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A personal blog post published October 3 describes a proposed off-site backup system: store copies of essential files on Blu-ray M-Discs in sealed, padded cases held by trusted friends. The author says the files currently fit on three discs, but the plan is a personal approach, not evidence that M-Discs will last indefinitely or a substitute for tested backups.
A blogger has described a last-resort, off-site backup plan built around Blu-ray M-Discs stored in sealed cases with trusted friends, aiming to preserve essential files if the owner’s home backups are destroyed or unavailable. In a report published October 3, the author said the current collection fits on three discs; the account describes a personal project, not a tested guarantee of long-term data preservation.
The plan responds to a common weakness in personal backups: keeping the computer and its backup drive in the same home leaves both exposed to the same disaster. The author proposes making two or three copies, placing three or four Blu-ray discs in each small case, and asking trusted friends to hold them. The cases would be replaced every one to three years, with the author checking the seals before handing over refreshed copies.
The files selected are meant to help preserve the author’s digital life: digitized documents organized with Paperless-ngx, a music collection, selected photo albums, and material needed to start again with a blank computer and no access to other backups. The author says the current set fits on three M-Discs and that the most sensitive data is zipped and password-protected. The report does not specify the encryption method or describe an independent data-recovery test.
For the container, the author chose a B&W Outdoor Case Type 500, reported to cost €33.74 at purchase. It can hold up to five or six Blu-ray jewel cases, according to the post. The author added polyethylene foam to limit movement, a numbered, break-to-open plastic seal, a label, and a silica-gel packet. The author says they plan to photograph the seal and compare its number and barcode during refreshes.
Keeping Copies Beyond the Home
The proposal addresses an important backup principle: a second copy is less useful if it remains exposed to the same fire, theft, flood, or other event as the original. Distributing sealed copies among trusted people could give essential files a separate physical location without relying on a remote server or subscription service. For readers with a small, carefully chosen set of files, optical discs may be one option to investigate alongside other off-site storage.
But the arrangement shifts responsibility to people and processes as well as media. Discs must be readable, files need to be refreshed and checked, and the custodian arrangement must remain workable over time. A tamper-evident seal can show visible signs of opening, but it does not by itself prove that the contents remain intact, that the data can be recovered, or that nobody copied it earlier. The author presents the seal and refresh routine as suitable for their own security needs, not as a universal security standard.
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From Archival Discs to Emergency Copies
The author says the idea followed an earlier blog post about buying a Blu-ray drive and M-Discs for long-term archival backups. The later post reframes the discs as an additional, decentralized copy kept away from the owner’s home. It uses the everyday example of giving a spare house key to a trusted friend: another person can retain something useful for an emergency, provided the relationship and access rules are clear.
The author also raises a separate question about passwords and digital legacy. Including credentials or a way to unlock files could help a trusted person or family member access accounts after the owner’s death, but it could also expose private information. The post leaves that decision to each person and notes that some relatives have difficulty managing a deceased person’s accounts without passwords. It does not set out a formal estate or account-recovery process.
““It would be cool to get 2-3 small cases, put 3-4 Blu-Rays in each of them, pad them with foam, seal them and then give them to a few good and trusted friends.””
— The author of the smyck.net report
sealed outdoor storage case for Blu-ray discs
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Disc Longevity and Recovery Checks
The post does not report how long the specific discs will remain readable, whether the files have been restored from them, or how the author will verify every copy during each refresh. It gives no independent test results for the discs, case, foam, or moisture protection. The proposed one-to-three-year replacement schedule is the author’s plan; the report does not establish that interval as necessary or sufficient for reliable preservation.
Other practical details remain open, including whether custodians will retain the cases for years, what happens if a trusted friend moves or is no longer available, and how the author will protect passwords and private files. The author says the full security scheme is not being disclosed. The report therefore documents an individual backup concept rather than a complete, independently evaluated procedure.
tamper-evident security seals for storage
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The Planned Refresh Cycle
The author says the next step is to place the discs in padded cases, seal and label them, and give the cases to trusted friends. At intervals of roughly one to three years, the author plans to prepare replacement discs and inspect the old cases before exchanging them. The report does not say that all cases have already been distributed or provide a date for the first handover.
For the approach to function as intended, future updates would need to show whether the discs can be read and the files recovered, how copies are refreshed, and whether the custodian arrangement remains practical. Those outcomes are not yet documented in the source report.
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Key Questions
What is the proposed backup plan?
The author proposes storing three or four Blu-ray discs in each padded, sealed case and distributing two or three cases to trusted friends, away from the primary home.
What files does the author plan to store?
The reported collection includes digitized documents, selected music and photo albums, and files the author considers necessary to rebuild a digital setup. The author says the current set fits on three M-Discs.
Does the report prove M-Discs last indefinitely?
No. It describes the author’s intended use of the discs but provides no independent longevity testing or guarantee that a disc will remain readable indefinitely.
How often does the author plan to replace the cases?
The author proposes replacing the stored copies every one to three years, checking the seal during the handover. The report does not establish that schedule as a general recommendation.
Should a password be kept with the discs?
The author leaves that decision to each person. Including access information could help a trusted person retrieve files or manage accounts, but it also creates privacy and security risks; the report does not prescribe a single approach.
Source: hn
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