It goes without saying that the living creatures in your home are going to be your top priority in the event of a disaster. But it would be really handy if, in the event of anything happening, paperwork, such as passports, birth certificates, marriage certificates— and insurance policies—was easy to access. And, forget about the practicalities, what about treasured family photos, and irreplaceable kindergarten artwork? Buy yourself a slice of peace of mind with a fireproof and waterproof document bag. Here’s what to look for.
Think about why you’re buying a fireproof bag. Is it going to be something you carry around with you? Or something that’s going to sit in a safe most of the time? Is it to keep fire away from the contents? Or to protect you if the contents combust? Because while most of us think about protecting our documents, it’s also worth bearing in mind that you can store batteries in a fireproof bag while traveling. The answers to these questions will dictate the size and style of bag you purchase.
To make sure you’ve got all bases covered, invest in a bag that’s large enough to take all important papers, documents and gadgets, that also comes with a smaller bag which can be used for items of jewelry and smaller, more delicate objects that you want to protect. This means they won’t get tangled up with everything else and the smaller bag can sit neatly within the larger one for safe keeping.
If you’re primarily looking to protect documents, look for a concertina, or accordion-folded, file. This will look very similar to a regular expandable file, with separate sections and space to label the section. At a glance, you can get hold of the paperwork that you need rather than having to shuffle through an entire bag’s worth of stuff to find the right document.
