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#140746 - 07/22/08 12:46 PM Should a passport be part of your EDC?
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
I do not have a current passport, but often think it might be wise to get one. If it is wise to have a passport, then is it also wise to make it part of your EDC?

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#140748 - 07/22/08 12:56 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


I could see it being a handy form of backup ID but unless there's a possibility you'll have to leave the country on extremely short notice, I don't think it would be handy to carry every day.

It is very handy to own one though...you should get yours so you can leave the country on short notice if you need to. I've lost out on some cool job opportunities over the years.

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#140754 - 07/22/08 01:20 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: ]
Kris Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 627
Loc: A Canadian Back in Canada
If your going to be in North America 99.9% of your time, its not necessary to carry your passport (but you should have one - never know when that last minute trip to Italy will strike your fancy!).

Personally, I carry mine. But I can be travelling the following day, or need info off my passport for any number of things. Yes, a photocopy of the passport would solve most of my problems other then the travelling, but a passport doesn't take up much room.

Chances are that if you don't have a need for it now, you probably don't have an every day need for it at all.
_________________________
"One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything"
William of Ockham (1285-1349)

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#140759 - 07/22/08 01:29 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
MartinFocazio Offline

Pooh-Bah

Registered: 01/21/03
Posts: 2203
Loc: Bucks County PA
It depends. I know of no other piece of ID that is universally accepted as final authoritative identification, which makes it the ultimate form of ID in one sense. However, the address area on a passport is (well should be) penciled in, so it's a good ID for who you are, not where you live.

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#140764 - 07/22/08 01:40 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: ]
OldBaldGuy Offline
Geezer

Registered: 09/30/01
Posts: 5695
Loc: Former AFB in CA, recouping fr...
"...you can leave the country on short notice..."

Other than going thru Canada a few times a couple of years ago (to and from Alaska), we are not international travelers. As I understand it, you need a visa in addition to a passport in order to enter most foreign countries, and you don't get one of those instantly. Is that correct, or am I misinformed yet again???
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#140767 - 07/22/08 01:55 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: OldBaldGuy]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


You only need a visa if you're moving to a foreign country to work. If you're just visiting then no visa is required.

Leaving the country on short notice might sound ominous but it comes up and always when you least expect it.

My friend just bought a motorcycle in Phoenix. A deal came up by way of an internet contact and before he knew it he was flying to Arizona to ride his new bike back. If he didn't have a passport he would have had to wait a couple of months to get it...by which time the deal would have been somebody elses.

My biggest lost opportunity was I was asked to help open a branch office in New Dehli, India for a company I was working for. I was automatically turned down because they needed somebody to leave in 2 days and I didn't have a passport at the time.

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#140776 - 07/22/08 02:25 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: ]
Blast Offline
INTERCEPTOR
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 07/15/02
Posts: 3760
Loc: TX
Quote:
You only need a visa if you're moving to a foreign country to work. If you're just visiting then no visa is required.


That is not correct. Work Visas and Tourist Visas are usually handled differently. Many countries require that you have a Visa just to visit. In some cases this is as simple as filling out a form when you land at the airport. In others you need to apply at the country's consulate ofice in your country well before the trip.

I think having a passport is a good idea. It allows spontanous travel and works as an ID, but I don't really see a need to carry it every day.

-Blast
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#140788 - 07/22/08 03:26 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Blast]
Kris Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 627
Loc: A Canadian Back in Canada
Originally Posted By: Blast
Quote:
You only need a visa if you're moving to a foreign country to work. If you're just visiting then no visa is required.


That is not correct. Work Visas and Tourist Visas are usually handled differently. Many countries require that you have a Visa just to visit. In some cases this is as simple as filling out a form when you land at the airport. In others you need to apply at the country's consulate ofice in your country well before the trip.

I think having a passport is a good idea. It allows spontanous travel and works as an ID, but I don't really see a need to carry it every day.

-Blast


This is true (Blast's quote), but it all depends what your citizenship is and where you are going. Since i'm Canadian, currently all I need is a passport and I can get into the states. If i'm South African, I would require a tourist visa to enter the states; even for medical reasons.



Edited by Kris (07/22/08 03:27 PM)
Edit Reason: added a comment
_________________________
"One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything"
William of Ockham (1285-1349)

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#140791 - 07/22/08 03:32 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Kris]
Hacksaw
Unregistered


I stand corrected. I'm so unworldly. smile

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#140815 - 07/22/08 04:43 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
Arney Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/15/05
Posts: 2485
Loc: California
I think everyone should have a current passport.

A passport is a very valuable document and I would not EDC mine. Someone up to no good could create a mess for you if they stole it or found it and then used it for all kinds of identity theft uses, including getting arrested and passing himself off as YOU. Unless you lived near a border and could foresee a reason for needing to cross over at a moments notice, like maybe living/working near Seattle after a massive earthquake and you have friends/family in Canada, the likelihood of identity theft and the hassles associated would outweigh any situations I can think of that requires instant access to my passport.

Actually, in past massive earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, I wonder what the border control situation was like? Would Canadian authorities be reluctant to let Americans cross over after, say, Seattle is devastated, fearing an influx of American refugees/evacuees who then might become a burden on the Canadian gov't, or vice versa?

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#140824 - 07/22/08 05:39 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Arney]
Kris Offline
Addict

Registered: 04/13/07
Posts: 627
Loc: A Canadian Back in Canada
Originally Posted By: Arney
... Someone up to no good could create a mess for you if they stole it or found it and then used it for all kinds of identity theft uses, including getting arrested and passing himself off as YOU.


