TL;DR
Pick three places no single fire, flood or burglary can hit together. You should be able to get to each within a day or two, and so should your family. Your home, a relative’s home and a third spot away from both is the usual answer.
The one-event rule
Ask of every pair of places: could one event take out both? A fire in your house also takes the shed next to it. A flood in your street can hit your neighbour too. If the answer is yes, that pair can hold at most one seed between them.
Places that work well
- Your own home, in a spot that isn’t the first place a burglar looks.
- A relative or close friend’s home in another town. They don’t need to know what’s in the box.
- A bank safe deposit box. Hard to burgle and fireproof, though not always floodproof, and break-ins do happen. Only open during bank hours, often closed to heirs until they can prove they’re entitled, and many banks no longer offer them. Fine for one seed, not for two.
- Your office or a second property, if it’s somewhere you control.
Places to avoid
- Two spots in the same building, however well hidden.
- Anywhere you can’t get to within a day or two if you need it.
- A place that looks valuable, such as a small home safe that’s easy to carry away.
- Anything digital. Seeds never go on a computer, phone or cloud drive.
What goes in each box
- One seed on metal (and the engraved check plate, if you make one)
- The passphrase on a separate card, if you use one
- A printed copy of the descriptor and a USB stick with it
- Silica gel against damp
Boxes: airtight boxes · silica gel. More in step 5.
Who knows what
Keep the list of locations off every computer. The only written record is your sealed inheritance letter. The people keeping a box for you only need to know it matters and must not be opened.