Document Storage and Transport

I read an article today from Kim Komando about loading programs on a USB drive to boot up and browse the internet with a high degree of anonymity from remote locations. She also had several suggestions on protecting your browsing history on a daily basis. I don’t know anything else about Kim Komando but will be exploring her site some in the future.

The article did prompt me to share how I save and transport documents.

Finding the Right Media

There was a time when we printed out and carried copies of all important documents in a paper file. People who are currently watching the new TV series Revolution may be tempted to do the same. That said, the technology now at our disposal makes transport of important documents incredibly easy. OK, I probably said the same thing when the 5.25” floppy was introduced. Again with the 3.5” floppy and CD ROMs. But really – relish the USB drive. These devices are so inexpensive and easy to use that I can’t believe everyone doesn’t already own several. Load copies of all of your important documents on one of these and keep it with you!

That was my plan. In fact, after listening to some discussion on The Survival Podcast, I set out to find the perfect USB drive. If I was going to carry it with me, it had to survive everything I do. Some quick searches yielded a fair number of USB drives that were shock proof, water proof, etc. Most were housed in fairly large, rugged aluminum or titanium canisters which were large enough to do double duty as a fist load or kubaton. Problem, I really don’t want to carry yet another thing that large! So I wondered off to the local Staples to see a wide range of devices to get my mind around this project.

Here is what I came home with (several months ago) and believe to be the best solution for me and many others. A higher capacity Micro SD Card which can be used in my telephone along with a small USB converter so the same card can be used as a standard USB drive in any computer with a USB slot. Once I saw these, I felt the answer was so obvious. These small cards are waterproof, shockproof, x-ray proof and temperature proof (-18 to +185 degrees Fahrenheit per the website). I believe the packaging also referenced dust proof and something about being exempt from magnetic problems. That should pretty much cover any situations I am likely to be in! And the versatility of using in any Micro SD device as well as USB really extends my options.

The down side is that these gizmos are so small they could be lost or misplaced very easily. I remember when Bin Laden was “picked up” he had some gold coins and phone numbers sewn into the clothing he was wearing. As small as these Micro SD cards are you could easily clip 2 or 3 threads on your pants’ waistline and drop the card in. That would be great if traveling in an area that you felt theft was likely. I have not done that. Another option would be hollow coins which can be found on the internet. These allow you to carry the card with your normal change – just be real careful not to spend that particular coin! Many people choose a foreign or specialty coin for their transport for this reason.

I am not James Bond and don’t need to be that sneaky. I already carry a multi-section elastic band in each pocket with my EDC tools. The entire USB drive slides inside this band. Another simple option is to stash it underneath a Velcro patch. Lots of clothing and bags now come with Velcro sections to add patches of your own choosing. Pretty easy to discreetly carry one of these cards under a patch. Want more ideas, just do a search for Drug Stash. You will be amazed at all the simple ways people have come up with to hide their stashes! Adapt these ideas to your needs.

What Should Be On the Card?

Everyone has their own list of what they believe should be carried. I began with color copies of my drivers license, vehicle titles, birth certificate, social security card, and passport. Add to that insurance documents, credit card listings, important contacts, and medical information. Since this is electronic media, go ahead and add a short video of your home contents (for insurance claims after a disaster) and photos of family that you want to keep with you. That’s a good start. Keep these properly filed and secured on the card.

Security Settings

As soon as I see a list like the one above, I begin feeling very vulnerable to ID Theft. SanDisk provides some data security apps to encrypt the entire device or specific files within the device. This is a good place to get started. Be aware that this class of data encryption and protection is really evolving. Periodically review respected sources to learn the latest options and determine which you want to implement.

So we can now discreetly carry a large volume of secured or encrypted documents on a device which can be read on a very wide range of devices – with a very small expenditure of real dollars! Now about that “T.A.I.L.S.” system that was on the Komando site…