This can be said with any other document(s) in your wallet that you carry every day. In fact, if someone takes a credit card, your drivers licence, and your Social Security Number (or SIN in Canada) they do more damage with that then any passport can.


Originally Posted By: Arney

Actually, in past massive earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, I wonder what the border control situation was like? Would Canadian authorities be reluctant to let Americans cross over after, say, Seattle is devastated, fearing an influx of American refugees/evacuees who then might become a burden on the Canadian gov't, or vice versa?


If 9/11 was any indication (I was working in Indiana at the time), they closed all the border crossings between Michigan and Ontario (not sure about others). But by the time I made it to Detroit, they just opened them (and there was no traffic whatsoever at the time - all commuters went to hotels, friends, etc). Best to call Canadian consulate and find out status (the one in Detroit is at the Ren Centre, and have views of both the tunnel and bridge).
_________________________
"One should not increase, beyond what is necessary, the number of entities required to explain anything"
William of Ockham (1285-1349)

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#140911 - 07/23/08 04:46 AM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Kris]
Art_in_FL Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/01/07
Posts: 2432
"Should a passport be part of your EDC?"

Not as such.

SHTF the passport goes into a sealed waterproofed packet that rides with your other important papers on your person.

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#140977 - 07/23/08 03:13 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
Arney Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/15/05
Posts: 2485
Loc: California
dweste, since you're asking about passports in a BOB in another thread, I'm just curious, did you have any specific situations in mind when asked about EDC'ing a passport? Because since you live in central California (that's correct, right?), not particularly near the border, I can't really think of any reasonable situations where you'd need a passport instantly, without going home or to your safety deposit box to get it. If you're just thinking of the passport as a form of identification, rather than as a travel document, then I would say that other ID like your state drivers license should be sufficient in any disaster scenario, particularly if you have documents like credit cards, health insurance card, etc. in your name on you, too.

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#140987 - 07/23/08 03:30 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Arney]
dweste Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 02/16/08
Posts: 2463
Loc: Central California
Good questions and comments.

I am in central California at the moment, but actively looking to relocate north out of state. From time to time I also visit friends in the far south of California and the topic of trips to Mexico, particulary fishing trips, comes up.

I will be getting a passport soon and I just began wondering how this community used a passport as a survival /preparedness tool.

In an emergency I do not think I want to have to get to my safe deposit box.


Edited by dweste (07/23/08 03:31 PM)

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#140992 - 07/23/08 03:47 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
Arney Offline
Pooh-Bah

Registered: 09/15/05
Posts: 2485
Loc: California
OK, that helps clarify the situation. So you're thinking of the passport as a travel document and not just as a form of ID.

Actually, so you're sort of like Kris, at least when you're visiting your friends in far southern California, where there's a decent possibility of actually wanting to cross the border on a moment's notice, so in that case, I could see the utility of EDC'ing a passport in that situation since going back to your home to get it wouldn't be practical, whether for a fishing trip or during some emergency while you're down there. But if I lived, say, in San Diego (which I did) I never felt that EDC'ing a passport held any advantage for me over the risk of losing it or getting it stolen.

I would say that a passport in a BOB is a different situation from EDC'ing one, but that's a comment for a different thread.

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#141005 - 07/23/08 04:35 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: dweste]
wildman800 Offline
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 11/09/06
Posts: 2846
Loc: La-USA
I have no plans or desires to leave the country.

In my wallet, I carry 3 Federal types of ID: Military (picture w/health record encoded), TWIC (picture w/security data in RFID chip), SS, and my TRICARE cards;
2 State types of ID: Driver's License (picture w/encoded info), fishing license;
1 local type of ID: Library card;
6 miscellaneous types of ID: Employee's (picture), health history (microfiche), insurance, CPOA membership, minature HS diploma, Sam's Club Membership Club (picture).
Credit cards

I think that is overkill to the max as to proving who I am. I think I'll forego a passport for now.
_________________________
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The best luck is what you make yourself!

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#141023 - 07/23/08 05:48 PM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: Arney]
dougwalkabout Offline
Crazy Canuck
Carpal Tunnel

Registered: 02/03/07
Posts: 3219
Loc: Alberta, Canada
" Actually, in past massive earthquakes in the Pacific Northwest, I wonder what the border control situation was like? Would Canadian authorities be reluctant to let Americans cross over after, say, Seattle is devastated, fearing an influx of American refugees/evacuees who then might become a burden on the Canadian gov't, or vice versa? "

I don't think Americans need a passport to come into Canada; it's getting back into the U.S. that is increasingly difficult. (I don't believe Americans need more than a valid driver's license if going by car, but that will change in a year or two ... the rules are kind of a moving target.)

If Seattle is devastated, it's possible that Vancouver will have been hit hard as well. That might change the border situation.

Mostly, though, I think you'd find that Canadians will go out of their way to be good neighbours, and help people in need.

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#141097 - 07/24/08 01:14 AM Re: Should a passport be part of your EDC? [Re: ]
Intrepid Offline
Stranger

Registered: 07/11/08
Posts: 3
Loc: Iowa
Simply by way of FYI, for most countries, the stamp they put in your passport during your processing at immigration *is* your tourist visa. You needn't have anything other than proper documentation of your identity, a polite attitude toward the official, and, sometimes, proof that you have a plane ticket or the like back out of the country at the end of your stay. Some countries--generally ones not on good terms with one's home government, or those who have stricter immigration policies--require that the visa be arranged in advance via consulate/embassy vetting. However, as an American, I've traveled all through North America, South America, Europe, and Australia without needing any advance work. The stamp will have an expiration date, at which point you need either to have left the country or to have arranged for a visa extension (which would be an additional stamp/document in your passport).


Edited by Intrepid (07/24/08 01:16 AM)

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