWKI situation. There will be plenty of computers to be had since noone will be able to power them. Netbooks are a safe bet for low power use but are only good for so much. Laminated paper copies are great but can get very heavy when inside a BOB with needed gear. Most of us will not bug out in anyway due to the growth of the world. There is only so many places to hide and way too many people trying to find them. Only those living in extreme conditions will last if they are prepared for long term survival with renewable food and water.
Pictures of anything of value that you own should be on the drive for insurance reasons. Could help with filing any claims. Also I would consider Car title or House titles well any thing with proof of ownership for any big ticket items.
I have one of these as well as a netbook that I keep in my Jeep, plus my bug out location has an off grid power system. the netbook allows me to view all my field manuals, and the important documents are on my flash drive in case i'm not able to charge the netbook for some reason, works great having a power inverter in the Jeep
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