What is the best disaster-proof pouch for important documents in my BOB?

MrsPrep - March 6, 2022

AdviceGear

I’m looking for a somewhat budget-friendly disaster proof pouch for my important documents but I don’t know where to start. Is there a brand I should begin with? 

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Enough-Document-Organizer-Waterproof-Plastic

Is your main concern your documents getting wet? Or something else?

if they are going in your BOB anyway a simple document wallet might do the trick; they are plastic with a zip across the top, a bit like a ziplock bag but slightly stronger. The zip might leak if it was to get submerged for a long period of time, I’m sure there are versions that will be waterproof but it would depend how much you want to spend. 

 

I was thinking as proofed as possible haha maybe I’ll just start with waterproof-ish. 

 

These things are pretty darn indestructible for a pouch and come in a lot of different sizes

DAKA Pouches

 

They do look pretty tough. I like the water resistant YKK zippers they have. Do you use yours for ammo like they advertise?

 

I actually don’t have any….yet. But several of my buddies do and they use theirs for all kinds of stuff, mags, batteries, ammo, parts, etc. Like most everything else magpul makes they’re very high quality and durable, I would definitely trust them for documents. 

 

Appreciate the suggestion! It looks like the perfect pouch for documents, ham radio, or many other sets of gear that might be in a bug out bag. I’ll have to get some now.

 

They seem tough, but also heavy and stiff.  I put my electronics in sea to summit drybags at a similar price point.  Since they’re in my BOB already, I didn’t think tough was as important as malleable, lightweight and versatile.  The drybags can also hold water for other uses (bucket, laundry).  I’ve got all my ‘paperwork’ electronically in a thumbdrive in a mylar ziploc inside the drybag.  I haven’t yet done the hardcopy items.  I was planning to use a ziploc and put that in a Silnylon zip bag (eagle creek specter). What may be better for some of these is to laminate them or print on waterproof paper.  

 

I ordered some fire-proof bags from Amazon, probably because they were on sale.  I haven’t tried them out in a real fire, but it’s yet another potential layer of protection.  Looks like they are currently unavailable, but I it will give you an idea of what they are.

Fireproof Money Bag, 5 Layers 13.5 x 10.5 inch Fireproof Bag with Two Pockets, Fireproof Document Bag with Zipper, Fireproof Envelopes for Documents, Bank Deposit,Passport,Jewelry (Silver)

Fireproof Money Bag, 5 Layers 13.5 x 10.5 inch Fireproof Bag with Two Pockets, Fireproof Document Bag with Zipper, Fireproof Envelopes for Documents, Bank Deposit,Passport,Jewelry (Black)

 

I have all of my documents on an encrypted thumb drive that’s stored, along with emergency cash, in a small Loksack. What are best practices for determining which hard copy docs go in a BOB? That might help determine the appropriate container. 
 

 

There was a Forum thread on that.  Looking for it now……It must have been in a response to a thread with a different title.  But it was useful to review all 22 pages of Forum topics!  Of course i have the list of items to capture electronically, but not what I needed in hardcopy form.  

Things that I recall:  Copy of ID/Drivers License; Proof of residency (to get past police lines if your neighborhood was cordoned off – can be on ID/DL but also a utility bill with your name/address), Photos of family members and pets (in case you are separated), basic medical info for each family member (allergies, issues a responder would want to know like previous heart attack, medications), Same for pets – include vaccination/shot records/microchip number (some shelters may not take the pet without proof of vaccinations); Insurance cards/policy numbers – medical, dental, car, house, renters, etc; Contact info: for your emergency network, local FD, non-emergency police/HWY Patrol; concealed carry permit if applicable; 

This can be pretty compact on one double sided sheet or two plus the photos of family which may function better on separate page(s). 

 

In the bug out bag list article The Prepared has some recommended items to keep in your bag:

“Important documentation should be stored both digitally and physically. In a bug out bag that typically looks like a USB thumb drive and small laminated papers you print and seal at home. Keep them stored in one of your watertight containers. That should cover all of your bases when combined with files stored in the cloud and on your phone.

Documents to keep copies of in your emergency kit:

• A list of important people and their contact/location information
• Birth certificate
• SSN card
• Passport
• State ID
• List of financial accounts and credit card numbers — don’t forget the expiration and CVV codes as well as the phone numbers for your providers
• Titles/deeds
• Marriage certificate, especially if you have different last names
• Anything proving parental relationships, especially if adopted or different last names
• Pictures of important people, both for morale and to give to others for recovery/reconnection
• Estate planning docs
• Health, homeowners, auto, life, and other major insurance policy numbers and phone numbers
• Important medical history, medication (with dosage), and allergies
• Living will or Do Not Resuscitate instructions”

I think that is a good bare minimum list of what you should have in paper form, but you can store much more than this on a flash drive without any additional weight so add more to your flash drive than this list recommends. What I say to myself is “If my house burnt to a crisp right now, do I wish I had this document scanned and backed up somewhere?”, if so, then I back it up.

 

Another thought… The Prepared recommends to laminate important documents. If possible, I would either shrink, fold, or cut each document so that it fits to at the largest a 1/2 sheet size. A full ridged piece of paper is too large to fit into many of these disaster proof pouches and can be kind of cumbersome to pull in and out of a bag. 1/2 sheet size is much more manageable.