I’ve been working on putting together a 72 hour kit, and decided to put together some vital records as the next step in the project.
I scoured the internet to find out what documents I needed to get together, and came up with this list:
Wow. That is a LOT of documents. I’m a computer junky, and decided I don’t really need to haul all of this around, at least not physically. I created a folder in Wuala that syncs automatically with my phone. This folder holds (or will hold) digital copies of everything above. I can’t think of when I’d need my insurance info without having internet access, so some of this stuff doesn’t even need printed. Also, some of these items probably aren’t safe to keep in an easy to grab pack (like social security cards) so they’ll stay digital-only with the physical copies locked away in a fire safe. Becca is a little worried about having all this stuff on the internet, but Wuala encrypts everything before it ever gets to the cloud, so I’m not really worried about it.
For the rest of the stuff, I decided to print double sided on my laser printer (to make it fairly water resistant) and laminate using my GBC HeatSeal Inspire 9 Inch Laminator and laminating pouches that I got on sale for $22.99 (to make them, hopefully, waterproof). I haven’t decided how I want to keep these papers safe in my pack, but I think I’ll wait until I actually buy a bag for my kit to figure that out. Perhaps I’ll use Velcro or maybe the bag will have a laptop slot I can use or something.
I’m still working on compiling our vaccination records and we are still working on our wills, but we’ve managed to pull everything else together. It feels good knowing I have easy access to this important stuff no matter where I’m at. It even came in handy the other day at the bank. I needed to verify Becca’s social security number, so I opened Wuala on my phone and pulled up a copy of her social security card. Very useful.