You need to test this, I used to do the same and took just my external drive to my parents home one day. I found out their microsoft works could not open my microsoft word or excel documents and the microsoft money, access and publicher are even worse because you have to have the same version. So I made some changes such as switching to open source software that can also run from the drive (portableapps.com) so I didn't need any install cd's and when I was shopping for a new computer bought the smallest lightest laptop I cold afford (at 3.5lbs its not much more heavy than an external drive). With the laptop if I need to bug out I take it and can start working in any place I stop at be it my bug out location or hotel without needing to find something to plug my drive in to. I actually have an old HP portable printer in my long term gear for if I would need that now as well, I picked it up for $5.

I also stopped using safe deposit boxes after seeing NOLA figuring any near enough to me would suffer from the same disaster that forced me to bug out so I have my important documents stored at my bug out location.

I won't own anything but a laptop. I take the whole computer.

Thats basically my point, replace the desktop and external stuff with a small laptop that can fit in a bob. Mine fits in an 8.5"x11"x1" case that looks like a paper planner and easily slides down in the backpack that is my bob. I forsee the real need to bug out being more of a NOLA situation rather than the end of the world. Those situations your going to be bugging out to a hotel short term or an apartment long term and you may need to get up an running fast and won't have anything to plug just a drive in to. For that matter I wouldn't plug a drive on mine into anyone elses computer anyway, never know what you might pick up as there are so much virus and other malware out there. They you need to have all the software installs available. But with a laptop you just need power, plug in at the hotel and boot up no trying to find/borrow/buy another computer to plug a drive in to.

I can't say enough good stuff aout Portableapps.com

I've been keeping in touch with John Haller, the mastermind behind the site, since the very first release of Portable Apps.

Even better is to use OpenOffice.org (called Neooffice on the Mac). This is the only 100% cross-platform fully functional office application there is. (Openoffice portable edition will run from a USB stick or external drive just fine).

The most important thing you need to do with your data is SYNCH it with as many storage tools as you can. I am a big user of Google Docs especially with their Synch tools.

I have one of these in the Linux model, tweaked a bit to get to the full linux desktop.

The finest little gizmo I own.

Our rights, by their very nature, cannot be suspended:

Inalienable rights
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The term inalienable rights (or unalienable rights) refers to a theoretical set of individual human rights that by their nature cannot be taken away, violated, or transferred from one person to another. They are considered more fundamental than alienable rights, such as rights in a specific piece of property.

Inalienable (Individual) Rights are: natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They are the most fundamental set of human rights, natural means not-granted nor conditional. They are applicable only to humans, as the basic necessity of their survival.

But they are very easily given up.

and they can be taken away, unless someone is willing to risk "cold dead hands" to keep them.

During Hurricane Charley, we had Nat Guard assisting with many things...one of them was traffic control....Long story short...when the nice police officer tells you to stop...STOP! If not then you rist the reaction of one of the Guardsman....He leveled the M16 at the car faster than you could imagine....boy oh boy did that car STOP!!!!! No traffic problems after that.

Re the computer storage stuff, I can't understand why anyone would have more than a few gigabytes of critical documents (word files, scans, photos, etc). Yes we have multi-hundred gb hard drives but those tend to be full of replaceable media files.

I always say to burn encrypted copies of the important stuff to cd or dvd in multiple copies and store them in geographically dispersed places, i.e. mail them to friends or relatives to save for you (and you do the same for them). This stuff about grabbing laptops or hard drives while dashing through a flood just seems too random. If you really do want to take it with you, a 16GB USB memory stick that fits in your pocket is about 50 bucks these days and seems a lot easier.