What documents do you always need to have on you? What documents do you need in your evacuation bag (BOB) and in what form? As you probably understood, an evacuation bag is prepared to the millimeter: every gram, every cubic centimeter counts … Also, papers, documents etc. Do not escape the rule … Obviously, it is less sexy to talk about buschcraft or combat techniques, it may seem rather annoying, but it is a reflection absolutely necessary.Like all decisions, they will depend on your priorities and your vision of things, but you are offered some bases of reflection in this article to help you🙂
Why bother with paper?
From an extremely down-to-earth and pragmatic point of view, apart from lighting a fire, paper will not serve you very much … Certainly! Despite everything, there may be reasons to take documents (papers or not for that matter) with you in case of crisis situation
- In a small- or medium-scale crisis scenario (natural disaster, local riots, war with a localized front, etc.), your objective will obviously be to succeed in rallying an area where the situation is stable or stabilized. Once this zone is reached, it may be useful to have identity papers, to prove your identity, your origin, etc.
- Even in a case of the most global catastrophe imaginable (“end of the world”), groups of individuals will surely regroup at one time or another to try to rebuild something. Being able to prove your identity, your skills or bring knowledge will then be highly valuable!
- You may be smart and well prepared but you will never be able to retain as much information as you will be able to store on paper and / or (even less) on a digital device.
Have a hard copy
As far as official documents are concerned, I recommend that, in any case, you get a hard copy. Printing paper does not cost much to do, it takes almost no time, it weighs very little, and having that paper copy requires absolutely nothing to be used (no internet, no source of energy).
Also, I recommend you always place your important documents such as the ones listed below in a waterproof bags (in case of a crisis situation) :
- A photocopy of your passport
- A photocopy of your identity card
- A photocopy of your “authorization” papers (including a driver’s license)
- If possible ONE original ID
- A map of your region
Do not forget the plastic bag is waterproof, and not fireproof … If you have a laminating machine it is really ideal (its not really expensive but it may not be worth the money if its only for 4 documents … If you have alot, it may come back cheaper than the plastic sleeves 😉 )
If you have a laminator, do not hesitate to use it to print a few documents that you think fit, according to your knowledge: edible plants and mushrooms, medicinal plants , etc …
In addition to this, it may be good to have a paper version of survival books recalling all the basic skills. If there are several persons in the family you will surely allow you to take 1 for 3 or more …
But also a digital device
Well, you surely understood why you have to have a paper version as the bare minimum. It’s much more reliable, it does not take up space and it does not weigh alot (so you can keep it even if you have to leave most of your stuff) and it can save your life.
That being said, its not strictly necessary, and as you know, it is not your super knife, your phone or your bag that will serve you the most if the situation deteriorates. Knowledge, your ability to respond to situations, and your ability to make the right decisions !! All this is working, but I think it’s worth having back-up documents (plants, techniques, foreign languages, care, … the list can be infinite) is an excellent thing. Only to have all that in paper version, it ends up weighing a lot. Also, at this time the digital device becomes very competitive!
The first thing is that you can store the data you want to keep (memories of families, important documents, etc.) on a hard disk or better yet a USB drive (you can select your needs in terms of capacity but Don’t hesitate to take a bigger one, doubling the capacity isn’t expensive …). Remember that a “End of World” disaster situation is the most feared, it is also the least likely and there is a good chance that you will find a stable situation after a few days, weeks or months .
Then, if you do not want to go with your laptop (if you wish I advise you to protect it very well ), you can get a e-reader . It is for me really a super, super object (that of Amazon or another, I know only that of Amazon personally) because:
- It has a very good autonomy
- It allows me to read in all the conditions (very strong luminosity, absence of light) without you to locate (no powerful backlight like on a computer)
- It is very simple put documents on (There are many guides like this )
- You can charge it with a solar charger if needed
The idea is not to put all the documents you want to keep in the long term, but rather the documents you want to have available during the crisis period: information allowing you to increase your chances of survival, To locate, etc. Again, do not hesitate to put a lot of information. Consider naming and storing your documents quickly and easily. If you have a scanner, do not hesitate to scan paper documents to integrate them with your reader. Obviously, do not forget to protect your reading device from shocks and moisture so that it always works when you need it😉
So, I hope that some of these tips will have opened your mind to possibilities or options you have not considered! It is up to you to make your choice, these are just ours.
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See you soon.