Dealing with password vault recovery after a catastrophic failure as a home user

Question

I had a dinner with some friends today, and I mentioned that I use 1Password combined with Dropbox to manage my password. One of them then remarked something which I actually hadn't considered: because both my Dropbox password and the password for the email address I use for recovery are also in the vault and completely random, I have no way of recovering from a catastrophic failure where all the local copies of my vault become unusable.

Now, I do have the possibility of resetting my recovery email password, but that requires me to be connected from my home network, and I might not have that luxury. The obvious answer is an offsite backup, but I'm unsure where to place that. My instinct is to share the vault folder with someone I can trust via dropbox, but that could increase the chance of a compromise, and without the enhanced permissions from Premium Dropbox, there's a chance of vault corruption on my end. There are solutions like a notary or a bank safe, but those are not cheap, plus it's still something that might be compromised.

I am unsure of how to solve this issue affordably. It might never happen, but all it takes is a fire in my bedroom while I'm downstairs that destroys my phone, my laptop and my desktop to put me in deep trouble. How can I recover my password vault if all my local copies have been lost and the only copy left is on my dropbox, which i can't access without my password vault?

Answer 1

I would memorize the master passwords. You could have a physical backup in case you forget them. I would recommend reading this topic for a full discussion.

Answer 2

I use both Bitwarden and KeePassXC for redundant password managers. It only takes a few more seconds to enter new entries and changes into both databases. It is free insurance if either service is not functioning.

I keep a local backup copy of my pw vault on a Samsung FIT+ flash drive in a fireproof waterproof digital media safe. I also keep several important passwords in the safe, written on paper and inscribed on an aluminum sheet for high fire temperature protection.

You can also keep another backup copy on a flash drive or a tiny SDXC memory card in an off-site secret location, at work, buried in a sealed container, or in your vehicle. You can buy a small vehicle safe for your trunk.

I keep a remote backup copy on encrypted Proton Drive in Switzerland. I do not use any Big Tech snoop storage.

I do not keep passwords in my wallet.

I bought a used fireproof waterproof portable Sentry chest safe on eBay for a low price. It had a few scratches that did not affect its security.