Field Journal
What belongs on paper when keys stay offline
A plain-language list of what to document — and what must never appear in a vault record.
Clients sometimes arrive with spreadsheets exported years ago from online trackers. Those exports rarely suit offline custody. A vault record answers orientation questions, not valuation questions.
Include
- Device make and model
- Whether a passphrase or PIN is required (not the secret itself)
- Last date you verified the device powers on
- Who may co-sign or witness access
- Relationships between duplicate devices (“archive copy of Signer A”)
Exclude
- Seed phrases, recovery shards, or private keys
- Full wallet addresses (use “Account group 3” instead)
- Screenshots of balances
- Exchange login credentials
Why exclusion helps
Paper crosses hands more easily than steel plates. Every line you add increases the damage from a lost folio. If a reader needs a balance, they can ask you directly once they have located the correct device using the register.
Updating after purchases
When you add hardware, note the acquisition month in the appendix and schedule a refresh before the next major trip. Partial updates on sticky notes fall off; sewn pages do not.
Start an offline asset record setup if you are building your first register.