Identity Documents in Your Bug-Out Bag

Document Formats: What Form to Carry

Physical Documents

• High-quality color copies (photocopy or printed photo scan)
• Color is significantly more useful than black and white — ID photos, seals, and stamps are often security features
• Laminated cards for items you use repeatedly (ID, insurance)
• Standard copies for archival items (birth certificate, mortgage summary)

Digital Documents

• Encrypted USB drive containing scanned copies of all documents
• Small USB (16GB is more than enough) stored inside the document pouch
• Passphrase stored in your head — not written on the USB or in the same pouch

Storage in the Bag

Use a dedicated document pouch — not scattered through the bag's pockets.

Recommended pouch: Waterproof zipper pouch, letter-size or slightly larger. Bright color (orange or yellow) so it's findable in a dark bag. Some preppers use a simple gallon zip-lock bag as a liner inside a document folder.

Location in the bag: Top of the main compartment or in an exterior pocket with direct access — not buried at the bottom under gear. In the first moments at a shelter, checkpoint, or medical facility, you'll reach for this pouch repeatedly.

Pouch contents: Organize with a rubber-banded or clipped packet per person. One packet = all documents for one household member. Makes it easy to hand over one person's information quickly.

The Contact List

A printed contact list is one of the most overlooked and most valuable items in the bag. When your phone is dead, when your phone is lost, when you're injured and someone else is making calls on your behalf — this list matters.

What to include:

• Immediate family (names, phone numbers, addresses)
• Out-of-area emergency contact (someone outside your likely disaster zone who can coordinate information)
• Work contact (your employer's main number and your direct supervisor)
• Physicians (primary care, specialists)
• Schools (children's schools, main line and emergency line)
• Insurance (all policy companies and claims lines)
• Bank (customer service lines for each institution)
• Neighbor(s) (people who might need to know you've evacuated)
• Pet boarding or veterinarian (if you have animals)

Format: a single printed page, laminated if possible. Include people's full names — not just "Mom" or "work" — because someone helping you may not know who those labels mean.

Special Cases

Infants and Young Children

Children without their own photo ID still need documentation. Include:

• Birth certificate copy
• Immunization records
• Photo of the child (recent, clear — for identification purposes)
• Medical summary with pediatrician contact
• School or daycare contact

Elderly or Dependent Adults

• Medicare/Medicaid card copies (or written member IDs)
• Complete medication list with dosages and schedules
• Advance directive summary (DNR status, healthcare proxy identity)
• Caregiver authorization letter if you are their caregiver

Pets

• Rabies certificate (many shelters require proof of current rabies vaccination for animal entry)
• Vet contact and medical summary
• Microchip number and registration

Annual Document Review

Set a recurring calendar reminder once per year to open the document pouch and verify:

• Are copies current? (Passports expire; addresses change; insurance changes)
• Are prescriptions current? (Medications change)
• Is the contact list current? (People move, change numbers)
• Is the USB drive readable?
• Are any documents in the bag that shouldn't be there? (Remove anything that's now outdated)

This takes 20 minutes. It's the difference between a bag that works and a bag that was assembled in 2021 and has outdated information everywhere.